BELLE GLADE — The Lawrence E. Will Museum of the Glades will host its grand reopening on Saturday, Oct. 23. The museum, featuring a variety of historical exhibits about life in the Everglades Agricultural Area, is at 530 S. Main St. in Belle Glade. The event begins at 11 a.m. Admission is free.

Lawrence Elmer Will arrived in the Glades region in 1913. He eventually published six books chronicling life on Lake Okeechobee and in the upper Everglades. One of them, “Okeechobee Hurricane: Killer Storms in the Everglades,” provides Will’s first-hand account of the 1926 and 1928 hurricanes that devastated the Glades.

The Will Museum has a large exhibit of the aftermath of the 1928 hurricane, which killed an estimated 3,000 and put much of the Glades underwater for weeks.

“This grand-reopening event is a Glades Historical Society fundraiser,” said Cheryl Stein, museum curator. “But our main purpose is to introduce the museum to those who haven’t seen it, and to re-reintroduce it to those who have visited here.”

Featured exhibits detail how the original settlers of the Glades region, Native Americans, once lived. They include the Historical Society of Palm Beach County’s “Ancient People of South Florida” exhibit.

For far-more-recent depictions of Glades life, the “Roseada” – a boat resembling the various watercraft that once ferried mail and people around “Lake O” – will be open for tours. The “Roseada” contains an exhibition that professional photographer Sofia Valiente shot during her six years living in the Glades.

Palm Beach County archaeologist Chris Davenport, a member of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County, will identify and discuss archaeological artifacts from early Glades history.

In addition, Patricia Hood will discuss the uses of antique medical equipment. She and husband Johnny, both of Belle Glade, are avid collectors of vintage medical equipment and have provided the display.

Other planned activities include having a fly-wheeler, explaining how sugar cane was ground to produce syrup; and an antique-car show.

In addition, Glades-area artists and arts groups will exhibit their creations. Some will be for sale.

Barbecued dinners – chicken and ribs – will be available, served with green beans, fresh corn on the cob, and macaroni and cheese, for $10. Outside table seating is available.

For more information, call 561-914-6376, ext. 2142.