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.

For more information, please see the following article from The Herald-Tribune.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20101130/ARTICLE/11301026/1238?p=1&tc=pg

Thomas Peter Bennett, a Florida native and graduate of Florida State University, received his Ph.D. from Rockefeller University. He was an assistant professor at Harvard, served as professor and chairman of biological sciences at Florida State University and then as special assistant to the president, before beginning museum work as president of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (1976-86). He then served as professor and director of the University of Florida's Museum of Natural History (1986-96), as president of Science Service and publisher of Science News (1996-98), and as executive director of the South Florida Museum (1998-2002). The author of many science, history and education articles, several science textbooks, and poetry anthologies, Bennett resides in Bradenton with his wife Gudrun, pursues academic and museum interests, and writes.

Chapter 1 Preface
Chapter 2 Acknowledgments
Chapter 3 1 Early Years: Places and People
Chapter 4 2 Montague Tallant and the Future Museum
Chapter 5 3 De Soto and Museum Origins
Chapter 6 4 The Manatee County Museum
Chapter 7 5 Founding and Opening the South Florida Museum
Chapter 8 6 The Museum's First Year
Chapter 9 7 1949: "Baby" at the Museum
Chapter 10 8 "The Little Museum Just Ran on Its Own. . ."
Chapter 11 9 New Facilities for the South Florida Museum
Chapter 12 10 Museum's Progress and Dedication of New Facilities
Chapter 13 11 The Museum Opens
Chapter 14 12 "From Stone Age to Space Age"
Chapter 15 13 Laser Fantasies and a Spanish Plaza
Chapter 16 14 Transition, 1982-1987
Chapter 17 15 New Beginnings
Chapter 18 16 Strengthening the Legacy
Chapter 19 17 Strengthening the Legacy Continues
Chapter 20 18 Continuing Epilogue. . .
Chapter 21 Abbreviations and Synonyms
Chapter 22 Illustrations: List and Credits
Chapter 23 Selected Bibliography
Chapter 24 Index
Chapter 25 About the Author