Lightner Museum
Tourists who visit the Lightner Museum, which is located in St. Augustine, Florida, should not expect a traditional museum experience. The building the museum occupies has an interesting history that spans back to the time of the Gilded Age. The structure was originally built as the Hotel Alcazar during the late 1880s and, along with the Ponce de Leon Hotel, belonged to a famous railroad tycoon named Henry Flagler. During the mid-1940s, the Hotel Alcazar was bought by O. C. White, a publisher from Chicago, who subsequently decided to use the building to display his collection of Victorian age items.
The Lightner Museum has something for everyone. Looking for bizarre oddities? Try the Science and Industry Room on the first floor. How about a glimpse into life and society during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries? Explore the Victorian village, which contains several display cases in the shape of storefronts. If one desires the atmosphere and open space of a sophisticated art museum, they should definitely pay a visit to the Ballroom Gallery.
Tourists will also be amused to discover some aspects of the Hotel Alcazar, such as the Turkish bathhouse, to still be in place within the museum. When visiting the Lightner Museum, it is important to remember that it is not only the individual items on display that are important, but also the almost overwhelming quantity of objects within the collection. The diversity and vast amount of items within the Lightner Museum is what makes visits so memorable. (Karen Baldwin, Flagler College)
References:
The Lighter Museum Website, www.lightnermuseum.org
