Weeki Wachee Springs Memo (February 21, 1963)
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.
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
Source Repository
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.
Hollis, Tim. Glass Bottom Boats &
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.
Collection
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.