Calusa Carts unveiled at Town meeting
The Mound House rolled out its “Calusa Carts: A Mobile Mound House” program during a Town Council meeting at the Fort Myers Beach Town Hall, 2523 Estero Boulevard, on Monday, August 10.
Financial awards from the Florida Humanities Council, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, for $10,000 and from the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources for $27,790 funded the creation of transportable exhibits to engage students and the public about the rich narrative of Calusa history. The Calusa Carts mobile exhibits will enhance Mound House educational and interpretive programs on- and off-site that have been provided to the public and local schools since 2000.
The Calusa Carts are based on key features of future permanent exhibits at Mound House a three-acre archaeological and historical site owned by the Town of Fort Myers Beach. One cart resembles an archaeological excavation unit that interprets mound construction and a second cart provides a regional overview of the Calusa Indians combining graphics, text, and interactive audio-visual components.
The Mobile Mound House project was conceived during development of permanent exhibits for the property, specifically an underground shell mound exhibit. The installation of an in-ground swimming pool at Mound House in 1958 by previous owners, while perceived by many as destroying a Calusa shell mound, created an opportunity to visually engage visitors in 2,000 years of Florida history. The exhibit, now in final stages of construction, will soon provide an impressive view of a 65-foot cross-section of mound layers that are like chapters in a Calusa history book.
For information about Mound House programs, contact Theresa Schober, Director at 239-765-0865.