Community Remembrance Project Opens Remembrance Quilt Exhibition

GAINESVILLE – The Alachua County Community Remembrance Project will mark the opening of a powerful new historical exhibition later this month with the debut of the Remembrance Quilt Exhibition at the Matheson History Museum.

The public is invited to attend the exhibition’s grand opening on Tuesday, Jan. 21, from 7 to 9 p.m., at the museum, located at 513 E. University Ave. Overflow parking will be available across University Avenue at the school district building.

The event invites community members and visitors to reflect, honor and remember the victims of lynchings in Alachua County. The exhibition features eight memorial quilts created to honor the lives of 47 individuals who were lynched in communities throughout the county.

Those communities include Waldo, Hawthorne, Campville, Rochelle, Archer, High Springs, Gainesville, Monteocha, Gordon, LaCrosse, Alachua, Micanopy and Newberry, among others. Organizers said the quilts are intended to ensure these individuals are remembered by name and place, rather than reduced to statistics or forgotten chapters of history.

In addition to serving as memorials, the quilts function as an educational component of the county’s ongoing Truth and Reconciliation project, which seeks to confront and acknowledge the legacy of racial violence and injustice in Alachua County. Following the opening event, the quilts will remain on display at the Matheson History Museum during regular museum hours — Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. — through May 2026.

The quilts were created over several years through a collaborative effort led by Memorial Quilt Committee Chair Dawn Beachy. Community members from across Alachua County participated in researching, designing and assembling the quilts, with the goal of honoring those who were killed and fostering broader awareness and understanding.

County Commissioner Charles Chestnut IV, who also serves as chair of the Alachua County Community Remembrance Project, emphasized the broader significance of the exhibition.

“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,” Chestnut said.

Organizers said the exhibition represents both remembrance and responsibility, offering space for reflection while encouraging continued dialogue about history, justice and reconciliation. By placing the quilts in a public museum setting, the project aims to make this history accessible to residents, students and visitors alike.

Community members are encouraged to attend the opening and to visit the exhibition in the months ahead as part of an ongoing effort to remember the past and understand its lasting impact on the present.

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