Cypress Gardens Booklet
Cypress Gardens (Winter Haven, Fla.)
Winter Haven (Fla.)
Amusement parks--Florida
Water skiing
Botanical gardens--Florida--Orlando
Flowers--Florida
Cypress Gardens booklet from the 1950s that includes information on plants, Cypress Gardens' water-ski show, and motion pictures filmed at Cypress Gardens. Billed as Florida's first commercial tourist theme park, Cypress Gardens opened on January 2, 1936 as a botanical garden planted by Dick Pope, Sr. and his wife, Julie. Over the years, it became one of the biggest attractions in Florida, known for its water ski shows, lush gardens, and Southern Belles. It became known as the "Water Ski Capital of the World" because many of the sport's landmark firsts and the over 50 world records broken there. Numerous motion pictures were filmed at the Cypress Gardens, including portions of <em>This is Cinerama</em>, the first feature filmed in the wide-screen format, as well as a string of Esther Williams films and television specials in the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1950s, young women dressed in the crinolines reminiscent of the Antebellum South. During the American Civil War Centennial, young men dressed in Confederate uniforms would be photographed with the Southern Belles. With the addition of a custom photography boat named <em>Miss Cover Girl</em> in the early 1960s, the park became a popular site for the filming of television commercials. Cypress Gardens closed in 2009. Legoland occupies the former lot.
Original booklet: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Cook, Thomas
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Winter Haven, Florida
Orange Avenue, Daytona
Daytona (Fla.)
A postcard featuring a horse and buggy on Orange Avenue in Daytona, Florida, around 1910. Palm fronds, live oaks, and electric power lines line both sides of the street.<br /><br />In 1871, Mathias Day, Jr. (1824-1904), a migrant from Mansfield, Ohio, purchased a large tract of land along the west bank of the Halifax River, which included the former Williams Plantation. With the construction of Day's hotel, today's Daytona Beach Historic District was created. In 1876, residents named the city "Daytona," in honor of Day, when the area was incorporated as a town. Growth continued in 1886 when the St. Johns & Halifax River Railway extended to Daytona.<br /><br />In 1926, the towns of Daytona, Daytona Beach, Kingston, and Seabreeze merged together as Daytona Beach, in an effort led by J. B. Kahn. By this time, the beach had been nicknamed "The World's Most Famous Beach." Automobile and motorcycle races began in 1902, due to the smooth, compacted sand that covered the beach. Daytona Beach became the site of various land speed record attempts. On March 8, 1836, the first stock car race was held at the Daytona Beach Road Course, which is located in present-day Ponce Inlet. Bill France, Sr. (1909-1992) and the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) established the Daytona International Speedway in 1958 to replace the beach course.
Original 8 centimeter x 12 centimeter color postcard: "Daytona, Florida, Orange Avenue." The Hugh C. Leighton Company, Portland, Maine: accession number 1057, Stetson University Postcard Collection, <a href="https://www2.stetson.edu/library/about-us/special-collections/" target="_blank">Archive and Special Collections</a>, duPont-Ball Library, Stetson University, DeLand, Florida.
The Hugh C. Leighton Company
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Orange Avenue, Daytona, Florida
Letter from Carl Arvil Mead to Oscar Winfield Mead
Miami (Fla.)
Vero (Fla.)
Beaches--Florida
A letter from Carl Arvil Mead to his father, Oscar Winfield Mead, most likely written the winter of 1920 when Carl Mead and his family were in Miami, Florida. He was from Walton, Indiana and his father was from Pekin. In the letter, Carl Mead describes the sandy beaches of the Biscayne Bay area, the cost of house rentals , the Rickenbacker Causeway, the economic development of the city, the drive from Indiana to Florida, the family's trip to Vero, tasting various Florida fruits, and the cost of groceries and gasoline.
Mead, Carl Arvil
Digital transcript of original 3-page letter from Carl Arvil Mead to Oscar Winfield Mead: Private Collection of Ann Wilder.
Wilder, Ann
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Miami, Florida
Vero, Florida
Palms on Biscayne Blvd. Postcard
Miami (Fla.)
Trees--Florida
Hotels--Florida
A postcard depicting palm trees along Biscayne Boulevard in Downtown Miami, Florida. The most prominent building in this postcard is one of Miami's first skyscrapers, McAllister Hotel, located at 10 Biscayne Boulevard. Designed by Walter De Garmo (1876-1951), the hotel opened in 1917 and was considered the tallest building Miami until 1925. Next to the McAllister Hotel is the Columbus Hotel, which opened in 1926. Both hotels were demolished in 1989 and replaced with the Columbus Bazaar shopping arcade. 50 Biscayne later replaced the bazaar in 2007.
Curt Teich and Company
Original 9 x 14 centimeter color postcard by Curt Teich and Company: Private Collection of Bob Van Horn.
Gulf Stream Card and Distributing Company
Van Horn, Bob
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McAllister Hotel, Downtown Miami, Florida
Columbus Hotel, Downtown Miami, Florida
Gourd Neck Springs Report
Lake Apopka (Fla.)
Environmental protection--Florida
Parks--Florida
Springs--Florida
This report by Gary I. Sharp lists information related to the Gourd Neck Springs area of Lake Apopka and a potential purchase of the area by the State of Florida through the Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) Program. The report aims to show why the area is suitable for a public park, describing physical and environmental characteristics of the area, as well as summarizing the economic issues related to a public purchase of the area, including zoning information from the Lake County Zoning Department and appraisal values from Danny L. Dulgar. The report also discusses an inspection of the area by the Environmentally Endangered Lands Committee, which rejected the site due to the polluted quality of the lake surrounding the area, as well as its small size. Finally, the report includes hydrological data related to the springs.<br /><br />Gourd Neck Springs is a small spring located in the southwest portion of Lake Apopka, in a small cove called “Gourd Neck” due to its distinctive shape. This area of the lake was considered in the 1960s as a potential nursery for fish. The Lake Apopka Technical Committee explored damming the Gourd Neck, separating it from the lake and preventing polluted lake water from entering, but these plans did not materialize. Efforts were also made in the 1960s to have the Gourd Neck area purchased by the State of Florida for use as a public park. The Gourd Neck Springs Park Association was formed in 1961 to study the site’s potential for a park and lobby for support from legislators. The land bordering the area was privately-owned by various individuals. One of these, Gary I. Sharp, continued seeking support for a park into the 1970s. While the project received support from Florida legislators and environmentalists, the land was never purchased by the state.<br /><br />The Environmentally Endangered Lands Program (EEL) was formed in 1972 as part of the larger Land Conservation Act of 1972. The EEL program was initially funded through the sale of state bonds. The program was designed to help the state acquire lands considered environmentally sensitive and was not designed for creating areas for recreational use. Potential sites for acquisition could be suggested by citizens, county and state governments, and nonprofit organizations. After evaluation for environmental value, potential sites would be approved by the Executive Director of the Florida Department of Natural Resources and finalized by the Governor. In 1979, the former Executive Director, Harmon Shields, was indicted on corruption charges involving the lands-acquisition process. Following this scandal, the EEL program was replaced by Conservation and Recreation Lands Program. This change replaced the program's funding with tax revenues instead of bond sales, and formed the Land Acquisition Selection Committee, made up by six executive directors of Florida environmental agencies, to select sites for approval by the governor. The Division of State Lands was also created as a division of the Department of Natural Resources to oversee mapping and evaluation of potential sites for acquisition.
Sharp, Gary
Original 10-page typewritten report: Sharp, Gary I. <em>Gourd Neck Springs<em>. Winter Park, FL: 1975: binder 1975, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, <a href="http://www.oaktownusa.com/Pages/Preserve/index" target="_blank">Oakland Nature Preserve</a>, Oakland, Florida.</em></em>
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Gourd Neck Springs, Florida
Lake Apopka, Florida