Cayman Islands National Museum
| Cayman Islands National Museum | |
|
Cayman Islands | |
|---|---|
 The Cayman Islands National Museum | |
| Type: | Museum |
| Location | |
| Location: | 19°17’39"N, 81°22’58"W |
| Town: | George Town |
| History | |
| Museum | |
| Information | |
| Website: | www.museum.ky |
The Cayman Islands National Museum is a museum housed in the former Old Courts Building on Harbour Drive in George Town on Grand Cayman. The museum is dedicated to the preservation, research and display of all aspects of the heritage of the Cayman Islands.
Opened in 1990, the museum's beginnings can be traced to the 1930s when local resident Ira Thompson began collecting Caymanian artefacts as a hobby. In 1979, the government purchased Thompson's collection and it now encompasses a major portion of the museum's collection.
The museum today contains over 8,000 items and artefacts ranging from coins to a 14-foot catboat. The Natural History Exhibit features a 3-dimensional map depicting the underwater geological formations that surround the Cayman Islands.