The historic Stambaugh cottage that was moved from a golf course in Palm Beach onto a barge this month could become a museum and nature center along the waterfront in Lake Worth.
City commissioners recently discussed the possibility of moving the cottage, which housed three generations of the Stambaugh family, to the eastern shore of the Lake Worth Lagoon in Old Bridge Park — or a waterfront tract on the south side of the Lake Avenue Bridge.
After showing a strong interest in the cottage, commissioners asked owner Joette Stambaugh Keen to bring back a phased plan for moving the cottage to Lake Worth within 30 days. They did not vote.
Keen and Jane Day, landmarks consultant for the Town of Palm Beach, discussed the "life on the lake" theme for the cottage that would showcase the county's pioneer families and the ecology of Lake Worth Lagoon, a former freshwater lake.
"We'd like the children of Palm Beach County and Lake Worth to experience life before air conditioning and computers," Day said in a presentation to commissioners.
Vice Mayor Suzanne Mulvehill said she hoped the city could find a nonprofit group to develop, maintain and staff the 1,500-square-foot cottage.
Commissioner Scott Maxwell said the city should consider accepting the cottage "to let people see it and get excited about it" while plans are developed for making it a historical education center.
Mayor Rachel Waterman said she would like public input on putting the cottage at Old Bridge Park or an adjacent waterfront property before the commission makes a decision.
Meanwhile, the cottage is still afloat on a barge while Stambaugh family members try to find it a home.
Keen said she is looking at other possible locations for her family's cottage, including Peanut Island and Yesteryear Village at the South Florida Fairgrounds.
