Browse Items (4860 total)

OR00069.jpg
This image is of South Orange Avenue in Downtown Orlando, Florida, sometime between 1930 and 1950. This lot, as well as the rest of the block, was later replaced by the CNA Tower and Barnett Plaza.

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HH00032.jpg
The American Legion Hall, located at the 300 Seminole Boulevard in Sanford, Florida during the 1920s. The log cabin was originally used as the American Legion Campbell-Lossing Post 53, which received the property from the City of Sanford during the…

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FSCH00428.jpg
The Moon seen through the edge of Earth's atmosphere from a Space Shuttle in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The Space Shuttle was meant as a reusable alternative to the traditional ballistic rockets used to launch manned spacecraft in the 1960s and 1970s.…

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SC00024.jpg
The wharf in Lake Monroe in the 1890s. Lake Monroe is a lake that is part of the St. Johns River system in Florida and is also the eigth largest lake in the Orlando metropolitan area. Sanford is located on its northern shore and DeBary and Deltona…

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LCC000539.jpg
A postcard depicting The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina in Charleston. Built in 1820, the original citadel stood on what is now Marion Square. In 1842, Governor John Peter Richardson III (1831-1899) called for the conversion of The…

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MMBF00021.jpg
An autographed portrait of Vijaya Lakshmi Nehru Pandit, which is housed at the Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation, located at 640 Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard in Daytona Beach, Florida. Pandit was born on August 18, 1900, in Allahabad in the…

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OC00065.pdf
The program President Lyndon B. Johnson's visit to Orlando, which took place on October 25 and 26, 1964. The program includes the schedule of arrival in Orlando and the program at Colonial Plaza. The program also lists various important Orlando and…

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IMAG0021.jpg
Photograph of a line of visitors to Weeki Wachee Springs State Park outside the underwater theater around 1950. 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…

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IMAG0022.jpg
Photograph of visitors to Weeki Wachee Springs State Park in underwater theater around 1950. 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…

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A newspaper advertisement for Vista Del Mar, an oceanfront adult condominium located at 5400 Florida State Road A1A in Vero Beach, Florida. According to the ad, which was published in 1974, real estate developers were planning an adult condo…

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Vivaldi Ristorante, located at 107 West Pine Street in Downtown Orlando, Florida, in 2003. Vivaldi is an Italian restaurant named after Antonio Lucio Vivaldi, a Baroque composer, Catholic priest, and violinist in Venice, Italy, during the 18th…

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PB015.jpg
Vivian Louise Black (1940-), the daughter of Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and Lula Mae Haynes Black (1917-2007), who got married in 1937. Vivian is also the oldest sister of Lula Yvonne Black (1942-); Charles Samuel Black (1945-); Pilgrim Black, Jr.…

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PB028.jpg
Vivian Louise Black (1940-), the daughter of Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and Lula Mae Haynes Black (1917-2007), who got married in 1937. Vivian is also the oldest sister of Lula Yvonne Black (1942-); Charles Samuel Black (1945-); Pilgrim Black, Jr.…

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SL00031.jpg
The Voltaire Drive entrance to Sky Lake, located off of Lancaster Road. The shot angle was due north of the entrance. Sky Lake is a residential community and unincorporated area in Orange County, Florida. It is located approximately seven miles south…

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SL00033.jpg
The Voltaire Drive entrance to Sky Lake, located off of Lancaster Road. The shot angle was due north of the entrance. Sky Lake is a residential community and unincorporated area in Orange County, Florida. It is located approximately seven miles south…

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SC00648.jpg
A newspaper article about W. A. Patrick, president of the Seminole Tire Shop in Sanford, Florida. Patrick migrated to Sanford on March 10, 192,7 and established a tire repair business that also distributed Firestone and Crosley products. By 1932, his…

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FSM00037.jpg
A newspaper advertisement in The South Florida Argus issue for January 3, 1886. This issue includes an advertisement for W. H. Fletcher, a roofer based in Sanford, Florida.The South Florida Argus was Republican paper published by Adolphus Edwards and…

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W. H. Underwood established his carriage factory between late 1908 and early 1909, according to a trade news publication from February 1909. The Underwood Factory manufactured carriages, delivery wagons, special-use vehicles, sign painting, and…

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FSM00027.jpg
The W. J. Hill Store in Sanford, Florida. Although the earliest type of stereoscope dates back to 1838, this stereoscope card is from a Holmes-style stereoscope invented by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841-1935) in 1861. The two separate images are…

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WE00068.jpg
A diagram of the W201 U.S. Steel blast furnace gas turbine. The unique application of a modified version of Westinghouse Electric Corporation's W201 (rated at 20,000) was installed at South Works, a U.S. Steel manufacturing plant in Chicago,…

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WE00075.jpg
A table showing the evolution of the W501 gas turbine. Following the introduction of the W501A in 1967-1968, Westinghouse Electric Corporation's technology evolved as turbine inlet temperatures increased by means of improved internal cooling and…

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WE00076.jpg
The W501A, rated at 37MW, was introduced by Westinghouse Electric in 1968 as a direct successor to the W301. The first W501A was installed at Dow Chemical Company's plant Freeport, Texas.Originally called the Westinghouse Electric Company, George…

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TCC00100.jpg
A wakeboard ramp on Lake Eola Downtown Orlando, Florida, in 2007. Lake Eola and its surrounding park is one of the unusual features that sets Orlando apart from other cities. In the middle of the lake rests the Linton E. Allen Memorial Fountain,…

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TCC00052.jpg
Wall Street Plaza, located at 26 Wall Street in Downtown Orlando, Florida, in 2001. Wall Street Plaza is a complex of locally-owned bars, restaurants, and nightclubs established in 1995. The plaza originally had just one bar and has grown to include…

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FSCH00171.jpg
Astronaut Wally Schirra (1923-2007) at a post-flight event. Dr.Calvin D. Fowler, the Launch Conductor at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS)'s Launch Complex 14 (LC-14) in Cape Canaveral, Florida, presented Schirra with the key to launch…

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OC00066.pdf
Cast Member Map of Walt Disney World from 1986, showing such locations as the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT Center, the future location of the Disney-MGM Studios, Fort Wilderness Campground, the Contemporary Resort, Lake Buena Vista Village, Walt Disney World…

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OR00072.jpg
Walter C. Bass (1900-1973) was born in Kissimmee, Florida, on January 9, 1900. He had attended the University of Florida (UF) and was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity, a 32d Degree Mason, a member of the Grotto and the Elks Club. Bass belonged to…

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Born in Fleyh, Czechoslovakia, in 1931, pop artist Dr. Walter Gaudnek is known for his blend of his bold colors, philosophy, religious symbolism, labyrinth installations, and mixtures of performance and art. He also draws heavy inspiration from…

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Eppwright_Page_2_World_War_II_War_Diaries_19411945.jpg
The war diary of William Graf Eppright (1923-1945). The diary records Eppright's activity between August 8 and August 10, 1945, which was the date that he was killed in action. The document was declassified on December 31, 2012. Born on May 3, 1923,…

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This World War II-era war ration book belonged to Prince Butler Boston, a prominent African American leader in Oviedo, Florida, who was integral to creating a vibrant black community in Seminole County through industry and his patronage. Boston was…

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CMC00007.pdf
Warranty deed certifying the transfer of land in Apopka, Florida, from John F. Cogswell and Esther M. Cogswell to George W. Oden on November 1, 1902. The property transferred was 40 acres in the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 8…

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CMC00012.pdf
A warranty deed certifying the transfer of land from Michael Gladden, Jr. and Elizabeth Gladden to the State Bank of Apopka for $100 on May 20, 1921. The property transferred was the west quarter of Lot 17 of Block J in Apopka, Florida. The deed was…

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FSCH00112.jpg
The Warren III Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch site, located at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base (Warren AFB), was built in 1960 to house the Atlas D ICBM. This "coffin" site is the current location of the Strategic Air Command…

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Cooler.JPG
Original photograph of a large white cooler in front of Pulse nightclub. Messages are written on the cooler, which also has a sign taped to it that says, "FREE COLD WATER". Pulse was located at 1912 South Orange Avenue in Orlando, Florida. Pulse was…

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FSCH00143.jpg
The Water Deluge System at Launch Complex 39's Launchpad A and Launchpad B, located at John F. Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida. The Water Deluge System was used for two reasons: noise suppression and flame suppression. The system…

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SC00010.jpg
Postcard of the water hyacinths in Lake Monroe near Sanford. Lake Monroe is a lake that is part of the St. Johns River system in Florida and is also the eigth largest lake in the Orlando metropolitan area. Sanford is located on its northern shore and…

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SC00185.jpg
Water hyacinths on the St. Johns River near Sanford, Florida in the early 1900s. By the mid-1880s, Sanford, Florida had become a major distribution center due to the city's strategic location along Lake Monroe and the St. Johns River. Even before…

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ONP00112.pdf
The December 1967 through January 1968 edition of the Water Management Bulletin, which was a publication of the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control District. The district was formed by the Florida Legislature in 1949 to manage the Central and…

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KC00002.jpg
Alicia Lynn Cepero (b. 1975) on a water slide at Water Mania, a presently abandoned water park located at 4449 West U.S. Route 192 in Kissimmee, Florida. The 36-acre park was originally owned by brothers Gary Larson and Randy Larson and opened in…

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ONP00171.pdf
A document describing the formation of the Water Resources Restoration and Preservation program (WRR&P) within the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation (DER), as mandated by legislation passed by the Florida Legislature on July 1, 1977.…

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WHC00001.jpg
The water ski show at Cypress Gardens in June of 1989. Billed as Florida's first commercial tourist theme park, Cypress Gardens opened on January 2, 1936, as a botanical garden planted by Dick Pope, Sr. (1900-1988) and his wife, Julie Pope. Over the…

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OC00150.jpg
Water ski show with Santa Clause at SeaWorld Orlando, located at 7007 Sea World Drive in Orlando, Florida, in 2001. SeaWorld Orlando was first established by Milton C. Sheed, Ken Norris, David Demott, and George Malay in San Diego, California, in…

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FSM00051.jpg
This photograph is of the waterfront on Commercial Street in Sanford, Florida. The Palm Avenue Dock is in the distance and the foreground is the park at the Sanford House Hotel. There is a century plant in the center of walkway in the park.The…

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EAC00117.pdf
Marriage records for the Wayne County, Michigan, from September 25 September 28, 1922. A notable couple listed in this record is Claude Haskell Maddox, Sr. (b. 1895) and Nita P. Lowe (b. 1900). After marrying in Detroit, the couple had three children…

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The lobby of the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in 2011. Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing,…

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SC00338.jpg
The theater stage of the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in 2011. Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and…

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SC00339.jpg
The ticket booth at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in 2011. Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and…

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SC00333.jpg
The Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, located at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Downtown Sanford, Florida in 2011. Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star…

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Wayne, Gertrude, Ruf and Maude 1972.jpg
A photograph of Rufe Goins (center, left), his wife, Maude (center, right), as well as relatives Wayne (left) and Gertrude (right). The photograph was taken in Tampa, Florida, where Goins and his wife retired in 1959. On May 29, 1912, at the age of…

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CMC00013.jpg
Business sign thanking customers for their patronage. The sign belonged to a business owned by Ella Wall located on Main Street in Apopka, Florida. Ella Wall (1874-1938) was an entrepreneur and businesswoman of Apopka who served as the inspiration…

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WE00106.jpg
An artist’s concept of new headquarters for Westinghouse Electric's Combustion Turbine Systems Division (CTSD) in Concordville, Pennsylvania. CTSD was one of the divisions relocated to Orlando, Florida, in 1987.Originally called the Westinghouse…

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OGCPR063.pdf
A program for the Orlando Gay Chorus' concert, "We Are Family", on May 14 &

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WE00001.jpg
In April of 1987, the Combustion Turbine Systems Division of Westinghouse Electric Corporation was relocated from its prior headquarters in Concordville, Pennsylvania to the World Headquarters of Westinghouse Power Generation located at The…

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OGCPS016.jpg
A poster for the Orlando Gay Chorus (OGC) concert, “We're Ready for Our Close-Up: A Tribute to the Movies”. The event was held at The Plaza Live, located at 425 North Bumby Avenue in Orlando, Florida, on May 18 and 19, 2013. The event was a tribute…

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OGCPR056.pdf
A program for the Orlando Gay Chorus' concert, "We're Ready For Our Close-Up", on May 18 &

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OR00001.jpg
The wedding ceremony for Andy Serros and Helen Gentile at St. James Cathedral on February 7, 1950. Serros was one of the founders of Orlando Remembered. This wedding was one of the last to be held in the old St. James Church before it was rebuilt to…

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HH00103.pdf
Charles Simeon Lee (1892-1991) and Goldie Eva Beckley (1892-1976), residents of Oviedo, on their wedding day, April 21, 1915. A farmer and the youngest son of Orange County Commissioner James Hiram Lee, Sr. (1844-1920) and Laura Agusta Barnett Lee…

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FOWWSSP023.jpg
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…

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WWCS1.jpg
A small poster for Weeki Wachee Springs. The background of the poster is black, featuring a cartoon mermaid and three fish. The text reads, "Weeki Wachee Live Mermaids. U.S. 19 and Florida 50." Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in…

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FOWWSSP032.jpg
Mermaid Bonnier Georgiadis sitting on the edge of the underwater theater's windows holding a microphone, announcing a show. Two mermaids are pictured behind her in mid pose. Bonnie Georgiadis worked at Weeki Wachee for a total of 37 years. 13 years…

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FOWWSSP020.jpg
Weeki Wachee Springs Mermaid Bonnie Georgiadis in uniform (wearing an Alix of Miami Swimsuit) speaking to guests in the lobby of the Mermaid Motel. Behind Bonnie are rows of guest books, one for each state for visitors to the motel to sign into. The…

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Photograph of an unidentified Weeki Wachee mermaid standing on a ladder in preparation to enter a water tank around 1950. Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to Ocala, Florida in 1922. He was a member…

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FOWWSSP027.jpg
Weeki Wachee Mermaid Florence McNabb drinking an RC Cola underwater in the 1960s. Florence is kneeling on some seagrass, holding the airhose to her side. Weeki Wachee mermaids drank soda and ate bananas during their shows, before the mermaid shows…

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FOWWSSP016.jpg
Photograph of Florence McNabb posing underwater in a mermaid costume at Weeki Wachee Springs in the 1950s. Florence was the daughter of Ed and Vera Gothberg, who owned the Mermaid Motel that was across the street from Weeki Wachee Springs until 1966.…

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FOWWSSP014.pdf
Lydia Dodson posing underwater in June of 1970. Lydia Dodson was a Weeki Wachee Mermaid in the 1970s and more recently joined ranks of the Legendary Sirens.

Weeki Wachee Springs is a state park that opened to the public in October of 1949 by…

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Weeki Wachee Springs

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…

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Group photograph of participants at a Weeki Wachee mermaid reunion event from May 13 to 15, 1983. 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…

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FOWWSSP038.jpg
Mermaid Rita King feeding a fish underwater. In one hand she is holding food and the other hand is holding an air hose. She is kneeling on the spring floor. Photograph taken in the 1960s. Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki…

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FOWWSSP009.jpg
Photograph of Rita King, a mermaid at Weeki Wachee Springs, dancing on a platform as a band plays. This event was one of the many mermaid reunions that Weeki Wachee Springs hosted, where they invited former mermaids to attend special events. This…

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Rita King, a mermaid at Weeki Wachee Springs, in costume, performing an acrobatic routine. This event was one of the many mermaid reunions that Weeki Wachee Springs hosted, where they invited former mermaids to attend special events. This particular…

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Weeki Wachee mermaid Rita King posing underwater with a handmade sign, dressed in a mermaid tail. The sign reads, "Welcome Home Mom, Dad Your Mermaid Missed You!" Rita surprised her parents with this sign at the beginning of the first mermaid show…

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A Weeki Wachee Springs mermaid posing underwater with a report card. The card includes grades for bathing, ballet, breathing and boys. Weeki Wachee Springs is a state park that opened to the public in October of 1949 by Newton Perry along with a…

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Three Weeki Wachee Mermaids eating watermelon underwater. Before the mermaids performed plays, their shows consisted of underwater ballet, a deep dive into the depths of the spring, and other stunts. A common stunt the mermaids performed was to eat…

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Photograph of three Weeki Wachee Mermaids in staged underwater dining scene at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park around 1950. The mermaids are eating watermelon and breathing using air hoses while sitting at a table placed on the bottom of a body of…

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Photograph of Weeki Wachee Mermaids posing in a circle on the shore at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park around 1950. The mermaids are wearing swimsuits rather than fins. Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his…

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Photograph of a Weeki Wachee Mermaids reunion event somewhere between 1950 and 1955. Newton "Newt" Perry looks on as two mermaids cut a cake with the messages "Welcome Mermaids" and "5th Annual Reunion" written on it in icing. Newton "Newt" Perry was…

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20 Weeki Wachee mermaids posing for a photograph by sitting in a large circle. The photograph was taken sometime in the 1950s.

Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to Ocala, Florida in 1922. He was a…

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Color postcard of Weeki Wachee Springs mermaids sitting in front of a Hercules Beetle Statue and the May Museum of the Tropics. For a little over a decade, the May family of Colorado displayed some of their family's private collection of tropical…

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Two mermaids at Weeki Wachee Springs walking a young boar on a leash. 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…

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A postcard featuring an underwater mermaid at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park in 1949. Weeki Wachee, located at 6131 Commercial Way in Spring Hill, Florida, is best known for its famous tourist attraction, Weeki Wachee Springs. The attraction…

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WWCS5.JPG
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…

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Black and white photograph of a portion of Weeki Wachee's gift shop, taken in the 1960s. 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…

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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…

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Performance evaluation of Geanie Brooks. The text reads: "Geanie 1. Dive 2. Introduction – Not long enough 3. Length of time replacing face mask 4. Back Dolphin – Not centered 5. Surface to Limb – check mark 6. Swim to buoyancy position – okay check…

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Members of the Cepero family at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park in 1991. Photographed from left to right are Dennis Cepero (b. 1986), Ray (née Raúl) Cepero (b. 1947), David Cepero (b. 1978), Laura Lynn Cepero (b. 1987), and Alicia Lynn Cepero (b.…

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IMAG0016.jpg
Early image of Weeki Wachee Springs swimming area and parking lot, taken sometime between 1948 and 1960.


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…

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Color postcard with an image of Weeki Wachee Springs mermaids posing on top of the newly constructed underwater theater. Text on the back reads, "Weeki Wachee, Florida's underwater grand canyon presents a new million dollar underwater aqua-theatre…

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FOWWSSP021.jpg
Weeki Wachee's original underwater theater. Photogrpah taken in 1959.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…

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FOWWSSP039.jpg
Color photograph of a tourist visiting Weeki Wachee Springs in 1964. The tourist is standing beside a sign that reads, "Openings for Mermaid Training School Apply Here." Weeki Wachee Springs is a state park that opened to the public in October of…

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Advertising card for Weekiwachee Spring from around 1950. 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.…

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Clipping of newspaper article about Weeki Wachee Springs State Park published in an unidentified newspaper around 1950. 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…

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LCC000596.pdf
A postcard depicting an engraving of a woman seated beneath a weeping willow tree, known in French as the "saule pleureur." The woman symbolizes a mourning French nation, and she is seated near a funeral monument, a mysterious urn, to King Louis XVI…

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HH00161.jpg
A painting by Bettye Reagan, a local artist in Central Florida, inspired by a photograph of the first bridge built across the Wekiva River. The Wekiva River, sometimes spelled Wekiwa, in a river originating in Apopka and joining the St. Johns River.…

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SC00072.jpg
A welcome home banner hung in Downtown Sanford celebrating the return of RAVH-7 to Naval Air Station Sanford in 1968. Many locals in Sanford had a personal connection with Naval Air Station Sanford and its personnel. Some sailors had friends and…

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Jones High School in the 1970s. A sign reads, "Welcome to Jones High School", and a school bus and several cars are parked outside. Located in the Parramore/Lorna Doone neighborhood of downtown Orlando, Jones High School was the first area public…

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The Wells' Built Museum of African American History and Culture, located at 511 West South Street in Downtown Orlando, Florida, in 2007. The hotel was constructed by one of Orlando's first African-American physicians, Dr. William Monroe Wells, to…

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Wendy Grove at Sanford Grammar School on June 14, 1972. Originally located at 301 West Seventh Street in Sanford, Florida, Sanford Grammar School was first established as Sanford High School in 1902. The building was designed by W. G. Talley in the…

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A newspaper article published in The St. Louis Post-Dispatch on October 22, 1918. The article reports that Wesley John Zimmerman (1893-1990) was wounded on the first day of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive on September 26, 1918. He was attached to the…

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The Forrest Lake Hotel from the west side in 1926. Named after the Sanford Mayor and president of Seminole County Bank, the Forrest Lake Hotel has also been known as the Mayfair Inn and was briefly occupied by the Sanford Naval Academy. In 1916,…

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The first pre-engineered combined-cycle power plant installed by the West Texas Utilities Company at its power station in San Angelo, Texas. The Westinghouse Electric gas turbine used for that application was a supercharged model W301, nominally…

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