Panama Canal Museum

The Panama Canal Museum in Seminole, Florida, is the only museum in the world founded to preserve the history of the United States in Panama with a focus on Panama Canal (1904-1999). The museum recognizes the contributions of all nations in making this 20th century engineering marvel considered the moon shot of its day.

What we do

Focusing on the construction, operation, maintenance, and defense of the canal during its formative years, the museum in its activities shows how these efforts helped make Panama’s unique geography and location truly a crossroads of the world. The strategic plan guiding these activities developed from museum efforts associated with a Museum Assessment Program grant awarded the museum by the American Association of Museums in 2003. 
The museum’s activities include:

• Maintaining a Speaker’s Bureau;
• Conducting educational outreach programs including “Panama Canal Museum in a Trunk”;
• Obtaining grants and public funding;
• Enhancing marketing and publicity programs;
• Conserving and preservating the museum’s collections.

The museum has established professional affiliations with:

• American Association of Museums http://www.aam-us.org
• American Association for State and Local History http://www.aaslh.org
• Buy for Charity http://www.buyforcharity.com
• Canal Zone Study Group http://www.canalzonestudygroup.com
• Council of American Maritime Museums http://councilofamericanmaritimemuseums.org
• Dun & Bradstreet   http://www.dnb.com/us
• Florida Association of Museums http://www.flamuseums.org
• GuideStar http://www2.guidestar.org
• Isthmian Collectors Club .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
• Panama Canal Society http://www.pancanalsociety.org
• Panama National Institute for Culture
• Panama Canal Authority http://www.pancanal.com
• University of Florida http://www.ufl.edu
• World Ocean Observatory http://thew2o.net

Located in a ground-level office suite, the museum consists of 3,000 square feet with three exhibition galleries; the Charles W. Hummer, Jr., Library for Historical Research; a museum store; and storage, meeting, office, and conference areas with additional off-site storage.

Support for the museum comes from a core of about 850 memberships and donations from individuals from the United States, Panama, and several other countries.  Additional support comes from store sales, grants, and fundraisers.

Employees include a full-time director, two part-time clerical staff and a part-time Education Curator. Their services are augmented by several volunteers in key positions. 

The museum is open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, except for major holidays.

The museum serves everyone who shows a fascination with and appreciation for this wonder of the modern world that has helped Panama become “the land divided, the world united.”

• The public that visits, writes, and calls the museum seeking information about the Panama Canal;
• Past, present, and prospective residents of Panama;
• Students researching the Panama Canal;
• Members of the media seeking information about the Panama Canal;
• Genealogists researching family roots;
• Visitors who have transited or plan future transits of the Panama Canal.