The Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park Citizen's Support Organization (CSO) received a one million dollar grant from the HTR Foundation to initiate the construction of the Olustee Battlefield Museum. The museum will be located in the general area behind the monument at the Olustee Battlefield State Park. The secure facility will include both indoor and outdoor exhibits that tell the story of the Civil War in Florida, culminating with the Battle of Olustee. Initial construction will include a new building of approximately 2,000 square feet, housing interactive exhibits, Civil War artifacts, rest rooms, and the permanent home of the Olustee CSO Civil War Library. The museum has been a vision of the CSO for more than 15 years. The HTR grant makes it possible for the museum to become a reality.
The HTR Foundation was established in St. Petersburg, Florida, "… for preservation of Civil War battlefields…" by the late Arthur Copeland Hill, a self-made millionaire and owner of Hill Truck Rentals. According to HTR board member Dennis Sexton, HTR's support of the Olustee Museum is "… in telling the story of all Confederate and Union activity on the site, including honoring those units participating and those that gave their lives…. There are a number of items from the Olustee information available that would mandate national prominence for the site, including the involvement of Confederate and Union troops from several states."
Additional funding for the museum will include $150,000 in funds earned and invested by the CSO over many years of the annual reenactment, as well as private donations and corporate gifts.
For details on the progress of the museum, please see the CSO newsletters, beginning with November 2014, on the CSO page.
Visit our websites at https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Olustee-Battlefield or http://battleofolustee.org/ .