A New York Times article from 1986 still lists the museum as a great place to visit in Central Florida but from what I can tell, the collection was donated to the Florida State Museum of Natural History in Gainesville sometime soon afterwards. Today the building houses the school's Environmental Studies Department.
My Mother-in-law remembers visting as a child and in particular the iconic giant clam shell. A google search brings up many postcards of small children sitting in the enormous mollusk. Later a water fountain was added to the inside of the shell. The premier artifact seemed to have been a carved cameo featuring Aurora (the dawn) formerly owned by King Victor Emanuel of Italy. The inside of the museum's brochure reads: "Seething with life the ever-changing tides cast their fresh haul upon the shore. Some of these treasures of uncommon beauty are the shells of the lowly animals known as mollusks." It's a shame the museum is no longer open. It makes me wonder how many odd little attractions are still out there, treasures of the tides just waiting to be uncovered.
Rick, this is fabulous Florida history. As a history lover myself, I enjoy your posts tremendously. Now get out there and find some more!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Rick. Sounds like it would have been a great place to visit.
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