The Alachua County Community Remembrance Project will host the grand opening of the Remembrance Quilt Exhibition at the Matheson History Museum (513 E. University Ave., Gainesville) on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, from 7 to 9 p.m.
Overflow parking is available across University Avenue at the school district building.
The event invites community members and visitors to view the quilts and honor and remember the victims of lynchings in Alachua County.
The exhibition features eight memorial quilts created to remember and honor the 47 individuals who were lynched in communities across Alachua County, including Waldo, Hawthorne, Campville, Rochelle, Archer, High Springs, Gainesville, Monteocha, Gordon, LaCrosse, Alachua, Micanopy and Newberry.
The quilts serve both as a memorial and as an educational tool within the county’s ongoing Truth and Reconciliation project. After the event, they will also be on display at the Matheson History Museum during regular museum hours, Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., through May 2026.
Under the leadership of Memorial Quilt Committee Chair Dawn Beachy, community members from across Alachua County worked together over the past several years to create these quilts, honoring the lives lost and fostering awareness and understanding.
“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,” said County Commissioner and ACCRP Chair Charles Chestnut IV.”
Learn more about the county’s Truth and Reconciliation efforts.
Learn more about ACCRP.
For more information, contact Latoya Gainey, Executive Manager, 352-264-6920 or lgainey@alachuacounty.us.
