Matheson History Museum will present “A History of Gainesville and Alachua County” on Wednesday, Aug. 6.

This event will take place at 7 p.m. at 513 East University Ave. in Gainesville. The event is free, but registration is required by clicking here.

Join founding Matheson board president Dr. Mark V. Barrow for a presentation on the history of Gainesville and Alachua County.

Barrow, a retired cardiologist, has spent over 50 years collecting postcards, art, bottles, and more that illustrate the area’s unique history. Today, the Mark V. Barrow Postcard Collection at the Matheson contains more than 20,000 historic postcards from every county in Florida.

Barrow was born and raised in Crestview, Florida, and attended the University of Florida, where his 1960 class was the first to matriculate through and graduate from the UF Medical School. Barrow and his late wife, Mary Besalki, worked to preserve and restore more than 20 historic buildings in Gainesville, including the Bailey House and Tigert House.

He was the founding president of Matheson Historical Center, now the Matheson History Museum, and he continues to lead the charge to preserve Alachua County history through fundraising, volunteering and collecting.