Weeki Wachee Springs Memo (February 21, 1963)

WWCS146.JPG

Dublin Core

Title

Weeki Wachee Springs Memo (February 21, 1963)

Alternative Title

Weeki Wachee Memo (February 21, 1963)

Subject

Weeki Wachee Springs (Fla.)
Tourism--Florida
Springs--Florida
Parks--Florida
Entomology

Description

A memo from Weeki Wachee Springs State Park manager T.P. Brinzo, circulated to all departments, dated February 21, 1963. The memo informed the entirety of the Springs that new equipment had been acquired for the underwater mermaid shows to help prevent drownings. Per the memo, all departments were to set up regular drills to prepare for a drowning scenario.

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.

Creator

Brinzo, T.P.

Source

Original 1-page typed memo, February 23, 1963: Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Weeki Wachee, Florida.

Publisher

Date Created

1963-02-21

Is Part Of

Weeki Wachee Collection, Hernando County Collection, RICHES.

Format

image/jpg

Extent

3.94 MB

Medium

1-page typed memo

Language

eng

Type

Text

Coverage

Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Weeki Wachee, Florida

Accrual Method

Donation

Mediator

History Teacher
Humanities Teacher

Provenance

Originally created by T.P. Brinzo and published by RICHES.

Rights Holder

Copyright to this resource is held by Weeki Wachee Springs State Park 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
Rebecca Schwandt's Thesis Project

Curator

O'Neil, Rhiannon

Digital Collection

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. Accessed November 9, 2018. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1504171?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents.
Georgiadis, Bonnie and Lu Vickers. Weeki Wachee mermaids: thirty years of underwater photography. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2012.
Mermaid Tails: Florida's Tourist Springs. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2006.
Pelland, Maryan. Weeki Wachee Springs. Arcadia Publishing Inc, 2006. .
Revels, Tracy J. Sunshine Paradise: A History of Florida Tourism. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2011.
Vickers, Lu, and Sara Dionne. Weeki Wachee, City of Mermaids: A History of One of Florida's Oldest Roadside Attractions. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2007.

Citation

Brinzo, T.P. , “Weeki Wachee Springs Memo (February 21, 1963),” RICHES, accessed October 16, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/11252.

Locations

Categories