Elliott Museum in Stuart: A Blast from the Past
How would I describe the Elliott Museum in Stuart, Florida? Well, let’s see……. Hmmmmm! If I did an exit poll and asked that question to twenty different people, I might get twenty different answers. You see, the Elliott Museum in Stuart is home to many different exhibits. You will see collections on aviation, baseball, movie stars, vehicles, lots of vehicles, art, & much more. The displays are constantly changing. They bring out and put away pieces from their permanent collection to keep it fresh. Brenda and I had a free weekend, so we headed to the Elliott Museum in Stuart on Hutchinson Island to see what had changed since the last time we visited.
Before entering the museum, a collection of brightly colored sticks greets you near the entrance. Artist Peter Freudenberg created this polychromed sculpture.
Foucault Pendulum
When we entered the museum we noticed “The Foucault Pendulum”. This demonstrates the rotation of the earth by knocking down a circle of pegs over the course of 28 hours. Named after Jean Leon Foucault who designed this type of pendulum in 1851.
During our visit, the “Changing Exhibit Gallery” was displaying art from a group of Florida painters called “The Highwaymen”. The Highwaymen, were a group of 26 African American landscape artists in Florida. It is believed that these self-taught creators may have created over 200,000 paintings. These artists, mostly from the Fort Pierce area, painted landscapes with vivid colors and made a living selling them door-to-door to businesses and individuals throughout Florida from the mid-1950s through the 1980s. They also sold their work from the trunks of their cars along the eastern coastal roads. Many of these works of art sold framed for $25 or less.
Electric Cars
Did you think that Electric Cars were something new? Did you think the new Tesla was the car of the future? While it just maybe, electric cars were introduced about a century ago. The Elliott Museum displays several electric cars including this 1914 Detroit Electric Model 489.
Sterling Elliott – The Man Edison called a Genius
The Elliott Museum is named after the inventor Sterling Elliott. As we walked through a gallery, we were surrounded by displays of some of Elliot’s inventions and passions. He built many bicycles including the Quadricycle with a steering mechanism still used in automobiles today. We know it as “Rack & Pinion Steering”. Some of his inventions include the Knot Tying Machine, a Harness Racing Sulky, the paper cup, addressing machines, and the women’s bicycle. Sterling Elliott and his son Harmon together held 222 patents.
Stuart Main Street Auto Gallery
Set against a backdrop of early downtown Stuart, Florida facades, the auto gallery features cars, boats, and trucks. This is one of my favorite areas in the museum. Vehicles displayed here in this exhibit were at one time, part of people’s lives, here and across the nation. Facades of the Citizens Bank of Stuart, the Walter Kitching Store, and Krueger buildings take visitors back to a time when Stuart was emerging as the thriving community it is today. Flying above the Main Street Auto Gallery is Hugh Willoughby’s Pelican Hydro-Aeroplane.
Wheels of Change
I told Brenda that we were going to go looking at cars, so I was able to get her out of the house. It’s a new way to shop for cars, I told her. I don’t think she believed me, but they did bring down whatever she wanted to see. This 3-level-car-robotic racking system holds over 50 vehicles and is the only one of its kind in an American museum. Select the car you would like to see and the system will retrieve the desired vehicle and display it on a turntable front and center for you to admire.
The Elliott Museum has one of the largest collections of historic Ford Model A and Model AA commercial vehicles in the world. Since we were car shopping, I choose the 1930 Ford Model A Pickup Truck.
Interesting Displays
After climbing the stairs to the second floor, I meet a fellow at the top named Lawrence Regier. Larry is a retired Grumman Employee who built the Grumman River Cruiser that is now at the Elliott Museum. He told me that he built this from a Grumman Mohawk Drop Tank. The Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense technology company.
Philly Down South Cafe
All this touring can work up an appetite, we were starting to get a bit hungry and were pleasantly surprised that we did not have to leave the museum to get lunch. So we stopped in The Philly Down South Cafe. This eatery is located inside the Elliott Museum on the second floor. The cuisine includes a range of Philly cheesesteaks, prime rib, seared salmon, pasta dishes, chicken Alfredo, chicken parmigiana, and Caesar salad. The café also provides unique Chef specials as well as delicious homemade desserts.
A Tribute to Francis Langford
Local celebrity Francis Langford is remembered in an exhibit featuring personal items commemorating her career as a radio, television, and movie star. Frances Langford was an inspiring vocalist who devoted much of her wartime career to entertaining the troops with Bob Hope in the USO Tours that boosted troop morale. The exhibit includes clothing, fishing gear, photographs, awards, and movie posters.
General Store
Old-time store displays here in the General Store from the late 1800s & early 1900s include an Apothecary Shop, Barber Shop, Ice Cream Soda Fountain, Post office, and more. This is another one of my favorite displays in the museum. Apothecaries are forerunners of today’s pharmacies. They dispensed medical potions and herbal medications.
Soda Fountain
The Soda Fountain started as carbonated fountain drinks offered in the early 1800s. The local pharmacist concocted fountain drinks to cure ailments. These drinks often contained opiates, kola nuts, and cocaine. Guess that is where the name “Coke” came from. At that time they were considered safe and non-habit forming. In the 1920’s soda fountains developed into ice cream parlors.
Apothecaries are forerunners of today’s pharmacies. They dispensed medical potions and herbal medications.
The barbershop has always been a male space. (Can we still say that?) Not only could a man receive a haircut and shave, but it was a sanctuary to escape from daily stress. Men could just stop by and socialize freely and talk about life, politics, and baseball. (Insert Tim Allen’s Famous Home Improvement Grunt Here).
The Notorious Ashley Gang:
One of the newer exhibits at the museum introduces us to John Hopkin Ashley. Ashley was an outlaw, bank robber, bootlegger, and occasional pirate active in South Florida during the 1910s and 1920s. His gang is responsible for nearly $1 million being robbed from at least 40 banks while at the same time hijacking numerous shipments of illegal whiskey being smuggled into the state from the Bahamas.
Every unsolved crime was pinned on the Ashley Gang. To avoid capture, the gang had several isolated hideouts and moonshine stills in the Everglades where they hid from law enforcement.
John Ashley and his gang robbed numerous banks throughout Florida. In fact, the Bank of Stuart was robbed twice.
Baseball: It’s our Game
As long as we are speaking of baseball, the Elliott has over 600 signed baseball cards, nearly 200 signed baseballs, and 11 game-used bats, this gallery provides a place for folks to remember and talk about their favorite plays and players. This is the 2nd largest exhibit of signed baseball memorabilia outside of Cooperstown.
Elliott Emporium Gift Shop
Stop by the Elliott Emporium Gift Shop on the way out. They feature some unique pieces, by local artists including paintings, crafts, jewelry, home accessories, and textiles. You can also find books about the Treasure Coast and educational toys for children.
The Museum will bring back lots of childhood memories for older adults and the young whippersnappers will be mesmerized by the stories of how life used to be.
The Elliott Museum is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located at 825 N.E. Ocean Blvd in Stuart, Florida
Another museum near is the House of Refuge Museum at Gilbert’s Bar. Built in 1876, this is the oldest structure in Martin County. The House of Refuge provided needed shelter for shipwreck sailors and travelers along the sparsely populated Atlantic coastline of Florida. The Historical Society of Martin County operates both museums and you can save on admission prices by buying a combo ticket.
