The May Natural History Museum of the Tropics is a non-profit organization that displays the world’s largest private insect collection. James May acquired the thousands of insects and arthropods that make up the collection from the late 1800s until his death in 1956. John May continued his father’s legacy, building a museum in Weeki Wachee, Florida, that lasted from 1954-1964, and a museum in Colorado that opened in the 1950s and is still open today. John May also took parts of the collection across the United States and Canada to display at fairs and exhibitions.

Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs to the public in October of 1947. At the time, roadside attractions were becoming popular stops along Florida roadways. The attraction consisted of an amalgamation of vendors, an orchid garden, a river boat tour, as well as the star attraction: a mermaid show that took place in an underwater theater. Eventually, the May Museum of the Tropics, an "abandoned Seminole village", a show called “Birds of Prey”, and a petting zoo were added. After peaking in the 1950s and 1960s, attendance began to decline as theme parks and highways changed the dynamics of Florida's tourism. The State of Florida took over the attraction as a state park in 2008. Since then, the park has focused on appealing to a modern audience while preserving its history.]]>
May Natural History Museum Colorado Springs, Colorado.]]> RICHES]]> Weeki Wachee Collection, Hernando County Collection, RICHES.]]> Adobe Acrobat Reader]]> RICHES.]]> May Natural History Museum and is provided here by RICHES for educational purposes only.]]>
Downtown Orlando Post Office Collection, Orlando Remembered Collection, Orlando Collection, Orange County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> Adobe Acrobat Reader]]> RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]>
This oral history interview was conducted by Mary Hughes Young on April 1, 2014. Interview topics include Levine's background, his enlistment in the Air Force and drafting into the U.S. Army, basic and advanced training, being stations in Europe, getting married voerseas, returning to the U.S. after being discharged, and his life as a civilian afterward.]]>
0:00:32 Background
0:02:38 Draft and enlistment
0:06:42 Basic training at Lackland Air Force Base
0:10:06 Sharpshooting and career assignment
0:13:52 Advanced training at Amarillo Air Force Base
0:21:16 Assignment in Europe
0:26:55 Relationships with other servicemen and assignments
0:30:15 Getting married overseas
0:31:09 Rank and discharge
0:33:30 Life after service
0:36:28 Treatment from civilians
0:37:29 How service affected civilian life
0:39:15 Closing remarks]]>
Levine, Lawrence Paul. Interviewed by Mary Hughes Young. April 1, 2014. Audio/video record available. Item DP0014898, UCF Community Veterans History Project, Orlando, Florida.]]> RICHES of Central Florida]]> Veterans History Projects, Library of Congress.]]> Levine, Lawrence Paul. Interviewed by Mary Hughes Young. April 1, 2014.]]> UCF Community Veterans History Project, Orlando, Florida.]]> UCF Community Veterans History Project Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> Adobe Flash Player]]> Java]]> Adobe Acrobat Reader]]> RICHES of Central Florida.]]> RICHES of Central Florida]]>

Chase & Company was established in 1884 by brothers Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase. 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 and became one of the city's largest employers into the early twentieth century. 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.]]>
Chase & Company: Packers and Distributors of Florida Fruits and Vegetables Exclusively." The Sanford Chronicle, Industrial Edition, Winter 1910. Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.]]> The Sanford Herald]]> Chase & Company: Packers and Distributors of Florida Fruits and Vegetables Exclusively." The Sanford Chronicle, Industrial Edition, Winter 1910.]]> The Sanford Chronicle, Industrial Edition, Winter 1910. Tag number DP0010405. Central Florida Memory. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/CFM/id/120285.]]> Sanford Museum, Sanford,.]]> Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection,RICHES of Central Florida.]]> The Sanford Chronicle, Industrial Edition, Winter 1910, page 43.]]> The Sanford Herald and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]>