Weeki Wachee Company Van

Weeki Wachee Company Van

Photograph of the Volkswagen Van that Bussed Employees to the Springs, c. 1950s

Weeki Wachee Springs (Fla.)

Tourism--Florida

tourism & museum

Tourism--1960-1980

Ballet--1970-1980

Mermaids--Florida--Weeki Wachee--History

Theater--20th century

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 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.

Black and white photograph

Weeki Wachee Spring State Park

Black and White Photograph of Weeki Wachee's Employee Van, c. 1950s: Private Collection of Shirley Herdge.

ca. 1950-1960

ca. 1950-1960

Digital Reproduction of photograph: Weeki Wachee's Company Van, c. 1950s. Scanned by RICHES Team. RICHES, Orlando, Florida.

Weeki Wachee Collection, RICHES.

image/jpeg

7.51 MB

B&W Photograph

eng

Still Image

Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Spring Hill, Florida

Donation

History Teacher

Humanitites Teacher

Visual Arts Teacher

Theater Teacher

Originally created by Weeki Wachee Springs, owned by Shirley Herdge, and published by RICHES.

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

Schwandt, Rebecca

Private Collection of Shirley Herdge.

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.