252 S. Beach Street, Daytona Beach, FL 32114
(386) 255-6976
Open: Tuesday-Saturday 10am - 4pm
$10 per person
Children 12 & under FREE
| | Director's Message
Kristine Franklin | | | There’s something especially meaningful about welcoming a new piece of history into the museum—particularly when it’s a piece so closely tied to Daytona Beach’s past. This month, we were thrilled to receive a decorative corbel from the Daytona Beach Pier Casino as a generous donation from architect Dana Smith. Not only did he entrust us with this beautiful architectural fragment, but he also shared some fascinating local history along the way. Be sure to stop in and see this newest addition for yourself. | |
Corbel from 1926 Boardwalk Casino
(model in inset)
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As part of Daytona Beach’s 150th anniversary, we’re continuing to highlight moments that make our community so unique. On May 8, 1944, Brownie—the beloved town dog—received his very own bank account at the Merchants Bank, the very building we now call home. After Brownie was injured, local residents and cab drivers rallied together, raising $32 in just half an hour to cover his veterinary care and even fund a custom-built doghouse. It’s a small story that says so much about the heart of this community.
We’re also looking forward to a special Teller Talk Tuesday this month, featuring sisters Chesley and Victoria Bennett. Having grown up at Lilian Place, with the beachside and Orange Avenue as their backyard, they bring a deeply personal perspective to Daytona’s history that you won’t want to miss.
As always, thank you for supporting the museum. One easy (and surprisingly impactful) way to help is through our iGive program. When you shop at participating retailers, a portion of your purchase is automatically donated to the museum—at no extra cost to you. Whether you’re booking travel through Booking.com, picking up something new from Nike, or browsing favorites like Pura Vida Bracelets, it’s a simple way to give back while you shop.
If you haven’t signed up yet, we encourage you to take a moment to join and start giving back in a way that fits right into your routine. Here’s the link:
https://www.igive.com
See you at the museum!
Kristine
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Beach Street & Beyond
By Kathy Kelly
Daytona Theater Once a Thriving Downtown Spot
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In 1944, downtown Daytona Beach welcomed a business that delighted youngsters and adults alike – a movie theater.
The Daytona Theater was not to be confused with the “new Daytona Theater” which operated on what was then Volusia Avenue from 1913 to 1915. During its years of operation, it was always referred to as the “new” theater.
Lavish Hollywood productions and cowboy shoot-em-ups alike delighted theater goers.
In 1951, the Krystal Company opened what was then called a “hamburger bar and lunchroom.” The theater operator soon learned that movie buffs liked making a stop in the hamburger place for some food and pretty soon the theater was filled with the odor of onions, a trademark of the small hamburgers, which sold for as little as 10 cents.
Movie fans sneaked in their unauthorized snacks with little interference from management. Longtime Daytonans will often invoke their own Krystal stories when they recall their own movie-going days.
In 1980, the theater closed amid declining business and a proliferation of theaters throughout the area. The doors opened again in 1992 when The Coliseum, a nightclub, opened for a five-year run.
The original movie building remains standing. It was built in 1942 after the sprawling estate owned by the richest man in town, Charles Grover Burgoyne, was torn down.
After Burgoyne’s death, his widow lived there, then later sold the property.
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Women's swimwear has been controversial for 150 years?
By Victoria Bennett
Newspapers in the late 1800s recounted drowning deaths on Florida beaches involving the Victorian swimsuit - worn for the sake of modesty. A wet wool suit could weigh 20 pounds and women sewed weights into skirt hems to keep them from floating up. Bloomers - under the skirts - could fill with air. As a consequence, most women didn’t learn to swim.
Women frolicked in the waves in shallow water. Daytona Beach installed lifelines - heavy ropes attached to poles - so women wouldn’t be swept away by riptides. Strong female attendants - known as bathing dippers - could be hired to escort women into the ocean so they could submerge.
As Daytona Beach became a destination for northern visitors in the late 1800s swimwear began to transition to a lighter design. Eventually, bathing apparel evolved to become safer and a campaign was launched to teach women to swim. But changing styles led to another problem.
In the early 1900s modesty laws were enforced. The Bathing Suit Fashion Police - as they were known - were tasked with measuring swimsuits. A six-inch rule was heavily enforced in Daytona Beach - suits could not be more than 6 inches above the knee.
These photos illustrate a 150 years of changing fashion and moral attitude. Thong bathing suits are still against the law in 140 Florida State Parks – a rule that was implemented to address “scantily clad” bathers at family-friendly parks.
| | | Swim apparel with sleeves, a sailor collar, bloomers and stockings. | | | 1910 - swimwear becomes more stylish | | 1920s - public relations photo advertised bathing suit ordinances - women could be fined and arrested. | | Women being policed by women for the sake of modesty. | | 1930s - authorities gave tickets for tight bathing suits. | | 1938 - strapless bathing suits appear in Florida. | | 1948 - a sign in Florida restricting two-piece suits. | | 1957 - woman gets a ticket for wearing a bikini.
1970s - bikinis are commonplace in Daytona Beach. | | 1991 - complaint stated Valerie Workman could cause a car accident while selling hot dogs in her thong bathing suit. | | Click Here to read a News-Journal article from 1933. Advice columnist Constance Lee responds to a mother who is upset because her daughter is wearing a revealing bathing suit on Daytona Beach. | |
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Storefront Stories –
Businesses That Build Daytona Beach
April 1st – June 30th, 2026
Step into a downtown rich with heritage and hustle. Storefront Stories explores Daytona Beach’s commercial past through the lens of its most iconic businesses—from Dunn Hardware and Ivey’s Department Store, to Angell & Phelps Candy Store, mom-and-pop diners, and the evolving storefronts of Beach Street.
From long-time family enterprises to businesses that adapted as the city grew, Storefront Stories traces the evolution of downtown commerce across decades of change. Visitors will discover how these establishments reflected the spirit, resilience, and entrepreneurial drive that helped build Daytona Beach into the vibrant community it is today.
Click Here to Learn More
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Teller Talk Tuesday
May 5th, 2:00pm
Growing Up in Lilian Place
Victoria and Chesley Bennett will share stories about growing up in the oldest house on the beachside. Their story is about ghosts, odd tenants, and an unconventional life. It’s also about having the favorite house in the neighborhood!
Lilian Place is very much a part of the Bennett family’s identity. But anyone who grew up in the 1950s, 60s and 70s will relate to their stories.
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They’ll also discuss how the efforts to save Lilian Place have succeeded and what
the future holds for this 150-year-old house.
Click Here to Learn More.
| | May 21st – Florida Vistas Book Club - 2:00pm | | |
In the Land of Good Living: A Journey to the Heart of Florida
By Kent Russell
In the summer of 2016, Kent Russell – broke, at loose ends, hungry for adventure – set off to walk across Florida. Mythic, superficial, soaked in contradictions … and literally vanishing into the sea, Florida (or as he calls it, “America Concentrate”) seemed to Russell to embody America’s divided soul.
It is a book that is wildly vivid, encyclopedic, erudite, and ferociously irreverent – a deeply ambivalent love letter to his sprawling, brazenly varied home state.
Free with your Membership or Admission.
Please call (386) 255-6976 for more information.
Click Here For More Information
| | | Warren Trager, 90, a native Daytonan and longtime supporter of the Halifax Historical Society, died April 20, 2026. He was involved in numerous civic organizations and was a former president of the society.
Donations may be made in his honor to the Halifax Historical Museum,
www.halifaxhistorical.org | | | | | Our upcoming What’s In a Picture? looks at the windmill that mysteriously appears in many Seabreeze photos from the turn of the century.
To many, it was a bizarre element. Even Stephen Crane, waterlogged and shivering with his fellow shipwreck survivors in The Open Boat, found it a fantastical sight.
Where was it and what was it for? Find out this month! | | This publication is made possible in part with funding from the Cultural Council of Volusia County (volusia.org), Florida Humanities, State of Florida, City of Daytona Beach, and Halifax Historical Society membership. | | | | |
