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Visiting Weeki Wachee Springs State Park: A Heritage Site Under Construction

In a case of an ultimate “google map fail” my visit to Weeki Wachee Springs State Park started off to an auspicious beginning. Traveling separately from my excursion group, google maps directed me to the “Weeki Wachee Preserve” instead of arriving at the actual park area, as the site location for “Weeki Wachee Springs State Park.” After coming to a barbed wire gate at the edge of the woods I encountered unhelpful park ranger who laughingly told me that the only way to access the springs was by walking through the woods. Apparently he was unaware or unwilling to give me directions to Weeki Wachee Springs. As I prepared for an impromptu trek into the Florida wildernesses, I called my group members and Toby Brewer, the park ranger who redirected me back to Weeki Wachee proper. Mr. Brewer matter-of-factly stated that such mix ups happen to parkgoers on a regular basis. The reason I open this post with this experience, is to list the first of many examples of how this park is ill-equipped to assist heritage seekers in the digital age. Had it not been for that phone call I likely would have spent the better part of my day wandering the woods, miles from where I needed to be, all due to a surly park ranger and incorrect mapping.

The Entrance to WeekiWachee Preserve.

After entering in the physical address for Weeki Wachee Springs, instead of going by the google map suggestion, I arrived at the park a few minutes behind the rest of my group. We came just in time for the last showing of the day for the Weeki Wachee Mermaids. Although the show does provide a brief history of the history of the Mermaid shows (which date back to 1947) and lightly touches on the heritage tourism aspects associated with a visit to Weeki Wachee, the video quickly segues back to a dated late 1980s/90s era “how-to” video showcasing how the mermaids are able to breathe and eat underwater. Additionally the space leading into the underwater theater is incredibly spartan with a single flat screen television on one corner of the theater, being the only display of technology. Significant opportunities exist for a series of vernacular exhibits relating to the history of the Weeki Wachee mermaids, either through creating a series of display cases containing paraphernalia from past performances, or photographs showcasing celebrity visits, or (if budget allows) several more televisions made available while customers are online, that can inform them further on the history of the park, and also contain oral histories from surviving “Aqua-belles” (the first Weeki Wachee mermaids) and other performers from over the years.

Weeki-Wachee Mermaid Aqua-Aerobic Dance Routine

After viewing the Mermaid performance, we met with Toby Brewer, who was incredibly helpful and open in showing us the wide array of materials and resources available in the park’s front office. According to Mr. Brewer, Weeki Wachee has been very well documented by visitors through photographs, videos, and fan letters to the mermaids (aptly called “tail mail”). Though many sources are available online, a few generic keyword searches on Florida memory and the official Weeki Wachee youtube page show just how much is already available, the online sources do not have any clear interpretative narrative. The best starting point for such a project would be to assess and review what is already available online and create several small scale online exhibits. In addition to already digitized material, a wealth of film and photograph materials dating back to the park’s beginnings are currently kept in the front office. There are hundreds of undocumented films and videotapes that are kept in two refrigerators in the main office, that likely have a wealth of visual information on the park’s history. As soon as a proper assessment of the materials that are already digitized is completed, then I would recommend an intern or volunteer take on the task of digitizing the remaining film materials and catalog them into a separate collection. In addition to the film materials, the office has on display a large number of signed portraits, movie posters, and historic images of the park’s history. Although Mr. Brewer indicated his desire to raise the roughly $1.2 million needed to create a museum building in the park to house these materials, many of these objects could easily be put on display throughout the park, such as the waiting area for the underwater theater.

The “Fridge Full of Film”

Below you will find a “Hitlist” for the accessioning of the film materials, photographs, and other paraphernalia, as planned by park employees. The biggest deterrent for carrying out most of the items on this list is the shear lack of manpower to carry out the items listed. This “hitlist” essentially has the scaffolding for an excellent summer internship for an entry-level graduate student who is looking to gain experience in archiving, entering metadata, and working on past perfect. The materials at Weeki Wachee State Park that are digitized and still need to be, show the promise of the creation of a number of interactive online programs through the park website, but also through history collection sites such as the RICHES Mosaic Interface and Florida Memory. In rehousing the items that are currently being cloistered away in an office, and bringing these images back to the public, perhaps a greater appreciation and understanding of the rich legacy of Florida’s State Parks can be achieved.