Join Stephanie Long, Manager of the Collier Museum at Government Center, for an exploration of the role railroads played during World War II. During the war, railroads in the United States were tasked with the enormous job of getting the nation ready to fight and keeping the military supplied with troops and equipment throughout the […]

Kevin Keefe, co-writer and editor of the publication Wallace W. Abbey: A Life in Railroad Photography (Indiana University Press, 2018), celebrates the life and work of a man who devoted a fifty-year career to the railroad photography community. Keefe will present highlights from the book, which drew from Abbey’s collection of 25,000 black-and-white negatives held […]

This talk will explore the meaning behind the term "Gladesman" and the culture it defines - from the earliest frontier settlers in the Everglades region to modern-day swamp-dwellers who live, work, and play in one of the most challenging environment in the world. This is an in-person lecture. If you cannot join us in the […]

Thomas Lockyear, Manager of Museum of the Everglades, began his career as a Museum Professional at the Pirate Soul Museum in Key West. Mr. Lockyear will explore our fascination with nautical history’s most notorious ne’er-do-wells and discuss their exploits (or lack thereof) in our coastal waters. Did Jack Rackam roam Cape Romano? Did Gasparilla really […]

This presentation explores the alligator as not just the keystone species of the Everglades, but its role in the evolution of the culture, economy, and cuisine of that region and as an iconic symbol of the state of Florida. This is an in-person lecture. If you cannot join us in the Museum of the Everglades […]

Join Stephanie Long, Manager of the Collier Museum at Government Center, for an exploration of our long battle to understand and control mosquitoes. There are over forty species of mosquitoes in Collier County. Nicknamed “Swamp Angels” by early settlers, mosquitoes have long been a nuisance and threat to the health of everyone living in Southwest […]

The life and legacy of local legend Loren "Totch" Brown will be discussed in this companion talk to the museum's current "Legendary Gladesmen" exhibit. Totch's many faceted career spanning everything from gator poaching to pot hauling will be discussed along with his colorful autobiography and the storytelling video series that made him an Everglades icon. […]