Vinnie Luisi, director of the Dunedin Historical Museum, tries his hand at a video arcade game which is part of a special exhibit on the history of video games.
DUNEDIN – It’s fitting that a community that prides itself on historic preservation and cultural excellence would have a first-class venue to view and experience local history.
The Dunedin Historical Museum is at the top of its class, rated the No. 1 small-to-medium museum in Florida by the State Department of Historical Resources, and it’s preparing to unveil some new exhibits.
Tampa Bay Magazine readers recently chose the Dunedin Museum as the area’s Best Historical Museum.
Director Vinnie Luisi says the museum’s success draws from a commitment and belief that a historical museum should be more than looking at display cases. “We create living history, experiencing history on a first-hand, hands-on basis.” He adds, “We believe history should be entertaining.”
Forget musty displays and moldy artifacts. The Dunedin Historical Museum is bursting with activity … an ever changing kaleidoscope offering a fascinating journey into the area’s past.
The museum’s home was once the town of Dunedin’s activity center, in fact. The former train station was the fledgling community’s connection to the outside world.
Step inside, and be swept up in a multimedia presentation on a variety of topics, with an appeal for all ages.
“We want everybody to have an enjoyable time,” Luisi said.
The Dunedin Museum’s high standing among the state’s cultural institutions enables the museum to borrow larger scale, high quality regional exhibits.
“Video Stuff,” an exhibit on loan through July 25 from the Orange County Museum of History in Orlando, offers a hands-on journey through the evolution of video gaming. Whistles, flashing lights and the sounds of working machines enliven the “video arcade,” where the vintage models are meant to be played. Pong, the first electronic Ping-Pong game, is there too.
“Kids love the sights and sounds, along with the excitement of working a penny arcade game,” said Luisi.
The recent presidential elections spawned an exhibit of campaign memorabilia and recollections of past contests. A video of the first-ever televised presidential debate, between Nixon and Kennedy, is an interesting flashback to 1960. That display is up through August.
Coming in late summer is a locally developed exhibit entitled Railroading in Pinellas, based on Luisi’s upcoming book on the subject. Arrival of the railroad opened up the town and county to settlement and development.
Also coming up is a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the first landing on the moon. “We’re planning a half dozen new exhibits over the next year and a half,” Luisi said.
Returning seasonal exhibits include Halloween celebrations, and the original Santa Claus display and vintage toy gallery at Christmas time.
The museum’s multi-generational appeal is evident in the popular History/Archaeology summer camp for 9- to 12-year olds. The kids visit local archaeological sites and learn to dig for relics. They get to keep some of their finds, with more significant artifacts going to the museum’s permanent collection.
High school students can serve internships at the museum, gaining first-hand experience with museum collections activities.
Researchers of local history topics will find a wealth of information in the museum’s extensive archives, with over 4,000 photographs, and a complete set of the Dunedin Times newspapers from 1924 to 1965 on CD.
The museum also maintains the historic Andrews Memorial Chapel, located at the entrance to Hammock Park. This early Florida Victorian church is open on Sunday afternoons from 2 to 4 p.m. and is available for weddings and meetings.
Future plans for the Dunedin Historical Museum include an expansion which will preserve the integrity of the historic train depot while improving accessibility from the Pinellas Trail.
Luisi and assistant Sandy Kinzer are completing year seven of a 10-year accreditation process by the American Association of Museums. The standards are tough and the process lengthy, Luisi said, but the accreditation, when completed, will allow Dunedin Historical Museum access to exhibits from the nation’s top cultural institutions, including the Smithsonian Institute and the Museum of Natural History in New York.
The museum is located in the historic train depot at 349 Main St., on the Pinellas Trail. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Family night is the second Friday of each month, with extended hours 5 to 8 p.m. Current happenings can be found on the museum’s Web site, www.dunedinmuseum.org, or call 736-1176.
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