The Matheson History Museum showcases the history of Gainesville, Alachua County and surrounding environs. The museum complex includes the Main Museum Building, Library & Archives, Historic Matheson House, Tison Tool Barn, and Sweetwater Park.
The Matheson History Museum’s main exhibition gallery and Mary Ann Cofrin Exhibit Hall are housed in the former American Legion Hall, which was repurposed as a museum in 1994. All programs take place in the museum or in Sweetwater Park.
The Matheson Library & Archives is located across the street in the historic Gainesville Gospel Tabernacle building, which was built in 1933, it was renovated and restored by the museum in 2016. The Matheson History Museum library collection includes more than 20,000 historic Florida postcards, 1,500 stereograph cards, and myriad maps, photographs, documents, books and artifacts.
The Matheson House, one of the three oldest residences in Gainesville, was completed in the late 1850s by Alexander Matheson, an emigrant from South Carolina. Gifted to the museum in 1993, the Tison Tool Barn houses the extensive historic tool collection of John Mason Tison, Jr. It displays historic tools from various industries ranging from lumber to electrical engineering.
Sweetwater Park is located directly behind the museum and maintained jointly by the Matheson History Museum and the City of Gainesville. The Museum hosts a monthly program in the park – Second Saturdays at Sweetwater – featuring live music. The park is free and open to the public.
Hold your next special event at the Matheson History Museum! The Museum has hosted events of all kinds – business meetings, guest speakers, banquets, weddings and receptions. The Main Museum Building, the front porch and front lawn of the Historic Matheson House are available for rentals. To schedule a site visit, please contact whancock@mathesonmuseum.org or 352-378-2280.
