Matheson History Museum opens exhibit hall

Matheson History Museum expanded its library collection to a building across the street.

The museum, located at 513 E. University Ave, opened an exhibit hall dedicated and named after Gainesville resident Mary Ann Cofrin Saturday in the space the library and archives used to be in.

In late June, the museum began moving its library and archives across the street to the former Melting Pot restaurant, located at 418 E. University Ave. They finished moving the collection in mid-August, said Bobby Parker, a librarian and archivist.

Parker said the library and archives make up a complete history of Alachua County and Gainesville.

“Special collections are the jewel of the library,” he said. “We have everything from yearbooks to postcards, special collections and vertical files.”

The hall is currently taken up by an exhibit on Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park. Kaitlyn Hof-Mahoney, who installed the exhibit in the new hall at the museum, said the exhibit will run for six months.

“It’s a cool exhibit to have in the new space,” she said. “We’re thrilled to have the new space because it’s something that the museum really needed.”

A $50,000 grant used to expand the museum was given by the AEC Trust and funded by the Cofrin family. Half of the money from the trust went into creating the new spaces, and the other $25,000 will be used for future projects at the museum, said Jason Stanford, the director of development.

Stanford said the museum, which Tom Petty once played at, has a lasting history and relationship with the city.

“It’s not just this history of an old house,” he said. “It’s the history of everything that happened in Gainesville.”

This article has been updated to reflect where the grant came from and how much of it went towards the renovation.