Crowley Museum needs help reconnecting Florida's past with future generations

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Crowley Museum in Sarasota County has become a hidden gem, giving families a chance to get outside and have some socially distanced education and fun.

"Crowley seems to become very special to everyone who visits here, one trip and they say I love it, we need to come back," said volunteer Cathy Rosebrock.

Nestled off Myakka Road, the buildings here tell the story of John Crowley and his family as they settled in Florida back in 1877.

"We offer visitors an experience to learn about Florida's pioneer history, as well as ecology, Florida wildlife and responsible ecosystem and culture practices," Said Dixie Resnick.

Nearly 200 acres showcase the beauty of a rare piece of Florida land, left untouched.

However, part of that experience has been cut off.

As Hurricane Irma moved through three years ago, powerful winds caused damage to an already aging boardwalk.

"The trees came down over the boardwalk so we lost a lot of the trails that you can walk on, you cant walk down to the tower anymore, we had an observation tower, you can't get down there anymore," said Rosebrock.

The boardwalk allowed visitors to walk over the swamp and into old world Florida. Now it's unusable and replacing it is hard for a non-profit to do out of pocket, explained CEO Dixie Resnick.

"That shook the actual structure more than just the decking, ad after the floods and recessions of water that happened afterward we were able to see that a lot of the pilings were cracked and thus needed to fully replace the boardwalk," said Resnick.

Those who work to keep the history of our pioneer days alive hope the current generation will help restore the past.

"It's because of our pioneers that we all have the life that we have now. Crowley is a big and special part of all of our lives here," said Rosebrock.

The Crowley Museum and Nature Center is open Thursday-Sunday from 10 a.m- 5 p.m.To help visit https://crowleyfl.org/.