Stuart Heritage Museum

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From Americana to celebrities to the varied and interesting history of local business owners and citizens, the museum has a fascinating collection of artifacts from Stuart's past.

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Located in beautiful downtown Stuart, the newly-renovated museum is open every day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free, so come visit us today!

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There are no Stuart Heritage general meetings June through August 2012. The museum is open regular hours.

General meetings begin again on Tues., Sept. 11, 2012 with a program on held at the newly renovated Lyric Flagler Center, just down the street from the Museum, at 7 p.m. Speakers will talk about school football, the band and cheerleaders of Stuart in the mid- to late-1950s, including a video of some of the football action. Many former players, band members and cheerleaders / majorettes from those years will be present to tell of their experiences.

The October 9, 2012 general meeting will also be held at the Lyric Flagler Center with guest speaker Alice L. Luckhardt and her video presentation on Stuart's notorious Ashley Gang.

Martin County High School Majorettes, 1958

Special RMS Titanic Magazine Issue

The Stuart Heritage Museum now has the only available copies of the latest issue of the national "History Magazine" published by Moorshead Publication. This April-May 2012 issue is their special RMS Titanic issue with two feature articles on unusual and little-known aspects about the Titanic, its passengers and crew. One of the magazine articles is by local historical researcher and writer, Alice L. Luckhardt, who wrote about Violet Jessop, who survived three ship tragedies between 1911 and 1916, including the Titanic.

Stop by the museum to purchase a copy of the limited edition of this magazine. Sales will serve as a fundraiser for the museum.

History Magazine, April-May 2012

Take a tour of Stuart in 1964--complete with old cars, airplanes, buildings and more!

> see video

The Purpose of the Stuart Heritage Museum
Stuart Heritage, Inc. was created in 1988 when the City of Stuart purchased the Stuart Feed Store building on Flagler Avenue in downtown Stuart, Florida. The purpose of Stuart Heritage is to help preserve the heritage, artifacts and history of Stuart and its surrounding communities. The countless relics housed by the museum define the history of the people, businesses, agriculture and community spirit of the City of Stuart and Martin County.

Purchase of the Stuart Feed Store
When the city purchased the Stuart Feed Store and property in 1988, Stuart Heritage wanted to convert the building into the Stuart Heritage Museum. However, it was not an easy process. To help with expenses, the front portion of the building was rented by Mrs. Peter's Smoked Fish House for a couple of years.

Gathering Artifacts
During those early years, donations of artifacts were gathered and organized in the remainder of the building. Some of the earliest Stuart memorabilia came from the efforts of Capt. Francis Adams, who had established a Stuart mini-museum in a small building behind the Stuart Police Station on 7th Street from June 1972 until his death in September 1975. With these and other donations from families who had lived in the area for decades, Stuart Heritage's inventory and variety of items steadily increased. Approximately 80 percent of the artifacts were acquired locally.

Preserving History
Local architect Don Armstrong was a founding member and Stuart Heritage's first president. He and other members set the organization's goal to protect Stuart's historical identity. Besides its numerous artifacts on display at the museum, that preservation has included saving numerous early buildings and homes which might otherwise have been torn down.

Come Visit Us!
The Stuart Heritage Museum is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with always free admission to the public. Volunteers staff the museum to answer questions and explain exhibits and artifacts. Come visit us and discover the rich history of Stuart!

Pictured, top: Panoramic photo of Stuart in the 1920s.
Pictured, bottom: Miniature display of Stuart in the 1910s.