The SANTA ROSA HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC. was chartered in 1974 and is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated to the identification, documentation and preservation of Santa Rosa County, Florida's unique historic legacy. We encourage you to share your memories and artifacts, as well as donate your time and money to continue our service to the community.

Join us today by downloading our membership brochure and membership form.

For our business supporters, please consider a Corporate Membership. View our CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP package by clicking here.

Membership meetings and newsletters will keep you informed of activities and events of the Santa Rosa Historical Society.

Learn more about us!

The L&N Depot was built between 1907 and 1909 on the site of the original 1882 P&A depot. After the Depot closed in 1973 the Santa Rosa Historical Society purchased the building and partially restored it with a 1976 Bicentennial grant.

The West Florida Railroad Museum, Inc. moved into the building in 1989 and completed the restoration.  The museum complex showcases railroad cars including L&N Dining Car 2722, Globe Coffee House, L&N Dining Car 2715, two former Pullman sleeper cars, L&N baggage-dormitory cars 1652 and 1653, L&N caboose 1148, Frisco caboose 1102, L&N box car 18050, and L&N flat car 21107. Outbuildings include a bridge tender's house from the Escambia Bay trestle and a section shed with motor car. The museum houses a wide variety of memorabilia from the L&N, Frisco, and other railroads.

The Depot is on the National Register of Historic Places and is owned by the Santa Rosa Historical Society. The Society leases the property to the West Florida Railroad Museum, Inc. The museum and model railroad gift shop are staffed by volunteers. The museum and gift shop are open every Friday and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and other times by appointment for group tours.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit their website

The Arcadia Mill Site in Milton represents the largest 19th century water-powered industrial complex in Northwest Florida. This site was the location of a multi-faceted operation that included a water-powered sawmill, a lumber mill with planning and lathing machines, gristmill, bucket and pail factory, shingle mill, cotton textile mill, and an experimental silk cultivation operation.

The Santa Rosa Historical Society, with support from the University of West Florida, acquired the site in 1987, later conducting historical and archaeological research to preserve, interpret and develop the site as an educational facility. The property was transferred to the University of West Florida in 2004 after Hurricane Ivan, and was closed for repairs.  Arcadia is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Interpretative trails and a site museum are open to the public during seasonal hours. School and private tours are available, as well as opportunities to picnic and explore this local landmark site.

Tours at Arcadia Mill are completely FREE throughout the entire year. However, group tours and school tours must be scheduled ahead of intended tour date. Arcadia has a beautiful shaded picnic area that all scheduled tour groups are welcome to use. However, education staff must be notified about your groups lunching decision prior to the day of your tour.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.historicpensacolavillage.com/arcadia.cfm

The Imogene Theater was built as a vaudeville theater in 1912 and opened under the name of the Milton Auditorium. The Imogene Theater is located in the Downtown Milton Historic District, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Upon its opening, the theater offered "moving pictures" three nights a week and vaudeville performances on Saturday nights. In 1920, the theater was renamed Imogene after the 11-year-old daughter of the owner, Clyde Gooch. The Imogene was a premiere facility in its heyday, boasting a Wurlitzer organ in the 1920s and the first air conditioning in Milton in the 1930s. The first floor of the building was used for the Milton Post Office until 1940 when a new federal building opened nearby. The theater closed in 1946 when the Milton Theater opened on Elmira Street. 

A variety of businesses were housed in the building throughout the next three decades and the theater space on the second floor was used primarily for storage. The building was eventually abandoned and vacant by the time the Santa Rosa Historical Society purchased the building in 1985 to prevent its demolition. The restoration was completed in 1988. Throughout the next twenty years, the Museum of Local History was housed on the first floor of the Imogene while the downstairs parlor and theater were rented out for special events including plays, concerts, weddings, parties, and meetings.

On January 6, 2009, a fire in downtown Milton destroyed neighboring buildings and severely damaged the Imogene. The building has been closed since that time. With insurance claims and hopeful grant awards, the Society hopes to have the building reopened by 2011. Expansion of facilities and activities are planned upon the Imogene’s reopening. The restoration of the Imogene is dependent upon the dedication of the Society's members and through the financial generosity of people like you.

We welcome you to help us once again preserve this community landmark so that it serves many more generations of Santa Rosa County citizens. The Imogene is located approximately 23 miles northeast of Pensacola.