Historical Resources

Inverness Historic Courthouse and Street signs

Website for Citrus County Historical Society:
https://citruscountyhistoricalsociety.org/

2020 Music at the Museum

The Old Courthouse Heritage Museum is a historical gem at the heart of Downtown Inverness. The proud structure has stood for over 100 years, and although the business of the court is no longer transacted here, it is still an important pillar to the community. It is a place of learning, a community space, and of course, an entertainment venue. The fully restored 2nd floor courtroom recalls the majesty of turn-of-the-century architecture and design and provides an intimate and unforgettable setting for fantastic food, cheerful company, and magnificent music.

April 16, 2020: Craig Singleton and the Big City Band

Craig Singleton is an award-winning professional musician, vocalist, and entertainer. At the Museum he will transport us back to the Golden Age of American music, performing songs from the Great American Song book with his Big City Band. From composers such as Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, and George Gershwin, these traditional pop standards can never go out of style.

September 19, 2019: Greta Pope and the Spaniels

Greta Pope is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed entertainer. She has delighted audiences throughout the world, performing styles from Jazz to Opera to Broadway with easy and flair. The Museum is proud to welcome her and the Spaniels to perform all your Motown favorites, including The Supremes, The Temptations, Ike and Tina Turner, Martha and the Vandellas and more.

Tickets for the event are $25 per person. Tickets include after-hours access to the Old Courthouse Heritage Museum exhibits and appetizers. A cash bar is available, which helps support fundraising efforts.

The Citrus County Historical Society, Inc. (a non-profit organization) asks for your financial support and or sponsorship for this performance series. Proceeds benefit the Old Courthouse Heritage Museum exhibitions, educational programming, and scholarships. Partnerships and sponsorships are always available.

For more information, please call 352-341-6428 or email citruscountyhistoricalsociety@gmail.com

Inverness Walks! Downtown Walking Tours

Temporarily postponed due to COVID-19, but will resume as soon as the Safe at Home order is lifted.

2nd Tuesday of the Month, Starting at the Old Courthouse Heritage Museum at 9:30 AM.

Hear stories of early and present-day Inverness as your guide shows you a small-town rich with history. Experience the beautiful lakes, parks, and quaint, walkable downtown and its historic buildings. Even locals will be amazed by what they learn! Group size is limited to 15 so please call ahead and register for a spot today!

All proceeds benefit the exhibition, programs, and operations of the Inverness Cultural Heritage Council at the Old Courthouse Heritage Museum, $5/per adult, $2/per child. For more information and reservations, please call 352-341-6428.

The Citrus County Historical Society, Inc. (a non-profit organization) asks for your financial support and or sponsorship for this performance series. Proceeds benefit the Old Courthouse Heritage Museum exhibitions, educational programming, and scholarships. Partnerships and sponsorships are always available.

For more information, please call 352-341-6428 or email:museum@citrusbocc.com.

2020 Coffee and Conversations Speaker Series

The Old Courthouse Heritage Museum, in partnership with the Florida Humanities Council, is excited to welcome engaging scholars to the Coffee and Conversations Program Series. The last of the three programs has been turned into a Facebook Live Lunch and Learn at noon, please join us at www.facebook.com/courthousemuseum.

May 7, 2020: Dr. Peggy MacDonald noon, Peggy MacDonald and May Mann Jennings

Facebook live program, will be on Marjorie Stoneman Douglas The in-person program has been rescheduled to Thursday, August 6, at 7:00 p.m. at the Museum and Dr. MacDonald will be examining some of the women who have shaped Florida, including Dr. Esther Hill Hawks, a physician who ran the first racially integrated free school in Florida; Harriet Beecher Stowe, famous for writing Uncle Tom's Cabin who kick started Florida's tourism industry with her 1873 book, Palmetto Leaves; and May Mann Jennings, a suffragist and conservationist who helped establish Royal Palm State Park, which formed the nucleus of Everglades National Park. Please call 352-341-6428 to reserve a seat or go online at cchistoricalsocietyshop.com and click on left, register for free events.

Thursday, July 16, 2020: Heart by Love Alive preforms at 7:00 p.m.

Based in Los Angeles/Ventura, California, HEART LOVE ALIVE authentically recreates the music, vocals, energy and spirit of Ann & Nancy Wilson, and HEART. Featuring Heart's greatest hits of the 70's and 80's, this 6-piece band of top-notch professional vocalists and musicians put on an exciting, audio/visual show.
Saturday, August 19, 2020: Garth Brooks by Kip Sweeney preforms at 7:00 p.m.

Experience the energy of a Garth concert with Kip Sweeny performing as the one and only GARTH BROOKS!! Enjoy hits like Two Pina Colodas, Friends In Low Places and Ain't Goin Down Til the Sun Comes Up. Kip's crowd interaction is like none you've ever seen, whether you're in the front or back row, every seat is the best at Kip's Garth tribute show.

Saturday, September 17, 2020: Peter Alden will be back to perform as Elvis!

Peter Alden is from Orlando and has performed his tribute show across the U.S. and internationally. Alden has also performed countless lead roles in both dramas and musicals, but it was while he was involved in the production of “Bye, Bye Birdie” that Peter zeroed in on his calling. The musical focuses on an Elvis-style singer being drafted into the army, leading Peter on his lifelong journey as an Elvis tribute artist! He has worked for years to perfect his performance, in all ways – from vocal styles to mannerisms; from costuming to stage presence – and fans all over the world who’ve seen his tribute not only appreciate Peter’s talent and dedication, but rank his tribute to Elvis as one of the absolute best in the world!

For more information, please call 352-341-6428 or email: museum@citrusbocc.com

Permanent Exhibits at the Museum
Changing People, Changing Springs - Chassahowitzka Discovered Artifacts from Chassohowitkza Exhibit Chassahowitzka Springs has been described as a time capsule of Florida history. Beginning with the Paleoindians, who arrived here some 10,000 years ago, to more recent tourists who arrived by steamship and train, people have left tantalizing clues about their sojourns at the Springs. Divers, with assistance from archeologists, have recovered everything from ancient wooden paddles, to Spanish pottery shards, to kerosene lamps and old Coke bottles. These artifacts and many more, will soon be on display at the Museum.

A Long Way Home
A second permanent gallery the Mary MacRae Gallery of History houses an exhibition titled, A Long Way Home, which interprets the history of Citrus County from about 1887, at the forming of the county until present. Displayed in this gallery are interpretative panels on the county’s many early industries. Discover the role that Citrus Countians have played in the many wars over the years that have affected Florida and our area. On display is one of the original clock faces from the clocktower, where women volunteered as spotters to look for enemy planes during WWII. These volunteers signed their names on the back of the clock face. Originally, this was part of the area that housed the Citrus County Property Appraiser and Tax Collector offices

s Full Gallery View of the Local History Gallery . Local History Gallery_Ladies veiwing Turpentine Exhibit

New Traveling Exhibit at the Museum

To Costa River and Back: An Environmental Adventure
This project will be on display June 4 to the end of August. Through the interpretation of the natural and cultural environments of Costa Rica and Florida, both individual and group similarities and differences will be portrayed. This chapter in our history and in Costa Rica’s continues to unfold and is shown in the new exhibition on how culture and environment intertwine to create interpretations based on culture paradigms.

The exhibit features images, artifacts, and stories of the natural and cultural environments of Costa Rica and Florida and looks at the diversity in both the state and countries in North and Central America.

Costa Rica is a Central American success story: since the late 19th century, only two brief periods of violence have spoiled its democratic development. Although still a largely agricultural country, it has expanded its economy to include strong technology and tourism sectors. The standard of living is relatively high. Land ownership is widespread. Florida's story is similar.

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