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The Blanchard House Museum is an African-American history museum in a historic former home in Punta Gorda, Charlotte County, Florida.[1][2] It specializes in African-American history of Charlotte County and Southwest Florida.
 | |
Former name | Blanchard House Museum of African History and Culture |
|---|---|
| Established | 2004 |
| Location | 406 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Punta Gorda, Charlotte County, Florida, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 26.9362°N 82.0439°W |
| Type | African American history museum |
| Founder | Bernice Andrew Russell, Martha Bireda |
| Director | Martha Bireda |
| Website | www |
Exhibits at the museum cover the African American and cultural history of Charlotte County, including political, civic and religious life; founding families; education; and the Civil Rights Movement. Artifacts on display include photos, newspaper clippings, family heirlooms, and books by black writers. The Blanchard House and Museum also serves as a community center, and its offerings include a book club, seminars on African American history and culture, and leadership classes.
The museum director is Martha Bireda.[3]
African Americans have played a significant role in Punta Gorda's history.[4] About half of the city's founder were Black; and four Black people signed the papers incorporating the city, out of a group of 34 men.[4][5] Almost half of the city's 15 original settlers were Black, according to a press release from the Charlotte Harbor and The Gulf Islands Visitors Bureau.
The building was named the Blanchard House and was constructed on Fitzhugh Avenue in 1925 by Joseph Blanchard, a former steamboat pilot. The Blanchard family retained ownership of the home until 1997, when it was purchased by local resident Bernice A. Russell. Russell intended to found a local Black history museum in the structure, but died in 1999. Russell's heirs donated the building to the Bernice A. Russell Community Development Corporation.[5] In 2002, the house was moved from Fitzhugh Avenue to Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.[5] The location is the site of the long-demolished Gollman's Bar, a jook joint. The bar catered to Blacks and featured blues music, and was one of the few places where local African Americans could socialize publicly.[6]
The Blanchard House Museum opened in 2004, the founder is Bernice Andrew Russell (1923–1999).[4] Russell had established a traveling exhibition on African American history in the 1980s and was displayed at Punta Gorda Railroad Depot's Segregated Waiting Room, followed by a 1997 purchase of the Blanchard House with the intention of opening a museum.[4]
The building was badly damaged by Hurricane Charley shortly after its openly, and did not reopen until February 2006.[5] It was again closed due to damaged by Hurricane Ian in 2022.[3]
In 2024, it was included on the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation 11 to Save list.[7]
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