May 2021
Newsletter

Museum Opens!

On April 20th the museum was able to reopen for our members and the general public. With a full year plus a few weeks passing we were excited to finally welcome friends and visitors back into the museum to share the exciting history of Southeast Volusia County.

With the museum being staffed by volunteer community members a big part of our re-introduction to the public is getting our volunteers re-acquainted with the museum and its operations. We decided that for a short time we would allow access to the museum via private access. Four, 90-minute time slots were created for each day so that our members could schedule a time window to come visit and see the exciting changes that have been made during our extended closure. Members of the Southeast Volusia Historical Society enjoy this benefit free of charge, and can visit with up to a total of 6 individuals in their group.

Those who are not members can enjoy the same private access for up to 6 by making a donation of $50, the same as a family membership. An annual family membership is issued to each paying individual to insure their access free of charge for the next 12 months. This special program will be short-lived so now's the time to book your private access to the museum by using the registration link below.

Schedule your reservation now by Clicking Here.

Beginning May 18th, we will transition back to general admission access to our museum facility. At that point in time our members will continue to enjoy free access to the museum facility. Non-members will be welcomed with recommended donation amounts of $8.00 for Adults and $5.00 for students.

We look forward to seeing old familiar faces as well as friends we haven't met as we transition back into normal operations here at your New Smyrna Museum of History.
Director's Digest

By Greg Holbrook
Executive Director
New Smyrna Museum of History


It is a great feeling to be interacting with the public again here at the museum. Our Private Access Program has finished it's first two weeks with great response from the public and we look forward to transitioning back to general admission access later this month.

I hope some of our members who are tired of being trapped at home will take advantage of the opportunity to schedule a private 90-minute time slot to come visit us here at the museum free of charge. We also look forward to sharing more opportunities for members only interactions with the museum in the coming months. Keep an eye on this monthly email and our Facebook page for updates on members only programs later this year.

Something else we are very excited about is the first annual New Smyrna Museum of History Preservation Awards.

With a community that hosts beautiful historic properties on mainland and beach side as well as the number of individuals who have given of themselves to historic research, archival, and preservation activities here in the area we feel some recognition is long overdue.

Although we won't start formal promotion for these awards until next month, we are ready for your input on this exciting new awards program.

Do you know someone who had taken renovated, restored or rescued a property that adds historic character to our community? Keep in mind that these properties can be either residential or commercial and may or may not be located in an actual historic district. Perhaps they made an effort to rescue a building that may have otherwise been lost to neglect or maybe they bought an older home and renovated it back to being a wonderful piece of historic architecture instead of a building that looked like it needed help. Or perhaps you know of a person or organization that has dedicated their time and efforts to preserving or rescuing some historic element of our community or local area. Nominations can be made now by Clicking Here. You can also contact us here at the museum to get more information about this exciting new program.
Grand Structure Of The Past

One of the reasons our new historic preservation award program was an appealing idea to us was the realization of how many beautiful old structures have been lost here in Southeast Volusia County. As much as we all miss seeing these grand old structures of the past, we here at the museum enjoying sharing these memories on our Museum Facebook page and the community interaction it initiates. Here is one such structure that we recently shared.
The Rio Vista Hotel

The Hotel was formerly located just across from the North end of Yacht Club Island.

According to “Historic Sites and Landmarks of New Smyrna Beach” by Robert Redd, the hotel was first built in about 1916 and was only open during the winter season catering to out of town visitors. The old hotel was known as a place to be seen during the boom years of the 1920's. Changes in ownership through the years also changed the business model to year-round availability. Several name changes took place through the years as well, with the hotel being marketing as The Gordon Hotel, The Indian River Inn and Indian River Lodge.

As is the case with large structures, large budgets are required to maintain them. After years of struggling to maintain a viable business model the hotel eventually closed. Although several attempts were made to find an investor with a big enough vision and wallet to save the old hotel, damage caused by multiple hurricanes that impacted the area in 2004 sealed its fate and it was torn down in 2005 disappointing many who wanted to see the old structure saved.
Our hope is that we can draw attention to those that are currently making an effort to preserve historic architecture and elements of historic interest that relate to the history of Southeast Volusia County.
With the support of those who also love the historic character of our local area, like yourself, we hope to spend more time talking about the history we have instead of the history we lost.

Get your copy of “Historic Sites and Landmarks of New Smyrna Beach” by clicking HERE.

Or, just stop by as the New Smyrna Museum of History is now open Tues – Saturday 10-4 PM.
Veterans History Project Continues

Thanks to continued efforts of our member / volunteers we continue to add content to our YouTube channel that is being generated for this important archival project.

Along with monthly video captures that are taking place here at the museum, we are also beginning to add some video content that was captured some time ago.

One such video is of J. C. Deal. This video was captured approximately 15 years ago with Dr. Bill Carr acting as interviewer.

Click the photo below to view the interview.
Do you know a local area veteran that would be a good candidate for this project?

Here is what we and the Library of Congress are looking for.

Conflict era veterans of WW2 or later who have a direct connection to Southeast Volusia County in some manner. Many of these individuals will have been born and raised in Southeast Volusia County, others, such as Lt. Col Phil Love, have a strong family connection to SE Volusia and continue to live here for a portion of each year.

If you know of a good candidate please contact us at the museum and share their name and contact info so someone from our team can reach out to them.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest updates on all of video uploads.
Now Available At The Museum Store Online

Local Artwork by Ronnie Dreggors & Jimmy Lane available at the
New Smyrna Museum of History Gift Shop.


We are proud to feature the artwork of these two local artists.
Drop by and select your custom piece of local art today.

Or CLICK HERE to shop online
Our Best-Selling Book Title!
The Minorcans of Florida
Their History, Language and Culture
by Philip D. Rasico
This limited-edition hardcover was published in 1990 by former New Smyrna publisher, Luthers Publishing, with the support of the Southeast Volusia Historical Society and one of our founding members, Lawrence "Larry" Sweett.

The book is a translation and revision of an award winning book of the same name written in Spain in 1987 by the Abbey of Montserrat Press.

Larry recognized how important this publication would be to those who were descendants of the Turnbull Settlement. Now 31 years later, we regularly have people who reach out to, or visit us here at the museum after they learn that they are related to those people who came with the Turnbull Settlement and created the beginning of New Smyrna Beach.

Only 500 of these first edition numbered hard-cover copies were produced, over half have been sold. In the last few weeks we have sold 20 of the numbered copies along with the last 19 copies of a paperback version of the same title.

Don't miss your chance to own one of these limited edition copies.

Museum Work Continues
The work continues on the museum as our project supported by the Volusia County Echo grant program progresses. Along with our newly constructed elevator housing, stucco in a pattern that closely matches that on the front of the building has been added to the North side of the building.
Sometimes you've got to get ugly before you can look better. Tedious work with a pressure washer turned into hours of clean up to prep the front porch area of the museum for museum painting slated for the coming weeks.
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Your Membership and Support Matters!

To become a member, Click Here

New Members:
April Dragas
Alan Burge
Tyson Cowles
Ralph & Carol Spinelli
Teresa Medaglia
Maryann Janson
Robert Sanchez
Hillary Bressler
Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Driver
Arthur & Donna Clifford
Ka Vue
James Derario
Todd Cowan
William and Nancy Greenlee
Lisa Mickey


In Memoriam:
The New Smyrna Museum of History
120 Sams Ave., New Smyrna Beach Fl. 32168
Phone: 386.478.0052
nsmofhistory@gmail.com
PO Box 968, NSB, Fl. 32168