The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum Addison Mizner exhibit
Photo Courtesy of Boca Raton Historical Society
The Boca Raton Historical Society (BRHS) was founded in 1972 to collect, preserve and share artifacts and information relevant to the history of Greater Boca Raton. It operates The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum, located in the city’s historic town hall building on Federal Highway. BRHS has been an active collecting institution since its founding.
Today, the museum’s collections include 18,000 photographs, several hundred running feet of archival items, 1,000 reference books and 3,000 objects. All of these items reveal some aspect of Boca Raton’s past. Some of the key collections include: Mizner Industries furnishings and architectural drawings, artifacts of the Boca Raton Army Air Field and Boca Raton during World War II and an in-demand collection of material about IBM — including 50 models of IBM PCs, the first of which was built in Boca Raton.
Why do we collect? Not just for exhibition, but to preserve these tangible reminders of Boca Raton’s fascinating history for future generations. Floy Mitchell’s “makeover dress” shows how pioneers recycled clothing during the Great Depression. An unopened can of Maxwell House floated to shore from a merchant ship torpedoed off Boca Raton by a German U-boat in 1942 — an eyewitness to the enemy at our doorsteps.
These items are tangible links to the past — they have a story to tell, the story of Boca Raton’s rich and varied history. Sharing that history is key to building a sense of community, whether you are an old-timer or a newcomer.
How do we know where we are going unless we know where we have been?
Susan Gillis, Is the Curator, Boca Raton Historical Society