The Alachua County Community Remembrance Project will host the grand opening of the Remembrance Quilt Exhibition on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at the Matheson History Museum.

The exhibition will run from 7 to 9 p.m. at 513 E. University Ave. in Gainesville and overflow parking will be available across University Avenue at the Alachua County School District administrative building.

The event invites community members and visitors to view the quilts and honor and remember the victims of lynchings in Alachua County.

The exhibition will feature eight memorial quilts created to remember and honor the 47 individuals who were lynched in communities across Alachua County, including Gainesville, Alachua, Newberry, Waldo, Hawthorne, Campville, Rochelle, Archer, High Springs, Monteocha, Gordon, LaCrosse and Micanopy. 

The quilts serve both as an educational tool and a memorial within the county’s ongoing Truth and Reconciliation project. Following the event, the quilts will be on display at the Matheson History Museum during regular museum hours from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays through Saturdays through May. 

Under the leadership of Memorial Quilt Committee Chair Dawn Beachy, community members from across Alachua County worked together over the past several years to create these quilts, honoring the lives lost and fostering awareness and understanding.

“These quilts are not simply works of art, they provide our community with a way to acknowledge our history, honor those who were lost, and preserve these stories for generations to come,” said County Commissioner and ACCRP Chair Charles Chestnut IV in the press release.

Click here to learn more about the county’s Truth and Reconciliation efforts and click here to learn more about the ACCRP.

For more information, contact Latoya Gainey, executive manager, at 352-264-6920 or lgainey@alachuacounty.us.