top of page

Exhibitions

Living off the Land

Temporary Exhibit

Living Off the Land: Florida’s Pioneering Efforts to Make a Living explores the various ways settlers in the mid-1800s through the early 1900s took advantage of readily available natural resources of the land and sea. 

Permanent Exhibitions

We offer several permanent exhibitions designed to present how Manatee County residents worked and lived between 1840 and 1918. These exhibits are located in the Wiggins General Store and Stephens House buildings.

One Century Plus of Ranching in Manatee

Learn how cattle ranching grew in Florida and Manatee County.

King Wiggins Office
IMG_8750.jpg

View a recreation of what King Wiggins' office possibly looked like.

Wiggins Store
IMG_8761.jpg

Experience what a general store at the turn of the 20th Century was like. 

Stephens House
IMG_8765.jpg

Learn how a family lived in Florida in the early 1900s.

Online Collections and Artifact Donations

Artifact Donations
IMG_9586.jpg

Are you interested in potentially donating an item?

We only accept items that date from 1840 - 1918 and prioritize items from Manatee County.

For more information please send us an email. 

​

Online Collection
MV2022.005.009.jpg

View images and information from a selection of our archival, book, object, and photograph collections. 

bottom of page