West Nassau Museum of History
After a number of years collecting artifacts and studying the history of Nassau County by spirited members of the society, an opportunity to make a larger leap forward came when a railroad memorabilia collector approached the society looking for a permanent home for his collection. The membership came together electing to receive the gift and the museum was off the ground. This was in the fall of 2008.
The elevated freight room of the Callahan depot became the primary museum display area and the center room, the old clerk and ticket sales office, was temporarily the storage room. As time progress the society was the recipient of a grant to purchase museum software for archiving and tracking of the collection.
Antique display cases and recently constructed cases built by friend of the museum, Bill Sistair (top right) contain county and railroad memorabilia of the past 130 years. Directly above are lighted panorama cases which display little sections of railroad memorability.
The old railroad clerk's office has been converted into an archiving office shown in this recent photograph. It is slowly coming together and will, in the months ahead, offer research at the depot and online. Until than, members and nonmembers are welcome to bring their questions to us or e-mail them at the "Contact Us" page at the end of this Internet site .
The archiving began in late 2010 and will take several years to load and perfect the system. Grant monies, too, have helped to purchase lighting systems for the museum / freight room that puts much needed light on the displays.
The museum has a large collection of historic old maps, copies as they are, that tell a unique story of the growth of the county. These are yet to be catalogued as a project of the future. There, too, is an extensive collection of HO, O, and G model railroad cars, many on display in the freight room.
Donations of county related photographs, farm implements, tools, books, etc., are always appreciated to assist us in telling the story of how the communities of west Nassau County made it to the present. Your legacy can and should be preserved for our grandchildren and their grandchildren.
OPEN MOST SATURDAYS Please call ahead first
9 am - 12 pm
Weekdays by
appointment only
Admission Free
Donations are nice
TOURS AVAILABLE
CALL FOR DETAILS 904-879-3406
Abner McGehee
A Florida Nonprofit 501(c)3 tax Exempt Organization
Located Inside the Historic Train Depot at 45383 Dixie Avenue, Callahan
Mail to P.O. Box 1758, Callahan, FL 32011 (904-879-3406)
Each community in west Nassau County has a section of the museum (freight room) devoted just to that geographical area. At right is the Town of Hilliard.
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This page was last updated: September 4, 2016
