March 2, 2006 - Celebrate National Women's History Month at the St. Lucie County Historical Museum

"It's not HIStory - It's HERstory" is the theme of the St. Lucie County Historical Museum's March 18th celebration of local women's history. The event, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., will include entertaining hands-on history and portrayals of both the ordinary and extraordinary historical women of St. Lucie County. Women of all walks of life - from pioneers, pirates, and pilots to Seminoles, settlers and shopkeepers - will be featured.

Girl Scouts of all ages, women's civic and business groups, Red Hatters and interested ladies and gentlemen are invited to the Museum to discover the fascinating lifestyles of early women in St. Lucie County and enjoy learning how our "foremothers" lived, worked and played.

Visitors will travel through time discovering the lively ladies who shaped our community. Food Historian Marge Sharp will provide enticing food history tidbits in the 1908 Gardner House. Cowhunters Joyce Peters and Sally Carlton Breaux will set up camp on the Museum grounds and captivate visitors with their intriguing stories of Florida's hardiest pioneers. Also scheduled are portrayals of well-known historical women who spent time in this community, including Amelia Earhart and Zora Neale Hurston.

Visitors can enjoy making old-time crafts, playing with old-fashioned toys and games, trying on period clothing and helping with the everyday chores of yesteryear. Seminole legends, local lore and history lessons will also be featured as part of the Museum's "Listening to the Past" educational program.

The "It's not HIStory — It's HERstory" Museum event is held in conjunction with this year's National Women's History Month, which has been held each March since Congress declared its recognition in 1987. The 2006 national theme — "Women: Builders of Communities and Dreams" — honors the spirit of possibility and hope set in motion by generations of women who have created communities and encouraged dreams.

Admission for the Museum's "It's Not HIStory — It's HERstory" special event is $3.50 per child (fee includes cost of crafts) and $2.50 per adult. Reservations for groups are encouraged. Further information and scheduling is available by contacting Anne Sinnott, Museum Educator, at 462-1891 or e-mailing sinnotta@stlucieco.gov.

The St. Lucie County Historical Museum is located at 414 Seaway Drive on Museum Pointe in Fort Pierce. The Museum's 15 permanent exhibits, the 1908 Gardner House and the current special exhibit "Viva La Florida! Spanish Pathways in Paradise" provide an entertaining and educational journey through the county's rich, colorful history. Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 12 to 4 p.m.