Bicentennial Edition of Weeki Wachee Springs' Trifold Brochure, Featuring Mermaid Rebecca Young

FOWWSSP029.pdf

Dublin Core

Title

Bicentennial Edition of Weeki Wachee Springs' Trifold Brochure, Featuring Mermaid Rebecca Young

Alternative Title

Bicentennial Edition of Weeki Wachee Springs' Trifold Brochure, Featuring Mermaid Rebecca Young, c. 1976

Subject

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

Description

Bicentennial edition of Weeki Wachee Springs' trifold brochure, c. 1976. The mermaid mock playing the flute is Rebecca Young (previously Stahlhut). This photoshoot is the one she is most proud of from her time as a Weeki Wachee Mermaid. The photoshoot took several hours just to this this one picture, as everyone's hair, costumes, and the flag had to be in correct positions. The inside of the brochure lists the attractions and mentions the special "salute to the Bicentennial, 'Happy Birthday America!'"

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

Trifold Brochure

Creator

Weeki Wachee Spring State Park

Source

Original color Weeki Wachee Springs trifold, Bicentennial Edition, c. 1976: Private Collection of Rebecca Young.

Publisher

Date Created

ca. 1976

Date Copyrighted

ca. 1976

Is Format Of

Digital Reproduction of brochure: Weeki Wachee Springs Brochure, Bicentennial Edition, c. 1976. Scanned by RICHES Team. RICHES, Orlando, Florida.

Is Part Of

Format

image/pdf

Extent

21.2 MB

Medium

11 x 17 Color Trifold Brochure

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 Weeki Wachee Springs, owned by Rebecca Young, and published by RICHES.

Rights Holder

Copyright to this resource is held by Rebecca Young 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

Digital Collection

Source Repository

Private Collection of Rebecca Young.

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

Weeki Wachee Spring State Park, “Bicentennial Edition of Weeki Wachee Springs' Trifold Brochure, Featuring Mermaid Rebecca Young,” RICHES, accessed December 25, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/11166.

Locations

Categories