Bay County Historical Society

Bay County Historical Society Visit the Bay County Museum & see exhibits depicting the history of the Florida Panhandle, Panama City Florida & the surrounding area

The Bay County Historical Society was organized in 1936 to preserve the rich heritage of the area. This objective has been pursued over the past 73 years through the efforts of its members and supporters. The major goals of the Society are:

1) to identify, preserve, and document Bay County history;

2) to assist in the preservation of historic sites within the county; and

3) to collect, iden

tify, and preserve documents, pictures and artifacts of historical value. In addition to its various preservation projects the Bay County Historical Society sponsors a lecture series featuring well known authors and lecturers. The public is invited to these lectures which are presented each month from September through May. A Summer hiatus of June, July and August is observed. See Schedule of Events on our website for details.

The Bay County History Museum's showroom features the history of local Tourist attractions in the 20th century. The FB b...
08/21/2026

The Bay County History Museum's showroom features the history of local Tourist attractions in the 20th century. The FB banner above captures a portion of that exhibit.

When the Hathaway Bridge was constructed the public (and a few pets) were invited to view the new structure close up and...
08/20/2026

When the Hathaway Bridge was constructed the public (and a few pets) were invited to view the new structure close up and on foot. Warren Davis was facing eastward when his photo was snapped in 1929.

Preserving Heritage Through Flavor: "The Heirloom Recipe Project"The History Museum invites you to contribute to the Hei...
08/11/2026

Preserving Heritage Through Flavor: "The Heirloom Recipe Project"
The History Museum invites you to contribute to the Heirloom Recipe Project on August 13th. Bring your cherished family recipes to the museum to be digitally scanned and preserved in our archives.
Family recipes do more than just teach us how to cook—they tell the story of who we are and where we come from. By sharing and saving these traditions, local families help protect our rich heritage. When the project wraps up, the History Museum will celebrate and preserve these memories by publishing our community’s favorite flavors in a fabulous local cookbook.

Join us in September as Kate Schreiber, of the University of West Florida, describes how local residents can become invo...
08/07/2026

Join us in September as Kate Schreiber, of the University of West Florida, describes how local residents can become involved in archeology in our area. On Monday the 28th, Ms. Schreiber will explain the operations of Heritage Monitoring Scouts Program and how you can participate. The location of September's program will be announced at a later date.

Many thanks to Wayne Lindsey and Sonny's BBQ in Lynn Haven for sponsoring "Smoke on the Bayou." There was plenty of tast...
07/26/2026

Many thanks to Wayne Lindsey and Sonny's BBQ in Lynn Haven for sponsoring "Smoke on the Bayou." There was plenty of tasty barbeque and several lucky attendees won some high-quality prizes! See the comment below for prize winners.

07/23/2026

Join us as we look back at Smoke on the Bayou, a special event that brought the stories, flavors, and traditions of Bay County's culinary heritage to life. The program complemented our current Smithsonian and Florida Humanities exhibition, Bayside Bounty: The Culinary Heritage of Bay County, now on display at the Bay County Museum. A special thank you to Sonny's BBQ and Mr. Wayne Lindsey for providing and preparing the delicious flavors of the past. If you missed the event, you can still experience the exhibit! Explore the people, traditions, recipes, and tools that have shaped our local food heritage through engaging displays, photographs, and artifacts. Admission is free, and everyone is welcome. We hope you'll visit us soon!

Felling hungry...or lucky? Then come on down to Smoke on the Bayou at the Bay County History Museum this Saturday at two...
07/16/2026

Felling hungry...or lucky? Then come on down to Smoke on the Bayou at the Bay County History Museum this Saturday at two pm. The generous folks at Sonny's BBQ in Lynn Haven are providing free food samples and a chance to win some very high-quality backyard grilling devices.

07/14/2026

Yes, the location shown on the vintage postcard was . . . but did you know the whole story?

Address

133 Harrison Avenue
Panama City, FL
32401

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 1pm
Thursday 10am - 1pm
Saturday 10am - 2pm

Website

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