Note from Manager of Weeki Wachee to Becky Young Requesting Interview

FOWWSSP002.jpg

Dublin Core

Title

Note from Manager of Weeki Wachee to Becky Young Requesting Interview

Alternative Title

Typed Note, Written by Weeki Wachee Employee to Becky Young Requesting Interview, 1973

Subject

Weeki Wachee Springs (Fla.)
Tourism--Florida
tourism & museum
Tourism--1960-1980
Ballet--1970-1980
Mermaids--Florida--Weeki Wachee--History
Theater--20th century

Description

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 name of the person who sent the note is obscured.

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.

Abstract

Note inviting Rebecca Young to interview at Weeki Wachee Springs.

Creator

Weeki Wachee Spring State Park

Source

Original note from Weeki Wachee Springs to Becky Young, 1973: Private Collection of Becky Young.

Publisher

Date Created

ca. 1973

Date Copyrighted

ca. 1973

Is Format Of

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

Is Part Of

Format

image/jpeg

Extent

2.67 GB

Medium

3.5 x 2 inch note on card stock

Language

eng

Type

Still Image

Coverage

Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Spring Hill, Florida

Accrual Method

Donation

Mediator

History Teacher
Humanitites Teacher
Visual Arts Teacher
Theater Teacher

Rights Holder

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

Contributing Project

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

Curator

Schwandt, Rebecca

Digital Collection

Source Repository

Private Collection of Becky Young.

External Reference

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.

Citation

Weeki Wachee Spring State Park, “Note from Manager of Weeki Wachee to Becky Young Requesting Interview,” RICHES, accessed December 2, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/11139.

Locations

Categories