Stingray Tom's Florida is a history channel with a focus on florida's tourism history. I cover many aspects of the stories of Florida's attractions, both old and new and how they impacted the Sunshine State, tourists, the US and even the world!
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Christmas time at Webb City was a tradition with my dad. Doc Webb hanging around passing out candy. Checking out Docs mannequin mermaids for probably the fiftieth time. Doc's famous 15-minute special on fishing poles in the women's lingerie section. Those really were the good ole days.
This turned out to be much more interesting than expected! I don't often sit for 30 minutes, but did for this one! I will have to visit the museums in Starke and Lake Butler! I think that the gothic courthouse in Starke is one of the more interesting ones in Fla.
"mass graves" were a typical way to have 'paupers' graves' in communities. Looking at old and some new cemetaries we see segregation by religion, it will be noted.
I am a native Floridian, I’ve been to 22 countries and I love I-Drive the most! I produce television shows on The Sportsman Channel and The World Fishing Network, our TV show is in its 16th season. We have filmed a show fishing on The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club including Shingle Creek and it was one my all time favorite experiences! For those who don’t know the Ritz-Carlton offers guided fishing trips on their golf course and Shingle Creek! We’ve also filmed several shows on Lake Bryan and Little Lake Bryan, which is basically part of the Disney empire. Orlando is such an amazing place in this wonderful world of ours! Thank you for sharing such an informative RU-vid video!
I am a native Floridian, I’ve been to 22 countries and I love I-Drive the most! I produce television shows on The Sportsman Channel and The World Fishing Network, our TV show is in its 16th season. We have filmed a show fishing on The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club including Shingle Creek and it was one my all time favorite experiences! For those who don’t know the Ritz-Carlton offers guided fishing trips on their golf course and Shingle Creek! We’ve also filmed several shows on Lake Bryan and Little Lake Bryan, which is basically part of the Disney empire. Orlando is such an amazing place in this wonderful world of ours! Thank you for sharing such an informative RU-vid video!
The States that got the most miles and routes of the Dixie Highway, were the states that employed the most "Chain Gangs" (Forced Prison Labor) ! Which in Florida, every County Sherriff had a "Road Prison Camp" ! Which housed their "Chain Gangs" Some of these camps were still open as late as the 1980's. Florida had the reputation for some of the most brutal prison camps in the country in the past. Even forced child labor. So much so that they still haven't found all the dozens of children's body's missing at The Florida Children's Correctional Facility at Marinna and Okeechobee ! A few years ago if you looked at the Google Earth closeups of that facility, you could still see the dozens of unearthed graves in the fields surrounding that correction unit. They have since been Bulldozed over. But, then again, I think most States in the South, have a past they don't want you to know about. Or a present either !
Yes. Still, it was hardly restricted to the South. Plus the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution states: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States".
@@StingrayTomsFlorida Quoting an archaic concept in the law, doesn't make it right. The abuses these men suffered (mostly for minor crimes and misdemeanors) are reprehensible !
To my absolute horror I just now realized I haven't heard over half of these since I was a kid growing up here in florida. That's actually really scary. 😞
Ran across your video. Looking for the Meier family to do some academic research today. Any idea where I might reach them? Mike gamble New York Institute of technology Manhattan
Joanna Meyer published a biography of her family a few years ago. It's still available. I'd suggest contacting the publisher, they usually can provide contact info for their authors. Other than that, I'm not sure. She's retired and might be living in NYC. Best of luck.
So true. It would have been lovely to see so many of the attractions fresh and new, and see what the owners were doing. There was so much experimentation. A mixture of copying other attractions and inventing new things.
You should do one on the zoo in Taylor County between Perry and Salem. It was a huge tourist attraction. I’m 68 now and it was there as far back as I can remember.
Florida Reptile Land? I have little info on it. Do you know much about it? I can put it on my 'to do' list and check with the Taylor Co. Historical Society.
Hello! As far as I know, there wasn't one in Sarasota. I have numerous Kapok Tree documents that represent nearly all of its operating life and the only locations listed are Clearwater, Madeira Beach, Ft. Lauderdale and Daytona Beach as well as the Peter Pan Inn in Maryland.
@@StingrayTomsFlorida Thanks. I guess I was mistaken about that then. We must have visited the one in Clearwater on the way down to Sarasota. I was about 50 years ago and my memory is not what it used to be LOL!!
I first went to St. Petersburg around 1964 because my grandparents had retired and moved there. I do remember the chickens mainly but for some reason that's about it.
My grandfather was a retired metropolitan insurance agent and had a box of the sigma 7 records. I remember listening to it. I was born in September 62 just before the flight.
I'm not an expert on that technology, but have seen it find gravesites. I don't know if it's been used before now, but I'd guess that if Dr. Gannon and her people can get the Federal Government involved, it might be used to help find the remains.
Hello! Thanks for watching & your comment. I barely mentioned the statues at all - only saying "Known as Baldwin Park after the lake that's park of the development, there's little left that's recalls the NTC other than this monument." I just chose not to get into the history of the Lone Sailor and the female sailor - technically not a WAVE, but an equal compatriot with the male. The focus on this video and the one I released yesterday, is the recordings and picture books provided to the sailors. Sometime I may go into the general history, but that'd be pretty far away from the subject of tourism history. Thanks again!
@@StingrayTomsFlorida no worries. And true, Wave was what we were called when I was in but the acronym did not fit even then 😊. Heck the year I was in, the female companies in Orlando did not get a Rudder…I did enjoy your video…lots of memories!! I also visited Blue Jacket Park last year.
Boot in June 1975. For Liberty my wife came up. She opened the car door and a cup of coffee flew out all over my crisp white pants. Then I got to come back for training for the Nuclear Program. It was interesting to watch the recruits in the chow hall.
@@StingrayTomsFlorida I completed the six months of school training, but didn't make the cut. I did serve time on the USS Roosevelt CV42 (carrier), USS Luce DG38 (Guided missile destroyer), and USS LAW (Reserve tin can with leaks). Also went to boiler water feed water chemistry school. Spent a year in Philly while the Luce was in drydock. What a fascinating experience.
Great video brought a flood of memories. I was at RTC July 75-September 75. Went to Norfolk for FN training then to my ship the USS Howard W Gilmore AS-16. Sardinia Italy.
I'm glad it did so. It appears that the video got reposted on a FB group or something. I'm grateful for that. Hopefully everyone is sharing with others!
@@StingrayTomsFlorida There is a FB group RTC Orlando and that may be where it was reposted. Since 2016, many of us who either trained at RTC or was stationed there (company commanders or other staff) have been having a reunion in the area. We will be there this October in Kissimmee. I was there Feb.-April 1978 and my wife July-Sept. 1981. I also returned July 1978- July 1979 for NPS (Nuclear Power School). I made it through NPS (barely) and went to prototype training in Idaho and flunked out at the end.
Sam Ash Employees were neither friendly or understanding when we visited in 3/24. They are closing this Sam Ash location which could explain their surley demeanors, but they also had no interest or concern over what would happen to this amazing landmark when they go. Simply put, they all acted like assholes and I'm glad they are leaving. But would love to hear of any plans for the future of the building.
I'm sorry you had a bad experience there. I've never really spoken to the staff and no one had approached me. I'd guess they were used to people coming in and exploring. I wasn't aware the store was closing. I'll look into it. My guess is that the building will remain as it is, especially since the adjacent business uses the building for special events and are actively engaged in taking care of the site, including some restoration. We'll see what happens. I might contact the county representative and see what they know. Thanks for the update. I appreciate it.
If Powell were alive today at 21, he would be a model and/or actor. For such a tough, exceptionally big (for his time) dude, he was pretty good-looking, with the age also a poignant consideration to the photographer. Remember, the photog WAS an artist, and he knew exceptional beauty when he saw it - not the typically ruddy faces of that sepia-toned past.
So - I would think it'd all depend where he grew up - if he went to high school in Jasper or Live Oak area, I doubt that modeling would be an option. More likely stick to ranching or end up working in the phosphate industry that's not too far away.
@@StingrayTomsFlorida you nailed it! Those were pretty much the only options for a 21 year old back in the 1860's in North Florida. Mr. Powell was definitely a man way before his time.
@@BajaViator Thank you! It's a great animal. Have you caught some? I haven't been fishing for years, But I caught a 14 pounder on Okeechobee 30 years ago.
Thanks! That's great you went to both. What was you favorite part about the restaurant and do you remember any particularly interesting things that happened? I'm always collecting more info on the history of places like this.
I love your Iceberg Chart, Will you make it available as poster or as a high quality file? Miami should be split. It is like removing all the themeparks and just call it Orlando. There should be Vizcaya, Art Deco District, Wynwood Wals, Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden. Did you have Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Naples Botanical Garden, Morikamo Museum and Japanese Garden?
Thanks for the comments! I don't have the rights to the background image, so IDK about making it available. There's dozens of more places I could have put on the chart. Had to stop somewhere. As for Miami - it, Orlando & St. Augustine are on the chart because they're well known as tourism cities in the state - more than any other, and so they're destinations that people refer to because of everything they have. Certainly there's many wonderful tourist sites in Miami, though the beach, architecture and nightlife are parts of the draw for tourists.
@@StingrayTomsFlorida Thank you, Tom. Saw the brochure picture later in your video. Does not look familiar. Wanto see photographs showing detail. I remember the room being dark. Saw a woman through a small opening in back wallistening to the questions and answering them through a microphone with speaker athe mermaids. Did the mermaid's mouths move? I was not impressed. Far more interested in the railroad crossings of the track going east into one of the piers. Above the mee-mool lights *(o)T(o)* was a white light on a 4? ft metal pole which indicated to the locomotivengineer thathe crossing signals were flashing. It was connected to the same circuit as one of the *(o)* . Probably saw the dancing chicken but not impressed enough to remember.
Yeah, I thought it'd be fun to add a few more of my friends in the video this time. I took the 1st pic of her (in the St. Augustine section) with Dobby, so a couple years later when were were in Universal, I had to get another pic of her with Dobby.
Totally enjoying your video right now. When you got to the GCS springs, I remembered being baptized in that 78 degree water. As a native born Floridian, that’s a bit cold and there won’t be a day I’ll forget how cold that was!
I loved visiting Webb City, back in the 60’s. My grandparents took me there when I visited them. I especially liked the mermaids. A true department store. Thanks for bringing back fond memories!!!!
