History
The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum began with a gift of land from brothers John, Francis, and Sam Bailey in 1990 (in memory of their parents, Frank P. Bailey and Annie Mead Matthews). Noted malacologist R. Tucker Abbott, Ph.D., was a consultant and eventually founding director. The museum building was designed by architect George "Tutts" Tuttle Jr., from Captiva Island.
In 1993, the Museum opened its campaign office and acquired a bank loan to complement a construction grant from the State of Florida Cultural Facilities Program. The Grand Opening was on November 18, 1995. In February 1996, malacologist José H. Leal was hired as director. In 1997, the Museum became the publisher, with Dr. Leal as editor-in-chief, of The Nautilus, the second-oldest English-language shell science journal in the world.
In July 1999, the Museum liquidated its original bank debt and, in May 2000, established its Cultural Endowment Fund. In 2003, the Museum underwent the American Association of Museums' (AAM) Museum Assessment Program, and in 2004, the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ Conservation Assessment Program. The Museum became increasingly more professional in its goals and operational procedures, and moved from being a local attraction to a well-established and recognized natural history museum.
In 2006, the Museum received a $240,000 Cultural Endowment Matching Grant from the Florida’s Division of Cultural Affairs. As of 2008, its endowment surpasses $1.2 million dollars.
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