Weeki Wachee Mermaid Lydia Dodson Posing Underwater

Weeki Wachee Mermaid Lydia Dodson Posing Underwater

Black and White Photograph of Lydia Dodson, a Mermaid at Weeki Wachee Springs, Posing Underwater, June, 1970

Weeki Wachee Springs (Fla.);

Tourism--Florida; tourism & museum;

Tourism--1960-1980;

Ballet--1970-1980;

Mermaids--Florida--Weeki Wachee--History;

Theater--20th century

Lydia Dodson posing underwater in June of 1970. Lydia Dodson was a Weeki Wachee Mermaid in the 1970s and more recently joined ranks of the Legendary Sirens.

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’, an show called “Birds of Prey”, and a petting zoo. As theme parks became the new norm for Florida’s tourist industry, Weeki Wachee Springs began steadily declining 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.

Black and White Photograph

Original photograph of Lydia Dodson: Personal Collection of Lydia Dodson.

1970-06

1970-06

1970-06

Digital Reproduction of black and white photograph: 1970. Scanned by RICHES Team. RICHES, Orlando, Florida.

Weeki Wachee Collection, RICHES.

image/jpg

3.96 MB

Black and White Photograph

Still image

Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Spring Hill, Florida

Donation

History Teacher

Humanities Teacher

Visual Arts Teacher

Theater Teacher

Originally created by Weeki Wachee Springs, owned by Lydia Dodson, and published by RICHES.

Copyright to this resource is held byLydia Dodson and is provided here by RICHES for educational purposes only.

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

Schwandt, Rebecca

Private Collection of Lydia Dodson.

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.