Last updated: 7/20/2020
41 N. Krome Avenue
Homestead, FL 33030
Tuesday - Saturday
1 PM - 5 PM
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Katherine L. Fleming
phone:
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Jeff Blakley
phone: 305-242-4463
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Charlie Hudson
phone:
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Staff
phone:
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The Museum is located in the original Town Hall building, built in 1916-1917. We have photographs of historic places and people, the 1924 American LaFrance fire engine that belonged to the City of Homestead, books for sale, a research library, a website, and keyword-searchable copies of many of the early Homestead newspapers, dating from 1912.
The Museum exists to provide its culturally diverse community with information about past human thought and activity, which supplies critical context for analysis of persistent themes and significant issues to the present. The Museum collects, preserves and interprets objects and materials, including a display of over 400 historical pictures.
The first Town Hall served the needs of the residents of Homestead for almost 60 years. In 1975, a new city hall, which had been in the planning stages since 1964, was built at 790 N. Homestead Boulevard. Edward M. Ghezzi, a well-known Miami architect who had moved to Homestead and occupied an office in the 1922 Redd Building, was awarded the contract in November of 1973 to design the new city hall. Ghezzi also designed the Shark Valley Observation Tower at Everglades National Park. The official dedication for the new city hall took place on November 23, 1975.
In 1980, at the behest of local merchants seeking to increase parking along Krome Avenue, the City of Homestead resolved to demolish the structure. This decision triggered a fervent response from city residents. In a 5-2 vote on January 4, 1980, City Council members Nick Sincore, Bill Dickinson, Bill McConnell, Walter Rutzke and Tommy Wilson favored demolishing the building, while Irving Peskoe and Ruth Campbell opposed the measure. Those in favor asserted that the senior citizen center would be moved to a new building to be constructed in Musselwhite Park at the cost of $60,000. The historic value of the structure was not considered. Efforts by the opposition movement, led by Peskoe and Campbell, resulted in the donation of approximately $61,000 from members of the community and a State grant of $173,363 for the restoration of the building. Those community members who donated more than $250 are honored on an “Above and Beyond the Call” plaque mounted on the wall on the left side of the entrance to the Museum. On the wall just beyond the entrance to the building, bricks inscribed with contributor names honor those who contributed up to $250 towards the project.
Seminole Indian dolls and photographs of many people and places in Homestead history.
Cemetery index, obituary index, small research library with selected City directories and phone books and most importantly, digitized access to the Homestead newspapers from 1912 - 1965. The newspapers are keyword searchable.
If you are interested in history and would like to help us, we would be most grateful. We need help in all areas. We have a library with lots of books that need call numbers, archives that need organizing, photographs to be taken, furniture that needs repair or polishing, tours of the Museum to be given … there are all kinds of opportunities. We can use your talents! Please contact us for more information.
Gift Shop
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