Formed in 1901, the Alva Book Club was incorporated as the Alva Library Association on November 15, 1906, and provided the first public library in Southwest Florida on this lot donated by Captain Peter Nelson, Alva's founder. This library was dedicated June 26, 1909. In the 1940's, the Alva Civic League built additions to the library for a community center. The Owanita Baptist Chapel, built in 1901, was moved to the Alva Methodist Church after the 1926 hurricane, and later to the library lot. In 1974, the Alva Library Association and the Alva Garden Club agreed to use the site for a museum, which was dedicated July 4, 1976. The Alva Museum is a collection of early historical memorabilia of Eastern Lee County.