Business Card of E. D. Gothberg, Owner of Weeki Wachee Motor Lodge

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Dublin Core

Title

Business Card of E. D. Gothberg, Owner of Weeki Wachee Motor Lodge

Alternative Title

Business Card of E.D. Gothberg, Owner of Weeki Wachee Motor Lodge and Mermaid Motel, c. 1950s

Subject

Weeki Wachee Springs (Fla.)
Tourism--Florida
tourism & museum
Tourism--1960-1980
Ballet--1970-1980
Mermaids--Florida--Weeki Wachee--History
Theater--20th century

Description

Business card of E. D. Gothberg, owner and operator of Weeki Wachee Motor Lodge and Mermaid Motel. The Weeki Wachee Motor Lodge was located near the attraction and the motel was directly across from Weeki Wachee Springs. Many mermaids lived in the motor lodge. E. D. Gothberg owned the motel until 1966, when Holiday Inn was put in the motel's place.

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.

Abstract

Business Card

Creator

Gothberg, E. D.

Source

Original business card of E. D. Gothberg, c. 1950s: Collection of Friends of Weeki Wachee Springs State Park.

Publisher

Date Created

ca. 1950-1960

Date Copyrighted

ca. 1950-1960

Is Format Of

Digital Reproduction of business card: E. D. Gothberg Business Card, c. 1950s. Scanned by RICHES Team. RICHES, Orlando, Florida.

Is Part Of

Format

image/jpeg

Extent

10.3 MB

Medium

Business Card

Language

eng

Type

Still Image

Coverage

Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Spring Hill, Florida

Accrual Method

Donation

Mediator

History Teacher
Humanitites Teacher
Visual Arts Teacher
Theater Teacher

Provenance

Originally created by E.D. Gothberg, owned by Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, 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

Florida Humanities Council Community Grant Program and Friends of Weeki Wachee Springs State Park

Curator

Schwandt, Rebecca

Source Repository

Collection of Weeki Wachee Springs State Park

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.
Georgiadis, Bonnie and Lu Vickers. Weeki Wachee Mermaids. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2012.
Hollis, Tim. Glass Bottom Boats and Mermaid Tails: Florida’s Tourist Springs. Mechanicsburg: Stackpole Books, 2006.
Pelland, Dan and Maryan Pelland. Images of America: Weeki Wachee. Mount Pleasant: Arcadia Publishing, 2006.
Revels, Tracy J. Sunshine Paradise: A History of Florida Tourism. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2011.
Vickers, Lu. Weeki Wachee City of Mermaids: A History of One of Florida’s Oldest Roadside Attractions. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2007.

Citation

Gothberg, E. D., “Business Card of E. D. Gothberg, Owner of Weeki Wachee Motor Lodge,” RICHES, accessed December 25, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/11156.

Locations

Categories