Visitors to the Marco Island Historical Museum (MIHM) experience an immersive trip through time spanning more than 10,000 years of Marco Island’s unique and intriguing pre-history and history. Award-winning exhibits engage visitors of all ages about the lives, struggles and triumphs of Southwest Florida’s ancient peoples, pioneers and those who made modern Marco Island what it is today. Lectures, concerts, programs and events are held throughout the year at this vibrant community gathering place.
It all started 30 years ago when Marco Island Historical Society (MIHS) was formed by a dedicated group of community leaders with a passion for history and abiding love for their beautiful Marco Island home. Their vision — a future in which residents and visitors could learn about the fascinating history of the island many call paradise.
Their dream: to create a world-class historical museum. The entire community came together to make this dream a reality. More than $4.5 million dollars was raised, and the Collier County government donated land for the building and campus. The new museum opened in 2010, and this dynamic collaboration and partnership continues today.
In 2019, MIHS, the Collier County government, Collier County Museums and the community realized another dream. THE RETURN of the world-famous Key Marco Cat discovered on Key Marco in 1896. The enigmatic half cat / half human wooden figure is recognized as one of the finest pieces of pre-Columbian Native American art ever discovered in North America. Carved from native hardwood, the Key Marco Cat was created some 500 to 1,500 years ago by Southwest Florida’s early Calusa people, or their Muspa ancestors. It is currently on loan to MIHM from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History until April 2026. Fourteen companion artifacts discovered with it are also on loan from Penn Museum through March 2025.
MIHS Board President Mike O’Rourke remembers well the exciting groundswell of community-wide support that “CATapulted” the MIHS to success in bringing home the Key Marco Cat. As President of the Marco Island Historical Society Board of Directors for the past six years, he has a particular insight and deep connection to this special island community.
“Yet again, our community pulled together with great enthusiasm to bring home the Key Marco Cat to preserve and present the history of Marco Island and to share it proudly with the world. The return of the Key Marco Cat to its place of origin was a major feat that would not have been possible without the kind of passionate determination and financial support that is unique to Marco Island and its residents,” notes O’Rourke.
Four permanent exhibits at The Marco Island Historical Museum include:
Windows & Doors to History, a unique outdoor gallery of faux windows and doors that frame vivid scenes from Marco Island’s past from the Pleistocene, Archaic, Glades and Calusa periods to the pioneer period and modern Marco.
Paradise Found: 6,000 Years of People on Marco Island showcases more than 300 pre-Columbian Native American artifacts from Marco Island and surrounding areas, original artwork, replicas and interactive stations. A life-size Calusa village depicts the daily lives and customs of the island’s early peoples.
Pioneer Marco: A Tale of Two Villages chronicles the evolution of the island’s pioneer villages, with an in-depth look at Marco Island’s pioneers, industries, and lifestyles during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Rare photographs and objects, and full-size Cracker cabin with porch, rocking chairs and video gallery bring the period to life.
Modern Marco Island spans the transformative period beginning in 1962 when the Mackle Brothers, developers and founders of the Deltona Corporation, visited Marco Island and envisioned its potential for large-scale community development. An original Deltona promotional film plays on a vintage television; a model of the early Marco Island Airways airliner “soars” across the gallery; and a replica of the “Tiki head” that adorned the bow of the early Marco Islander catamaran are just a few colorful high points.
“During this 30th anniversary year of Marco Island Historical Society and always, we honor and thank those who have gone before us and those who continue supporting us for the love of Marco Island, our history and our community,” notes CEO Pat Rutledge.
The Marco Island Historical Museum is located at 180 S. Heathwood Drive. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 9a.m.-4 p.m. Admission is free, and the site is fully ADA compliant and accessible to all visitors. For information, call 239.389.6447 or visit www.theMIHS.org.
Photo Credits: Jim Freeman, MIHS, The Smithsonian, and The Penn Museum
"During this 30th anniversary year of The Marco Island Historical Society...
we honor and thank our community."