Silver Springs: Nature's Underwater Fairyland Postcard
Silver Springs (Fla.)
Springs--Florida
Parks--Florida
A color postcard featuring a model posing next to a horseshow palm at the Silver Springs State Park, formerly located at 1425 Northeast 58th Avenue in Silver Springs, Florida, in 1949. Silver Springs was originally settled by the Timucuans in the early 1500s. Although they were able to reclaim their territory after Spanish invasion, the Timucuans were ultimately succeeded by other tribes, such as the Seminoles. In the 1850s, Silver Springs began to attract tourists for steamboat rides. The park's popularity skyrocketed when the glass-bottom boat was invented in 1878.
Original 9 x 7 centimeter color postcard: "Model Posing Next to Lucky Horsehoe Palm Tree at Silver Springs." 1949: Image number PC12591, Postcard Collection, <a href="http://dos.myflorida.com/library-archives/" target="_blank">Florida State Archives</a>, Division of Library and Information Services, Florida Department of State, Tallahassee, Florida.
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Silver Springs State Park, Florida
Weeki Wachee Spring on Florida's Gulf Coast Postcard
Weeki Wachee (Fla.)
Spring Hill (Fla.)
Springs--Florida
Parks--Florida
A postcard featuring an underwater mermaid at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park in 1949. Weeki Wachee, located at 6131 Commercial Way in Spring Hill, Florida, is best known for its famous tourist attraction, Weeki Wachee Springs. The attraction features performances by underwater mermaids, a glass-bottom boat ride, and other natural attractions. The springs are named after the Seminole words for "little spring" or "winding river." In 1946, former U.S. Navy member Newt Perry (1908-1987) began to develop a tourist attraction at Weeki Wachee. By the 1950s, Weeki Wachee was one of the top tourist stops in the United States. The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) purchased the site in 1959 and continued to expand. In 2008, Weeki Wachee was taken over by the state of Florida as a state park.
Original 9 x 14 centimeter color postcard: "Mermaid Performing at the Weeki Wachee Springs Waterpark." 1949: Image number PC12593, Postcard Collection, <a href="http://dos.myflorida.com/library-archives/" target="_blank">Florida State Archives</a>, Division of Library and Information Services, Florida Department of State, Tallahassee, Florida.
Modern Photographers
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Weeki Wachee State Park, Spring Hill, Florida
Sears, Roebuck & Company Window Display
Orlando (Fla.)
Sears, Roebuck and Company
Department stores--Florida
Swimsuits
Bathing suits--United States
Clothing and dress--United States
Fashion--Florida
A Sears, Roebuck & Company window display showing women's swimsuits during the 1940s or 1950s. The Sears store was located at 111-113 North Orange Avenue in Downtown Orlando, Florida. Sears moved into the first floor of Philips Apartments in 1931. Before Sears arrived, the building, as well as the city of Orlando, was experiencing economic decline. However, Sears proved so successful that the building had to expand and the property value of the entire building increased by 25 percent. In 1939, F. Monroe Alleman and Kenneth Kraft bought the Sears building for $300,000. Twenty years later, Alleman sold the building for $1.1 million, but Sears was kept open with 12 years left on its lease.<br /><br />In 1962, land on East Colonial Drive was bought to open a freestanding Sears store and a year later construction started. In 1973, the Sears on Colonial was incorporated with the Fashion Square Mall and it remains open today. On May 4, 1974, due to the expanding city and regional malls, the downtown Sears store closed its doors. Ten years later, the building was renovated and became what it is today, a bronze-colored glass tower nicknamed the Copper Whopper.
Original black and white photograph: <a href="http://orlandoremembered.org/" target="_blank">Orlando Remembered</a> Exhibit, <a href="https://www.regions.com/Map.rf?id=1668" target="_blank">Regions Bank</a>, Orlando, Florida.
Daily, Patricia F.
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Sears, Roebuck & Company, Downtown Orlando, Florida