Browse Items (134 total)

IMAG0024.JPG
Clipping of newspaper article about Weeki Wachee Springs State Park published in an unidentified newspaper around 1950. Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to Ocala, Florida in 1922. He was a member of…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0009.jpg
Advertising card for Weekiwachee Spring from around 1950. Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to Ocala, Florida in 1922. He was a member of the swimming and diving teams at the University of Florida.…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP039.jpg
Color photograph of a tourist visiting Weeki Wachee Springs in 1964. The tourist is standing beside a sign that reads, "Openings for Mermaid Training School Apply Here." Weeki Wachee Springs is a state park that opened to the public in October of…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP021.jpg
Weeki Wachee's original underwater theater. Photogrpah taken in 1959.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…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP040.jpg
Color postcard with an image of Weeki Wachee Springs mermaids posing on top of the newly constructed underwater theater. Text on the back reads, "Weeki Wachee, Florida's underwater grand canyon presents a new million dollar underwater aqua-theatre…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP006.jpg
Performance evaluation of Geanie Brooks. The text reads: "Geanie 1. Dive 2. Introduction – Not long enough 3. Length of time replacing face mask 4. Back Dolphin – Not centered 5. Surface to Limb – check mark 6. Swim to buoyancy position – okay check…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WWCS146.JPG
A memo from Weeki Wachee Springs State Park manager T.P. Brinzo, circulated to all departments, dated February 21, 1963. The memo informed the entirety of the Springs that new equipment had been acquired for the underwater mermaid shows to help…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP025.jpg
Black and white photograph of a portion of Weeki Wachee's gift shop, taken in the 1960s. 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…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WW00019.jpg
Two mermaids at Weeki Wachee Springs walking a young boar on a leash. 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…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP046.jpg
Color postcard of Weeki Wachee Springs mermaids sitting in front of a Hercules Beetle Statue and the May Museum of the Tropics. For a little over a decade, the May family of Colorado displayed some of their family's private collection of tropical…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0038.JPG
Photograph of a Weeki Wachee Mermaids reunion event somewhere between 1950 and 1955. Newton "Newt" Perry looks on as two mermaids cut a cake with the messages "Welcome Mermaids" and "5th Annual Reunion" written on it in icing. Newton "Newt" Perry was…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0034.JPG
Photograph of Weeki Wachee Mermaids posing in a circle on the shore at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park around 1950. The mermaids are wearing swimsuits rather than fins. Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0029.JPG
Photograph of three Weeki Wachee Mermaids in staged underwater dining scene at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park around 1950. The mermaids are eating watermelon and breathing using air hoses while sitting at a table placed on the bottom of a body of…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WW00016.jpg
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…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP009.jpg
Photograph of Rita King, a mermaid at Weeki Wachee Springs, dancing on a platform as a band plays. This event was one of the many mermaid reunions that Weeki Wachee Springs hosted, where they invited former mermaids to attend special events. This…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP038.jpg
Mermaid Rita King feeding a fish underwater. In one hand she is holding food and the other hand is holding an air hose. She is kneeling on the spring floor. Photograph taken in the 1960s. Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0046.JPG
Group photograph of participants at a Weeki Wachee mermaid reunion event from May 13 to 15, 1983. Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to Ocala, Florida in 1922. He was a member of the swimming and…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP016.jpg
Photograph of Florence McNabb posing underwater in a mermaid costume at Weeki Wachee Springs in the 1950s. Florence was the daughter of Ed and Vera Gothberg, who owned the Mermaid Motel that was across the street from Weeki Wachee Springs until 1966.…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP027.jpg
Weeki Wachee Mermaid Florence McNabb drinking an RC Cola underwater in the 1960s. Florence is kneeling on some seagrass, holding the airhose to her side. Weeki Wachee mermaids drank soda and ate bananas during their shows, before the mermaid shows…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0031.JPG
Photograph of an unidentified Weeki Wachee mermaid standing on a ladder in preparation to enter a water tank around 1950. Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to Ocala, Florida in 1922. He was a member…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP020.jpg
Weeki Wachee Springs Mermaid Bonnie Georgiadis in uniform (wearing an Alix of Miami Swimsuit) speaking to guests in the lobby of the Mermaid Motel. Behind Bonnie are rows of guest books, one for each state for visitors to the motel to sign into. The…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP032.jpg
Mermaid Bonnier Georgiadis sitting on the edge of the underwater theater's windows holding a microphone, announcing a show. Two mermaids are pictured behind her in mid pose. Bonnie Georgiadis worked at Weeki Wachee for a total of 37 years. 13 years…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WWCS1.jpg
A small poster for Weeki Wachee Springs. The background of the poster is black, featuring a cartoon mermaid and three fish. The text reads, "Weeki Wachee Live Mermaids. U.S. 19 and Florida 50." Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP023.jpg
Photograph of the Volkswagen van that Weeki Wachee used to bus employees to the springs. The van is parked in from of the Weeki Wachee entrance sign.Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs to the public in October of…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0022.jpg
Photograph of visitors to Weeki Wachee Springs State Park in underwater theater around 1950. Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to Ocala, Florida in 1922. He was a member of the swimming and diving…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0021.jpg
Photograph of a line of visitors to Weeki Wachee Springs State Park outside the underwater theater around 1950. Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to Ocala, Florida in 1922. He was a member of the…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0019.jpg
Photograph of an underwater filming tank created by Newton "Newt" Perry between 1950 and 1970. This photograph may be either from Weeki Wachee Springs State Park or from Newton "Newt" Perry's career as an underwater filmmaker. Newton "Newt" Perry was…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0065.JPG
Photograph of four men preparing to enter an underwater filming tank. Two of the men hold cameras.Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to Ocala, Florida in 1922. He was a member of the swimming and…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0015.jpg
Photograph of underwater diver in diving suit with a sunken treasure chest, some time between 1950 and1970. The photograph may be either from Weeki Wachee Springs State Park or from Newton "Newt" Perry's career as an underwater filmmaker. Newton…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0061.JPG
Photograph of one man and two women free diving underwater. An air supply tank labeled "Air Station No. 3 - 24 Ft" rests on the floor. The photograph was taken some time between 1950 and 1970Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908,…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP042.jpg
Kodak Safety Film Strip consisting of two images. These images show two Weeki Wachee mermaids performing a scene from "Peter Pan." One mermaid is in a Captain Hook costume and the other is in an alligator costume. A prop pirate ship is pictured…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WW00014.jpg
A trained raccoon opening a gift from an employee of Weeki Wachee Springs in the 1950s. For several years, Weeki Wachee offered a "covered wagon" ride through the forest as one of the park's attractions. Along the sides of the forest were a variety…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP022.jpg
Postcard depicting three Weeki Wachee Mermaids performing in a show. Two of the mermaids are dressed up in leis and hula skirts and the other is wearing a Hawaiian shirt playing a ukelele. Mermaids are standing on a metal platform that is a hydraulic…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP043.jpg
A Weeki Wachee Springs underwater performance. The image shows two Weeki Wachee mermaids standing on the hydraulic lift that ABC installed in the springs in the 1960s. There is a third mermaid mid-pose in front of the bydraulic lift. As the picture…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0030.JPG
Photograph of three mermaids posing on the beach at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park around 1950. The exterior of the underwater theater is visible in the background. Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0016.jpg
A photograph of a swimming area with bathers in front of a building at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Florida, around 1950. Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to Ocala, Florida in 1922. He was a…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WW00002.jpg
A postcard of Weeki Wachee Springs sometime in the late 1950s. Louise Nan Steer mentions this postcard in her oral history interview because the blonde girl in the pink bathing suit in the center of the postcard is her twin sister, Lynda. The rest of…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP001.jpg
A typed stock letter sent to Becky Young in 1972 alongside an application for a position as a mermaid. The letter is typed on Weeki Wachee letterhead, which has an image of two performers in a pose underwater as the background. Signed by the Mermaid…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0066.JPG
Photograph of a staged underwater footrace scene some time between 1950 and 1970. Three men crouch in a starting position on the floor of a body of water as a fourth man prepares to shoot a starting pistol. One woman appears to yell through a…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0063.JPG
Photograph of a staged scene of two men and two women dining underwater, seated at a table and chairs some time between 1950 and 1970.Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to Ocala, Florida in 1922. He…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0056.JPG
Photograph of a man and two women seated at a table on the floor of a body of water some time between 1950 and 1970. A standing man wearing a diving helmet appears to direct the scene participants. Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0032.JPG
Photograph of a staged scene of four men eating watermelon underwater while seated around a table somewhere between 1950 and 1970. Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to Ocala, Florida in 1922. He was…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WW00025.pdf
A postcard featuring the dinosaur-shaped Sinclair Gas Station in Weeki Wachee Springs. A handwritten note by Bonita Colson accompanies the postcard, describing a mobile home rental park across the street from the gas station that Weeki Wachee…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WW00018.jpg
Rita King, mermaid at Weeki Wachee Springs, holding two juvenile alligators. 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…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP013.pdf
"Weeki Wachee Calling" is a 4-page pictoral report of the 9th annual Weeki Wachee Spring's Mermaid Reunion. The first page is written as if it is a telegram and thanks guests for attending as well as informing them of the next reunion in 1970. Over…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP045.jpg
Color postcard of Weeki Wachee Springs Mermaid Bonnie Georgiadis in a costume, mid-ballet move during an underwater performance. Text on back of postcard reads, "The underwater acrobatic butterfly ballet is just one of eight big scenes produced for…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0070.JPG
Photograph of Perry family members in swimming costumes at Hampton Springs, Florida, in 1912. On the back of the photograph is a handwritten caption that partially reads "Kate Perry" and "Augusta Lee". Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta,…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WW00028.jpg
Orchid Gardens at Weeki Wachee Springs. The hothouse, which allowed visitors to view a variety of orchids, was one of the original attractions to join the mermaid show at Weeki Wachee Springs. …

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP002.jpg
A typed note on card stock the size of a business card sent to Rebecca Young from Weeki Wachee Springs, requesting her to come by for an interview. Text reads, "Rebecca: Come up as soon as you can for water test and pre-employment interview." The…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0060.JPG
Photograph of Newton "Newt" Perry, Johnny Sheffield, and Johnny Weissmuller during filming of "Tarzan Finds a Son" at Silver Springs in 1938. Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to Ocala, Florida in…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0067.JPG
Photograph of Newton "Newt" Perry with a sea turtle some time between 1950 and 1970. Perry is embracing the turtle, which is resting on a floating platform.Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to Ocala,…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0073.JPG
Original printed postcard showing an image of Newton "Newt" Perry underwater with a female swimmer some time between 1950 and 1970. Perry is partially seated inside a glass air supply tank. Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908,…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0057.JPG
Photograph of Newton "Newt" Perry and man repairing an underwater film set some time between 1950 and 1970. Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to Ocala, Florida in 1922. He was a member of the…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0027.jpg
Photograph of Newton "Newt" Perry with three men in an underwater theater at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park around 1950. One of the men is holding a movie camera. Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0017.jpg
A photograph of an underwater filming scene showing Newton "Newt" Perry in a diving helmet at an underwater camera, some time between 1950 and 1970. This photograph may be either from Weeki Wachee Springs State Park or from Newton "Newt" Perry's…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0036.JPG
Photograph of Newton "Newt" Perry dressed as Santa Claus with a Weeki Wachee Mermaid named Mary Darlington around 1950. Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to Ocala, Florida in 1922. He was a member of…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0035.JPG
Photograph of Newton "Newt" Perry dressed as Santa Claus decorating an underwater Christmas tree at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park around 1950. Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to Ocala, Florida in…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0062.JPG
Photograph of Newton "Newt" Perry diving off a diving platform some time between 1950 and 1970.Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to Ocala, Florida in 1922. He was a member of the swimming and diving…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0058.JPG
Photograph of Newton "Newt" Perry dressed as a bartender, standing at a bar underwater, and shaking a cocktail shaker some time between 1950 and 1970. Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to Ocala,…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0059.JPG
Photograph of Newton "Newt" Perry and a woman dancing underwater, as a second woman looks on and claps while seated at a table some time between 1950 and 1970. Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0039.JPG
Photograph of "Newt Perry's Aquatic Theater," showing Newton "Newt" Perry standing on a stage and speaking into a microphone, flanked on each side by two women in swimsuits somewhere between 1950 and 1960. A large glass tank stands behind the group.…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP004.jpg
A newspaper article published on February 22, 1973, in the Marshalltown Times-Republican announcing Rebecca Young's (then Rebecca Stalhhut) employment as a Weeki Wachee Mermaid. The article reads, "Becky Stahlhut, a mid-term graduate of Marshalltown…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP007.pdf
A three-page document given to mermaid Geanie Brooks detailing updated pay rates for Weeki Wachee Mermaids, effective August 1, 1956. The document expresses that the pay increase was made in order to attract better performers and better retain…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0033.JPG
Photograph of Nancy Tribble taking a breath from an air hose while seated underwater in costume as a Weeki Wachee Mermaid around 1948. Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to Ocala, Florida in 1922. He…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0023.jpg
Photograph of mermaids performing at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park around 1950. The three mermaids sit on boards in the water. Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to Ocala, Florida in 1922. He was a…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WW00022.jpg
The Mermaid Villa building at Weeki Wachee Springs. Mermaids used the building to change into their costumes for their underwater performances, shower after their performances, and lounge while on break. Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0018.jpg
Underwater photograph of a mermaid wearing goggles and holding an air hose at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, around 1950. Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to Ocala, Florida in 1922. He was a…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP030.jpg
Mermaid Trainer Bonnie Georgiadis training six mermaids on proper form of a position for a publicity photo. Bonnie Georgiadis worked at Weeki Wachee for a total of 37 years. 13 years as a mermaid and trainer, 7 as a show producer and choreographer,…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0014.jpg
A photograph of a mermaid swimming in front of an underwater filming tank created by Newton "Newt" Perry some time between 1950 and 1970. The photograph may be either from Weeki Wachee Springs State Park or from Newton "Newt" Perry's career as an…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

mermaid.jpg
A postcard showcasing the lobby of the Mermaid Motel, which was located directly across the street from Weeki Wachee Springs. Two cars are parked under a pavilion next to the building. The back of the postcard features an add that describes the…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP037.jpg
Mermaid Geanie L. W. Brooks dressed as a witch posing underwater at Weeki Wachee Springs. In the background is a sign in the shape of a jack-o-lantern in a tophat. On the tophat are the words "Weekii Wachee Witches." Geanie learned how to weld…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WWCS106.jpg
The original interior of the May Museum of the Tropics. The May Natural…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP024.pdf
This map is a part of a booklet about Weeki Wachee Springs. The booklet was made sometime after the corporation American Broadcasting Company (ABC) purchased the park. The map also shows the underwater theater, labeled D, as having a flat roof. This…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0072.JPG
Photograph of a man standing in front of advertising posters on the exterior of a building some time between 1920 and 1930. One poster is for the film "Captain Fly By Night," which was released in 1922. Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta,…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0040.JPG
Photograph of a man wearing diving goggles and fins handing an air hose to a Weeki Wachee Mermaid in a swimsuit and fins who is posing underwater around 1950. Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0005.jpg
A letter dated March 26, 1981, from the Acting Chairman of the Florida Sports Hall of Fame, Val Darling, to Newton "Newt" Perry, informing Perry of his selection to the Florida Sports Hall of Fame for his "immense contributions to the world of…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WW00004.pdf
A letter from the manager of the the May Museum of the Tropics, Myrtle Colson, to the owner of the museum, John May. The letter details concerns that the manager was having with an employee as well as her complaints about being excluded from certain…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WW00009.pdf
A letter from Myrtle Colson, manager of the May Museum of the Tropics, to the owner of the museum, John M. May, dated March 28, 1956. Myrtle writes that earlier in the day, she allowed an African-American couple to enter the museum, as he had…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WWCS140.JPG
A letter from the manager of the May Museum of the Tropics, Myrtle Colson, to the owner of the museum, John M. May, dated March 1, 1959. The letter celebrates the recent high number of visitors that the Museum had. Additionally, the letter informs…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WW00012.jpg
A letter from Myrtle Colson, manager of the May Museum of the Tropics, to the owner of the museum, John M. May, dated June 1, 1958. Colson tells May about the increasing sales to the museum due to efforts of the new owner of Weeki Wachee Springs, and…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WW00010.pdf
A letter from Myrtle Colson, manager of the May Museum of the Tropics, to the owner of the museum, John M. May, dated February 25, 1959. Colson discusses a surprise audit from the owners of Weeki Wachee, The Florida Chain of Theaters. She writes that…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WWCS152.JPG
A letter from the manager of the May Museum of the Tropics, Myrtle Colson, to the owner of the museum, John M. May, dated February 23, 1957. Colson expresses her belief that the upcoming tourist season would be one of the best yet, for both Weeki…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WWCS114.jpg
A letter from John May to Joe and Martha Seltzer, the management of Weeki Wachee Springs. The letter details May's sadness that Seltzer was resigning. May expresses that he hopes to remain in contact and that Seltzer and his wife can leave their…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WWCS143.JPG
A letter from the owner of the May Museum of the Tropics, John M. May, to the employees of the museum, dated January 8, 1959. May asks his employees to water the plants around the outside of the museum to ensure they don't wilt or die, and hopes that…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WW00013.jpg
A letter from John M. May, owner of the May Museum of the Tropics, to the manager of the museum, Myrtle Colson, dated September 27, 1958. May reassures Colson that she is doing fine, expressing remorse for the losing an employee and hope that their…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WWCS148.JPG
A letter from the owner of the May Museum of the Tropics, John M. May, to the manager of the museum, Myrtle Colson, dated May 7, 1959. In the letter, May apologizes to Colson for not informing her sooner about how to handle counting groups of…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WWCS144.JPG
A letter from the owner of the May Museum of the Tropics, John M. May, to the manager of the museum, Myrtle Colson, dated January 14, 1959. May expresses his hopes that Colson is feeling better, as she recently had the flu, and informs her that his…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WW00011.jpg
A letter from John M. May, owner of the May Museum of the Tropics, to John T. Creighten, an employee of the Department of Entomology at the University fo Florida, dated November 20, 1963. replying to Mr. Creighten's interest in the museum and its…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WWCS149.JPG
A letter from the owner of the May Museum of the Tropics, John M. May, to University of Florida entomology professor John T. Creighton, dated November 20, 1963. May extended a warm invitation to Creighton and his colleagues to visit the May Museum,…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WWCS151.JPG
A letter from the owner of the May Museum of the Tropics, John M. May, to the manager of Weeki Wachee Springs, Joe D. Seltzer. In the letter, May tentatively agrees to Seltzer's plan to create another walkway to the museum, but expresses hesitation…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WW00008.jpg
A letter from the owner of the May Museum of the Tropics, John M. May, to the directors of the St. Petersburg Springs Co., owners of Weeki Wachee Springs, dated January 28, 1957. May discusses his concerns with management and inquires about…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WWCS150.JPG
A letter from the manager of Weeki Wachee Springs, Joe D. Seltzer, to the owner of the May Museum of the Tropics, John M. May, dated June 17, 1959. In the letter, Seltzer expresses his and his company's wish to build a new walkway and parking lot…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

IMAG0002.jpg
A letter dated March 31, 1997, from the director of the Museum of Florida History, Gaye Guita, to Delee Perry. In the letter, printed on Florida Department of State letterhead, Gaye Guita invites Delee Perry to attend the opening reception for an new…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP028.jpg
Letter written by Dorothy Gray, Ltd. Publicity Director Maureen Logan to Weeki Wachee Mermaid Rebecca Stahlhut (later Rebecca Young). The letter was written on April 24, 1975. In the letter Maureen thanks Rebecca for modeling Dorothy Gray products,…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WWCS147.JPG
A letter from entomologist Charles P. Kimball to the owner of the May Museum of the Tropics, John M. May, dated June 7, 1957. In the letter, Kimball details an insect trap design that utilizes thin plastic instead of glass, to allow more sunlight…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP015.pdf
Weeki Wachee Springs mermaid Lauren Dodson in costume with a mermaid tail on posing on the dock of the spring. Lauren Dodson was a mermaid from 2007 to 2012 and is the daughter of Lydia Dodson, who was a Weeki Wachee mermaid in the 1970s. Along with…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WW00001.jpg
John May at the foundation of the May Museum of the Tropics at Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida. The date written on the photograph is November 20th, 1953. …

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WW00020.jpg
John Hamlet, naturalist, placing his hand into a trained boar's mouth as part of an attraction at Weeki Wachee Springs. Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs to the public in October of 1947. At the time, roadside…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

WW00007.jpg
The original interior of the May Museum of the Tropics in the 1950s. In the months following the photograph, several specimen began to droop and wilt in the cases due to humidity. The owner, John May, was forced to hand make new display cases out of…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

FOWWSSP044.jpg
The staff of the Weeki Wachee Holiday Inn standing in front of the hotel's iconic sign. The marquee on the sign reads, "Our 9th Anniversary June 5 1975." This Holiday Inn was located directly across the street from Weeki Wachee Springs and opened in…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

Output Formats

atom, dc-rdf, dcmes-xml, json, omeka-xml, rss2