History of Graciosa Museum

Created in 1977 under the designation of Ethnographic House, the Island Museum opened on December 6, 1983, in a political context of promotion and protection of the Azorean cultural heritage.

From 1991, following the reformulation of the museums' structure under the administration of Regional Directorate for Culture, the Ethnographic House was renamed Graciosa Museum, becoming a multi-centred structure representing the territory.

Departing from the barn, winepress and winery, testimony of an agricultural past linked to cereal and wine production - the main centre -, the programme has successively associated spaces where important activities for the daily life of Graciosa took place: the Santa Cruz Whaling Boathouse, the Fontes Windmill, the Praia Whaling Boathouse, the Blacksmith's Shop located in Barreiro and the Threshing Barn located on Caminho do Meio; the first two are open to visitors.
 
With the aim of better accomplishing its mission, the reprogramming and expansion project for the Main Centre was carried out in 2009, having reopened to the public on December 11, 2010.