Lectures

Discover the daily life of the military elite in England during the Medieval period. See replica and original artifacts dating back to the 13th century. Learn about class hierarchy, swords, armor, food, the role of women and family, and what life was like inside a castle. Learn why the armored knight became obsolete. View actual pieces of medieval armor and witness how a knight dressed for battle.

Come experience what life was like in early Florida. Hear how sailors navigated to find the New World. See exotic spices, try on Spanish armor, and hear how women also played a role in the discovery of distant lands.

Learn about the clothing, weaponry and tactics of seagoing scoundrels. Find out how pirates and privateers played a part in helping win the Revolutionary War.

Discover the possessions of a British soldier during America’s War for Independence. Hear about the daily life of Britain’s red-coated soldier. Learn about the Revolutionary War in Florida.

Discover how America won (and almost lost!) the War of Independence. See the possessions of a soldier from the time.

See original and replica medical and surgical tools from the 18th century. Learn about military surgery and the medical practices as portrayed in the series Outlander.

Hear stories of ships and sailors hopelessly wrecked on Florida’s reef system and how they provided a livelihood for intrepid individuals willing to risk their lives to save crews and cargoes from perilous storms. See navigation tools, learn about shipboard trades, and see actual shipwreck artifacts. Learn how Key West became the richest city in the United States.

See what a Union soldier carried and hear stories of the hardships soldiers faced.

Hear stories of how the embattled Confederacy fought to fight on amid a lack of supplies and a shortage of soldiers. See what a typical Confederate soldier carried with him.

Discusses the hardships for pioneer families and how they endured, find out what families took with them on their Westward journeys. See actual artifacts.

What was life like in early Florida? What jobs or trades were available? What tools were used? Florida “cracker” cowboys, the citrus industry, and railroading will be explored.

The African American Soldier in the United States Army, 1865-1898.

Hear what life was like in the “Wilds of Florida,” during the era of homesteading and cattle ranching. See what possessions a Florida cowboy brought with him on the trail.

Life in the British and American navies, food, daily life at sea, medicine, weapons, stories of shipwreck, enslavement, and commerce.

Learn the story of Hitler’s secret coding device, from its inception as a business machine to its use as a military weapon. Find out how the Allies were able to change the tide of the war by breaking this code. Hear about the contributions of Alan Turing, IBM, the code-girls, and Bletchley Park.

A look into American pharmacy during the 19th century. Find out what medicines were used, how they were compounded by the pharmacist, and about the many medical innovations that stemmed from the drugstore.

Replica surgical instruments are displayed, their use is explained, medical charts and drawings from the time period are discussed. How the practice of medicine advanced and what medical techniques are still being used today from the period.

Learn why the Seminoles are still called “the unconquered people” and how the US government launched the longest and most expensive Indian war in their history. See the equipment and weapons used by soldiers to battle what would later become the Seminole Nation and learn about the hardships faced by both sides in the wilds of Florida.

See a working telegraph system and learn how the telegraph helped Abraham Lincoln to win the Civil War. Watch as spies tap into enemy telegraph lines and listen to coded messages. Learn about the Morse Code.

See surgical tools and hear about battlefield surgery. Find out about civil war medicines and how some cures were worse than the sickness! See amputation tools and hear about their uses. Not for the faint of heart!

Learn about the invention of photography, and how the “picture-taker” became an American icon. Display includes the history and development of the camera and photography. See various types of early cameras and photos from the years 1840-1920.

The history of the soda fountain and the soda industry in the United States (1800-1900). Learn the origins of the first soft drinks and see photos of the oldest extant soda fountain machine in existence.

The early invention and development of steam power during the 18-19th centuries. A demonstration of models steam engines is also offered in combination with this lecture. Perfect for “steampunk” themed events!

Find out how surveyors opened the door to Florida as a place to live and work. See what tools surveyors utilized during the 18th and 19th centuries. Learn how these tools worked.

Dressed as a conductor from the Henry Flagler’s railroad, Robert will discuss Henry Flagler’s dream for a railroad to Key West. See Original artifacts and documents from the railroad’s history. Find out how the railroad impacted Florida and started of the tourist frenzy in the Sunshine State!

See personal belongings of the US soldier in the First World War and learn what equipment he carried. Learn about what life was like in the trenches; and how it changed warfare forever. See what the “doughboy” of 1917 carried inside his backpack.

See original artifacts for communicating from WW1. Included: carrier pigeons, signal flags, telegraph, radio, telephones and an explanation of their use.

See original artifacts identical to those used on Titanic and hear stories of survival and heroism in the icy North Atlantic. Demonstration of replica of Titanic-era radio equipment, hear the distress message as it sounded that night. See actual ship’s radio equipment from the 1912 era.

Hear the stories of early flying machines and the brave men who flew them. These intrepid individuals were the first to use this new technology in war. Learn how fragile airplanes made from canvas and wood managed to rain destruction on enemy troops, and how the science of aerial photography and observation brought back vitally important intelligence.

Radio originally was called “wireless,” meaning sending Morse Code through the air. See how crude equipment was able to start the radio craze! View antique equipment from the dawn of the invention of radio.

Discusses the development of personal body armor in war and tournament. With slide show and display of actual examples of original and replica armor.

Chronicles the development of man’s quest to explore the oceans.

Learn how shipwrecks are discovered and how divers use technology to learn from the history beneath the sea. See how conservators clean submerged iron artifacts. View real shipwreck artifacts and treasure!

Learn about technological advancements in the early 20th century. Radio, phonographs, electric lighting, and gas all contributed to make the early 20th century a truly “gilded” age.

Hear about the feud between Edison and Tesla. See original equipment from the dawn of electrical power. Learn about how batteries, generators, and the electric light were developed. Hear the good and the bad regarding the “Wizard of Menlo Park.”

Return to the golden age of Egyptology and learn how armies, scientists, and explorers, transformed the study of ancient Egyptian life and death. Was there really a “mummy’s curse?” Learn the answer during this interesting lecture and show-and-tell of excavation tools, first-person accounts, photographs, and artifacts!

This lecture takes a closer look at how life on the Western Front during World War One inspired and shaped the literary experience.