Weeki Wachee Springs Brochure, c. 1950s
Dublin Core
Title
Weeki Wachee Springs Brochure, c. 1950s
Alternative Title
Trifold Brochure of Weeki Wachee Springs, printed in the 1950s
Subject
Weeki Wachee Springs (Fla.)
Tourism--Florida
Photograph albums--1960-1970
tourism & museum
Tourism--1960-1980
Mermaids--Florida--Weeki Wachee--History
Description
Trifold brochure of Weeki Wachee Springs State Park highlighting the park's attractions in the 1950s, such as the May Museum of the Tropiscs. For a little over a decade, the May family of Colorado displayed some of their family's private collection of tropical bugs and animals in a museum on Weeki Wachee Springs property.
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.
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
Color Trifold Brochure of Weeki Wachee Springs
Creator
Weeki Wachee Spring State Park
Source
Original color trifold of Weeki Wachee Springs, c. 1950s: May Natural History Museum Collection.
Publisher
Date Created
ca. 1950s
Date Copyrighted
ca. 1950s
Date Issued
ca. 1950s
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original trifold brochure of Weeki Wachee Springs.
Is Part Of
Weeki Wachee Collection, RICHES.
Format
image/jpg
Extent
70.70 MB, 7.53 MB
Type
Still Image
Coverage
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Weeki Wachee, Florida
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Humanities Teacher
Theater Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by Weeki Wachee Springs, owned by May Natural History Museum, and published by RICHES.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by May Museum of Natural History 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
Personal Collection of May Museum of Natural History
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.
Collection
Citation
Weeki Wachee Spring State Park, “Weeki Wachee Springs Brochure, c. 1950s,” RICHES, accessed April 25, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/11193.