Join docent Jim Dinsmore for a 20-minute guided tour of the Touchton Map Library and learn how maps document the people, movement and conflicts that shaped Florida. Jim connects individual maps to stories of Indigenous communities, European explorers, settlers, U.S. troops and Seminoles, showing how geography influenced encounters, transportation routes and the growth of communities across the state.

Guests will see historic maps from the History Center’s collection and learn to read place names, borders, roads and other details as records of human activity. Jim discusses interactions among Indigenous groups and foreign explorers, competition for territory during the 1800s and the military roads that connected Florida communities. One example studies a road planned by Gen. Abraham Eustis from St. Augustine to Tampa and its connection to the names of the city of Eustis and Lake Eustis.

Jim previously worked in communications for local nonprofits. After moving to Tampa and spending time at the History Center, he developed a broader understanding of Florida history and an appreciation for maps as more than tools for finding a route. His tour presents them as graphic records of how people moved across the land, interacted and shaped the places Floridians know today.

About gallery tours

During docent-led gallery tours, guests view artifacts, maps, photographs and other historical materials from the History Center’s collections while hearing accurate, well-researched stories about the people, events and communities that shaped Tampa Bay.

Each 20-minute tour centers on specific objects and displays, specifically maps for this series of gallery tours. The docent explains what these materials document, connects them to broader historical events and answers visitor questions. For first-time visitors, a gallery tour provides a focused introduction to the History Center’s collections and the major themes presented throughout the galleries. Tours are included with admission.

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