Weeki Wachee Mermaid with Report Card
Dublin Core
Title
Weeki Wachee Mermaid with Report Card
Alternative Title
Weeki Wachee Mermaid and Report Card
Subject
Weeki Wachee Springs (Fla.)
Tourism--Florida
Springs--Florida
Parks--Florida
Mermaids--Florida
Description
A Weeki Wachee Springs mermaid posing underwater with a report card. The card includes grades for bathing, ballet, breathing and boys.
Weeki Wachee Springs is a state park that opened to the public in October of 1949 by Newton Perry along with a group of investors. This attraction opened as the roadside era of Florida was ramping up and consisted of an amalgamation of vendors including an orchid garden, a river boat tour, as well as the star attraction- the mermaid show that took place in an underwater theatre. The attraction grew to include The May Museum of the Tropics, an ‘abandoned Seminole village’, a show called “Birds of Prey”, and a petting zoo. As theme parks became the new norm for Florida’s tourist industry, Weeki Wachee Springs steadily declined until the state of Florida absorbed the attraction into the state park system in 2008. The attraction now focuses on appealing to a modern audience, while still preserving its rich history.
Weeki Wachee Springs is a state park that opened to the public in October of 1949 by Newton Perry along with a group of investors. This attraction opened as the roadside era of Florida was ramping up and consisted of an amalgamation of vendors including an orchid garden, a river boat tour, as well as the star attraction- the mermaid show that took place in an underwater theatre. The attraction grew to include The May Museum of the Tropics, an ‘abandoned Seminole village’, a show called “Birds of Prey”, and a petting zoo. As theme parks became the new norm for Florida’s tourist industry, Weeki Wachee Springs steadily declined until the state of Florida absorbed the attraction into the state park system in 2008. The attraction now focuses on appealing to a modern audience, while still preserving its rich history.
Creator
Schumacher, Elmer "Sparky"
Source
Original black and white photograph by Elmer "Sparky" Schumacher: Weeki Wachee Springs State Park Weeki Wachee, Florida.
Publisher
Date Created
ca. 1960-1979
Date Copyrighted
ca. 1960-1979
Has Format
Digital reproduction of original black and white photograph by Elmer "Sparky" Schumacher.
Is Part Of
Weeki Wachee Collection, Hernando County Collection, RICHES.
Requires
Format
image/jpg
Extent
8.72 MB
Medium
black and white photograph
Language
eng
Type
Still Image
Coverage
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Weeki Wachee, Florida
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Humanities Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by Elmer "Sparky" Schumacher and published by RICHES.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by Weeki Wachee Springs State Park and is provided here by RICHES for educational purposes only.
Contributing Project
Rebecca Schwandt's Thesis Project
Curator
Schwandt, Rebecca
Digital Collection
Source Repository
External Reference
Allman, T.D. Finding Florida: The True History of the Sunshine State. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2013.
Ammidown, Margot. "Edens, Underworlds, and Shrines: Florida’s Small Tourist Attractions." The Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts 23, 1998, 238-259. Accessed November 9, 2018. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1504171?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents.
Georgiadis, Bonnie and Lu Vickers. Weeki Wachee mermaids: thirty years of underwater photography. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2012.
Hollis, Tim. Glass Bottom Boats &
Mermaid Tails: Florida's Tourist Springs. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2006.
Pelland, Maryan. Weeki Wachee Springs. Arcadia Publishing Inc, 2006. .
Revels, Tracy J. Sunshine Paradise: A History of Florida Tourism. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2011.
Vickers, Lu, and Sara Dionne. Weeki Wachee, City of Mermaids: A History of One of Florida's Oldest Roadside Attractions. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2007.
Collection
Citation
Schumacher, Elmer "Sparky", “Weeki Wachee Mermaid with Report Card,” RICHES, accessed May 23, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/10477.