Stock Letter for Those Interested in Becoming Weeki Wachee Springs Mermaids, sent to Becky Young in 1972

Stock Letter for Those Interested in Becoming Weeki Wachee Springs Mermaids, sent to Becky Young in 1972

Letter Becky Young Received from Weeki Wachee Springs with an Application

Weeki Wachee Springs (Fla.)

Tourism--Florida

tourism & museum

Tourism--1960-1980

Ballet--1970-1980

Mermaids--Florida--Weeki Wachee--History

Theater--20th century

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 Supervisor Genie Young, the letter thanks applicants for their interest in the position and gives an overview of the job description and pay schedule. The letter ends asking applicants to send the application and a photograph of themselves back to Genie Young.

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.

Letter inviting prospects to apply to Weeki Wachee Springs.

Young, Genie

Original letter from Genie Young to Becky Young, c.1973: Private Collection of Becky Young.

ca. 1973

ca. 1973

Digital Reproduction of original letter: Becky Young, 1973. Scanned by RICHES Team. RICHES, Orlando, Florida.

Weeki Wachee Collection, RICHES.

image/jpeg

96.3 MB

8 x 11.5 letter on green Weeki Wachee letterhead

eng

Still Image

Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Weeki Wachee, Florida

History Teacher

Humanitites Teacher

Visual Arts Teacher

Theater Teacher

Copyright to this resource is held by Becky Young 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 Becky Young.

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.