Old Courthouse Heritage Museum

Located in the heart of downtown Inverness, the Old Courthouse Heritage Museum offers three stimulating exhibitions on the first floor that explore 12,000 years of Citrus County and Florida history. Traveling and special temporary exhibits are scheduled throughout the year. The beautifully restored courtroom on the second floor is available to all visitors.

Always on Display:
Chassahowitzka Springs: Changing People, Changing Springs (Brannen Family Gallery):
Chassahowitzka Springs, made up of twelve springs, fuels the Chassahowitzka River, which flows through Citrus County into the Gulf of Mexico. These springs are a time capsule of Florida history. This exhibit showcases the artifacts discovered during the 2013 Chassahowitzka Springs Restoration Project, when the Southwest Florida Water Management District teamed with SEARCH archeologists to both clean up the springs and preserve any artifacts left behind by people.

The springs, with their fresh water and abundant fish and game, have always been natural gathering places for people. Beginning with the Paleoindians, who arrived here some 10,000 years ago, to more recent tourists who arrived by steamship and train, people have left tantalizing clues about their sojourns at the Springs. Come discover the most extensive archeological display of artifacts unearthed in Citrus County and the stories of the people who left them behind.

A Long Way Home, Citrus County 1887–Today (Mary MacRae Gallery):
A Long Way Home explores the bond between people and place––the stories and the history that have made Citrus County what it is today. Take a walk in the shoes of the earliest settlers braving the rough landscape of Florida. Follow the generations of entrepreneurs who made Citrus County a tourist hotspot. Join the lucky locals who met Elvis in the 1960s.

A place becomes a community, a home, because of its people. This exhibit celebrates the people who have shaped Citrus County with pioneering spirit and community pride.