Harry T. & Harriette V. Moore Memorial Park & Museum: What you need to know

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — In Mims, less than an hour west of Orlando, is the Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Memorial Park & Museum.

The facility explores the history of Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore through interactive exhibits and historic collections.

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The couple lived in Mims, and taught in segregated public schools in and around Brevard County from 1925 to 1946.

The Moores went on to become the first true civil rights activists of the modern civil rights era in the state of Florida.

READ: Meet Harry and Harriette Moore: Central Florida’s civil rights pioneers

On Christmas night 1951, a bomb exploded under the couple’s bedroom. The couple had gone to bed after celebrating both Christmas and their 25th wedding anniversary. Harry was killed in the blast and Harriette died nine days later.

A replica of their home now stands in place on the site of the original home. The interior is designed to look the same way it did on that tragic day of the bombing.

READ: ‘We want them to be recognized’: Brevard County groups push to preserve legacy of local civil rights pioneers

While visiting the Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Memorial Park & Museum, community members can take a tour to see exactly how the Moores lived, and learn about Black history dating from the Emancipation Proclamation to the Civil Rights Voting Act of 1964.

The museum showcases preserved news clippings, artifacts and pieces of history that Cultural Center Coordinator Sonya Mallard said explain the dangers of being an activist in the 1940s and 1950.

READ: Who were Harry and Harriette Moore, the pioneering activists from Mims?

“They had the audacity to do the unthinkable at a time where people were scared to do anything and I’m proud to say that they implemented so many changes throughout the South,”Mallard said.

The museum is located at 2180 Freedom Ave. and is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed Sunday. The museum is open on Saturdays by special appointment.

WATCH: Black History Month: Moore Cultural Center

For more information, click here or call 321-264-6595.

Video: Meet Harry and Harriette Moore: Central Florida’s civil rights pioneers The civil rights movement started in Central Florida with the murder of Harry and Harriette Moore in 1951 in Brevard County.

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