Feb. 18, 1887: Harmon Parker Elliott is born in Watertown, Mass., to Sterling and Adell Parker Elliott.

July 8, 1892: Harmon witnesses Charles E. Duryea make the first road test of his first automobile.

July 4, 1894: Harmon witnesses Elwood Haynes make the first successful trip in his automobile.

1936: Harmon begins wintering in Stuart.

1955: The Stuart Chapter of Soroptomist International organizes the Historical Society of Martin County—an integral first step in establishing the museum.

1960: Harmon P. Elliott begins building the Elliott Museum of Vehicular Evolution in honor of his father, acclaimed inventor Sterling Elliott. He kept an apartment on the 2nd floor of the museum complete with wet bar and pool table. This space later became the “President’s Lounge” for members, staff and volunteers. Today, it houses the Historical Society archives and administrative offices—sans wet bar.

Nov. 18, 1961: The museum opens to the public.

Dec. 15, 1965: Janet Hutchinson is named director of the Historical Society.  

December 1965: Hutchinson holds what becomes her most beloved museum event, the Christmas Open House. On this inaugural event she provides punch and cookies to the evening’s 10 visitors. The program continued on into the 1990s. The museum has the famous punch recipe – not for the faint of heart. It has Cointreau, brandy, rum, champagne and a little ginger ale.

1967: Hutchinson establishes the Elliott Museum’s Elliott Gallery for the exhibition of “professional” contemporary art and the Elliott’s permanent collection.

Oct. 17, 1969: Harmon Parker Elliott dies.

December 1974: Hutchinson’s Christmas Open Houses entertains as many as 675 guests.

May 2, 1992: Janet retires on her 75th birthday, holding the post of director emeritus of art until her death in 2006.

1994: Dan Ginsburg donates his baseball collection of more than 1,200 signed baseball artifacts to the Elliott Museum.

1995: Paranormal researchers document that Harmon’s ghost haunts the Elliott Museum, finding he apparently doesn’t like women who wear red.   1997: The first annual Elliott Museum Car Show takes place, growing into the museum’s annual fundraiser with 2011 marking the museum’s 15th Annual Car Show.

2004: The Elliott Museum holds its first annual Juried Art Show.

December 2005: Marlee Matheson, local artist, gifts her art studio to the Elliott Museum, creating daily art classes, workshops and summer art camps at The Studio at the Elliott.