Inside, the high ceilings, wooden benches, and period lighting evoke the ambiance of a 20th-century train station. The restoration even preserved the segregated waiting rooms, a stark reminder of the region’s social history and the changes that followed the Civil Rights era.
The museum’s architecture thus serves as both an aesthetic treasure and a historical document, allowing visitors to walk through a tangible piece of Lake Wales’ past.
Partnerships and Preservation Efforts
Over the years, the Lake Wales Museum has collaborated with local and state organizations such as:
- The Florida Humanities Council
- The Polk County Historical Association
- Bok Tower Gardens
- The Lake Wales Heritage Foundation
These partnerships have enabled ongoing preservation projects, oral history recordings, and special exhibitions that expand the museum’s reach and relevance.
In addition, the museum has worked to digitize archives, ensuring that fragile photographs, letters, and maps are preserved for future generations. Through these initiatives, the museum not only safeguards the past but also leverages technology to tell its story to the world. shutdown123