The Blanchard House museum honors some of the first Black SW Floridians

The Blanchard House honors some of the first Black people to move to Southwest Florida and its right located in Charlotte County. While The Blanchard House has closed because of the pandemic, you can still access them virtually.

A piece of American History in the heart of Punta Gorda’s Historic District. But, since you can’t visit during the pandemic you can still do a virtual walk-through.

Jaha Cummings is a Board Member for The Blanchard House Museum. “We’ve had a very very robust trade in terms of coming here so not being able to come here has made that more difficult,” Cummings said.

Although you cannot step foot inside, you can still get a look, and learn, what The Blanchard House Museum has to offer.

“This year we’ve had to make things virtual so we did keep things, we even did things related to the pandemic,” said Cummings.

Jaha Cummings’ ancestors were among the first Black people to settle in Punta Gorda. His grandmother founded this museum. And, he’s determined to keep her vision alive, even through the very challenging past year.

“Our exhibits actually they do rotate and we’ve had them go to the Smithsonian a few times,” he said.

Right now, they have an exhibit that can teach you how to stay healthy using African remedies. Also, they’re studying how past pandemics have prepared us for our current one.

“History is what keeps us alive. It creates the bonds between us it gives us something to celebrate,” Cummings said.

The Blanchard House Museum offers free virtual and interactive exhibits on its website.