Florida Citrus Exchange Collection

Florida Citrus Exchange Collection

FEC Collection

Florida Citrus Exchange

Citrus fruit industry--Florida

Chase and Company (Sanford, Fla.)

Chase & Company was established by Joshua Chase and his brother Sydney in 1884. The company sold insurance and later invested in storage facilities and fertilizer sales. Chase & Company was known mainly for its agricultural interests and maintained a series of citrus groves throughout Central Florida. The company was based out of Sanford, Florida, and became one of the city's largest employers into the early twentieth century. By 1886, the Chase brothers purchased several citrus groves to expand their business, including Isleworth Grove in Windermere. Isleworth Grove covered a total of 1,300 acres along the Butler Chain of Lakes.

Between 1894 and 1895, Central Florida was hit by several freezes and most of the citrus crop was destroyed. Chase & Company did not grow citrus crops again until 1904 when Joshua came back from an extended stay in California. Between 1894 and 1900, different types of pesticide equipment was created, including equipment driven by steam, machines, and horses.

Randall Chase joined in the family business soon after his brother, Sydney Chase, Jr., did in 1922. Randall became the president of Chase & Company from 1948-1965. The Isleworth property stayed in the Chase family until 1984 when Franklin Chase, the son of Sydney Chase, sold the property to famed golfer Arnold Palmer.

Chase Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.

Citrus Collection, Chase Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.

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Collection

Arcadia, Florida

Babson Park, Florida

Davenport, Florida

Fort Myers, Florida

Frostproof, Florida

Jacksonville, Florida

Lakeland, Florida

Orlando, Florida

Penney Farms, Florida

Pierce, Florida

Sanford, Florida

Tampa, Florida

Wauchula, Florida

Winter Haven, Florida

Entire Chase Collection is comprised of four separate accessions from various donors, including Cecilia Johnson, the granddaughter of Joshua Coffin Chase and the children of Randall Chase.

The displayed collection items are housed at Special and Area Studies Collections at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. Rights to these items belong to the said institution, and therefore inquiries about these items should be directed there. RICHES of Central Florida has obtained permission from Special and Area Studies Collections at the University of Florida to display this item for educational purposes only.

Special and Area Studies Collections, University of Florida

Digital Collections (UFDC), University of Florida

Cepero, Laura

Marra, Katherine

University of Florida, Special and Area Studies Collections

"The History of Seald-Sweet." Seald Sweet International. http://www.sealdsweet.com/welcome/our-history.php.