About Us
Finding Inspiration in Every Turn
The Lady Lake Museum and The Lady Lake Historical Society found a home in the Former Lady Lake Train Station in 2000. The foresight of Earl Rowlette; our founder, with the Kiwanis Club of Lady Lake lead to the creation of our Museum. Hard work and fundraising led to the beautiful place it is today. Our mission is to entertain, encourage and inspire our community by keeping history alive.
From Train Depot to Museum:
Our Story
How did a small-town train depot become the Lady Lake Historical Society Museum?
Our story begins in 1883, when local residents built a train station that would help connect Lady Lake with communities and markets beyond the area. Soon, lumber, turpentine, citrus, watermelons, and other local goods were traveling by rail, helping the young community grow and prosper.
The station first served the Florida Central rail line and later became part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad—whose distinctive colors are still reflected in the Depot today.
For more than 80 years, trains passed through Lady Lake until rail service ended in 1967. The Depot then stood empty, but its story was far from over.
Over the years, this treasured piece of Lady Lake history was relocated twice—first to Guava Street and later to the location it calls home today. Rather than disappearing into history, the former train station found a new purpose: preserving it.
Today, the Depot is home to the Lady Lake Historical Society Museum, where photographs, artifacts, exhibits, and stories help bring the community's past to life.
But this is only part of the story. Come visit us and discover the people, places, and moments that helped make Lady Lake the community it is today.
Our Exhibits
HO Train Room Diorama
The Villages Model Train Club created, staffs and maintains a diorama of the town of Lady Lake as it might have looked in the 1940's and 1950's.
First Inhabitants
The museum's oldest exhibit about the Timucuan and Seminole tribes.
