"At Weekiwachee Springs It's All Done Under..."
Dublin Core
Title
"At Weekiwachee Springs It's All Done Under..."
Alternative Title
At Weekiwachee Springs It's All Done Under…
Subject
Weeki Wachee Springs (Fla.)
Tourism--Florida
Springs--Florida
Parks--Florida
Mermaids--Florida
Perry, Newton, 1908-1987
Description
Newspaper article entitled "At Weekiwachee Springs It's All Done Under..," describing the mermaids at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, published in the Independent, St. Petersburg, Florida, on November 21, 1947. The article was written by John A. Reese, Jr.
Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to Ocala, Florida in 1922. He was a member of the swimming and diving teams at the University of Florida. Perry earned the nickname "The Human Fish" for his performances of underwater stunts in advertising clips and film shorts, and acted as a swim double for actors in movies and TV shows, including Johnny Weissmuller as "Tarzan." Perry also advised filmmakers filming underwater scenes at Silver Springs, Wakulla Springs, and Weeki Wachee Springs, and developed a system for breathing underwater using an air compressor and hose, which was used in the 1948 film "Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid" and during Weeki Wachee Springs' mermaid shows.
Perry worked as a lifeguard, public school principal, coach, swimming and scuba diving instructor, and Ocala city pool manager. He opened Perry's Swim School in 1955, and taught more than 120,000 individuals to swim during his career. Perry was inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 1981. Perry's daughter Delee Perry took over Perry's Swim School following her father's death in 1987, and it was still in operation as of 2020.
Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs to the public in October of 1947, and used his experiences working at Silver Springs and Wakulla Springs to develop the original concepts for its underwater theater and mermaid shows. Perry sold his stake in Weeki Wachee Springs in 1950. 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.
Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to Ocala, Florida in 1922. He was a member of the swimming and diving teams at the University of Florida. Perry earned the nickname "The Human Fish" for his performances of underwater stunts in advertising clips and film shorts, and acted as a swim double for actors in movies and TV shows, including Johnny Weissmuller as "Tarzan." Perry also advised filmmakers filming underwater scenes at Silver Springs, Wakulla Springs, and Weeki Wachee Springs, and developed a system for breathing underwater using an air compressor and hose, which was used in the 1948 film "Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid" and during Weeki Wachee Springs' mermaid shows.
Perry worked as a lifeguard, public school principal, coach, swimming and scuba diving instructor, and Ocala city pool manager. He opened Perry's Swim School in 1955, and taught more than 120,000 individuals to swim during his career. Perry was inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 1981. Perry's daughter Delee Perry took over Perry's Swim School following her father's death in 1987, and it was still in operation as of 2020.
Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs to the public in October of 1947, and used his experiences working at Silver Springs and Wakulla Springs to develop the original concepts for its underwater theater and mermaid shows. Perry sold his stake in Weeki Wachee Springs in 1950. 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
Reese, John A., Jr., The Independent, St. Petersburg, Florida
Source
Original clipping of newspaper article, November 21, 1947: Personal Collection of Delee Perry.
Publisher
Date Created
1947-11-21
Date Copyrighted
1947-11-21
Date Issued
1947-11-21
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original newspaper article, November 21, 1947.
Is Part Of
Weeki Wachee Collection, RICHES.
Format
image/jpeg
Extent
16.0 MB
14.4 MB
10.2 MB
Language
eng
Type
Text
Coverage
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Weeki Wachee, Florida
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Humanities Teacher
Theater Teacher
Provenance
Originally created and published by The Independent.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by The Independent, St. Petersburg, Florida, 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
Kephart, Anna
Digital Collection
Source Repository
Personal Collection of Delee Perry
External Reference
Florida Department of State. Division of Historical Resources. "Weeki Wachee Springs." https://dos.myflorida.com/historical/preservation/national-register/national-preservation-month-2020/weeki-wachee-springs/. Accessed May 15, 2020.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida State Parks. "History of Weeki Wachee." https://www.floridastateparks.org/learn/history-weeki-wachee. Accessed May 15, 2020.
Rizzo, Marian. "'Human Fish' Had a Life Filled With Aquatic Exploits." Ocala Star Banner. August 14, 2013. https://www.ocala.com/article/LK/20130814/News/604145183/OS. Accessed May 15, 2020.
Schwandt, Rebecca. "Revisiting Roadside Attractions: A 'Deep Dive' into Florida's Weeki Wachee Springs." Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 (6189), 2018. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/6189.
Turtle, Howard. "Kansas Citians Stage Shows in Deep Water in Florida." Kansas City Star. March 7, 1948.
Collection
Citation
Reese, John A., Jr., The Independent, St. Petersburg, Florida, “"At Weekiwachee Springs It's All Done Under...",” RICHES, accessed August 16, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/11495.