The Legacy

"Anticipated..."---Robert McCracken Peck, senior fellow, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia

"No stranger to Florida, Dr. Peter Bennett is also no stranger to museums. He has been president of the oldest natural history museum in the western hemisphere, the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, as well as the director of the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville and significantly, the South Florida Museum. This meticulously researched, historical account by a noted scholar and historian of science, weaves together the lives of extraordinary people from disparate walks of life who created a sense of community around the founding and growth of an iconic museum. The museum connects them all and tells their story---the history of their place and its inhabitants. In this way, Bradenton and the South Florida Museum serve as a metaphor for Florida and all her cultural institutions."---Douglas S. Jones, professor and director, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

"A marvelous account of a museum and its constituency that together created a legacy, one that continues to educate us about Florida's past and present. Bennett's book is a great read."---Jerald T. Milanich, Ph. D., author of Frolicking Bears, Wet Vultures, and Other Oddities A New York City Journalist in Nineteenth-Century Florida

The Legacy: South Florida Museum is an account of the origins, founding, and development in twentieth-century Florida of a people's museum about archeology, Spanish exploration, manatees, and space. As a museum founded in the immediate post-World War II era, with its origins in the prehistoric past, its narrative reflects Florida's changes through Spanish exploration, statehood, tourism, endangered manatees, and space development over a thousand years. The Legacy is a story of volunteerism, in the spirit of voluntary action for the common good, by dedicated individuals. It leads to today's South Florida Museum and its several facilities, including the Bishop Planetarium, Parker Manatee Aquarium, and Spanish Plaza.