Cave Diving Museum and Library

[bmwcaves]

Greetings cavers

Now is the time…..

The newly instituted Cave Diving Museum and Library needs your help
An informational CD is being produced to raise money for the Museum and Library and we need more old photos and short video clips.

We hope to include on this CD:
photos significant to the history of cave diving
equipment development
influential persons
current equipment inventory
some historic maps, etc.

So if you have anything you would like to donate to be included on this CD , now is the time. All pics / video, must be donated by the original owners. Digital format is best.
If hard copy photos are to be donated, they can be scanned and sent back to the owner.

Please email Brian Williams: bmwcaves@msn.com

or Cindy Butler; butler_cynthia@bellsouth.net

with a brief description of photos or video you may want to donate, or even suggestions and we will provide further information.
Or if you would like to send something snail mail, just email a request for the address.

We are currently working on fund raising, equipment and photo donations, and a suitable building in High Springs to house the museum.

Thanks,

Brian Williams,
NSS 43870

[michael-fisch]

We are currently working on fund raising, equipment and photo donations, and a suitable building in High Springs to house the museum.

No Way!
High Springs, why High Springs? People had been cavediving in Florida for over 10 years before the first cave diver drove through High Springs (and didn't bother stopping his pickup).
Put the Museum in the original home of cavediving, Branford, preferably in the long closed dive shop along the river near the bridge that is so famous to all the old cavedivers.
For something like a Cave Diving Museum tradition counts, otherwise you could just as well put in in NYC where lots of people would visit it without ever having a clue.

Michael

[Cindy]

Hopefully people will still drive down on the way to Ginnie. If not we will have a virtual museum for those that can't drive to us. We looked at Branford, Live Oak, and Lake City. No slight intended! If we get a grant to build our own place we will consider all of the "cave diving hot spots'. Till then we have to find a place near our homes and work that we could afford. I'll let you know when we are open for the public. Cindy Butler

[Miner]

Where do you stand currently with respect to fundraising and collecting the items you want to feature in the museum? What are your time-lines for completion, etc. Look forward to hearing more about it!

David Miner
www.divingindepth.com

[OFG-1]

Hopefully people will still drive down on the way to Ginnie. If not we will have a virtual museum for those that can't drive to us. We looked at Branford, Live Oak, and Lake City. No slight intended! If we get a grant to build our own place we will consider all of the "cave diving hot spots'. Till then we have to find a place near our homes and work that we could afford. I'll let you know when we are open for the public. Cindy Butler

Cindy
Will you have a life size wax figure of Forrest?

[SLIM]

Would that be young FW or a current FW? That would be something to show the evolution.

SLIM

[FW]

You wouldn't even recognize the "young Forrest"

[Cindy]

Where we stand on our timeline. First, I will be at the NACD workshop with a booth and hope to explain more then. We will be in a building in November. With redecorating and display set up I estimate that by Jan. we should be ready to open for the public at least a few hours each week. That is if we get enough stuff to set up good displays. We need everything from cave diving gear and books to bookshelves and paint. I have already recieved donations of a little gear (we need more) some books, maps and stories. We can make use of and process a lot more. Most have to be documented by photos (We will send photo copies to the donating party) and cataloged. We plan on having all the data, photos and written material copied and safely stored. We will take equipment on loan if you can't bear to part with your old gear.

I am in process of writing a article on why we started, how we plan to proceed and where we want to go with this. It is not just a Museum but a reference library on underwater caves. All of the BOD members and the officers are dedicated to making this work, be of value to cave diving and researchers, educational for the public and enjoyable.

If you have any more questions please PM me. I could go on forever here and I'm kind of tired tonight. Cindy Butler

[Kelly Jessop]

Cindy and Brian this is great and I am looking forward to seeing your display at the NACD workshop. Will you by chance have a scanner to scan pictures or photograph items if anybody brings anything?

[Cindy]

Hey Kelly, I live very close to where the NACD workshop will be held and have a scanner. If anyone shows up with anything that needs scanned I can always run home. Cindy