Current Event
Source:_ WUSF Public
Media_
Article Title: Marineland signs
were hidden in a sand dune for 80 years — until Tropical Storm Nicole
Article date: __11/19/22___
Circle One: Local
State National
International
Who was involved? (Identify the
people, groups, or organizations) _Steve Stallone, Marine Land Florida___
Where did this
event happen? (Be specific) ________Fort Matanzas, Florida______________
When did this
event happen? (Date, month, time frame, and/or year) __11/10/2022________
What happened?
(Include sequence of events in complete sentences) Steven Stallone visited Fort
Matanzas on November 10th, the evening of the passing of hurricane Nicole.
It was a dark, windy night when Steve and his family went out to the beach to
find any hidden treasures that might have washed up from the storm. Using flashlights
and a bucket, Steve and his family found various old bottles, turtle eggs,
fossils, and these 80-Year-old Marine Land signs that were displayed before World
War 2. The signs were from the very first opening of Marineland Studios in Flagler
beach in 1937. They were found on the beach near Fort Matanzas inlet. The sand
dunes were completely flattened which exposed the almost century-old signs.
Why is this event relevant? (how does this article
connect to the theme you chose from our textbook?) Marine Land was a huge tourist
attraction in 1937. It was labeled as the world’s first Oceanarium. In 1938,
the price of admission was one dollar and was originally designed to be an
underwater film studio. This attraction was part of the early tourism era of building
Florida’s economy.
Reflection (for full credit, you must include support with each
reflection)
The site that
Marineland was originally built on is a 20,000-acre land grant given to Levett
Blackborne of London in 1767. Levett Blackborne never visited Florida and the
plantation was re-granted to John Graham, a Georgia loyalist fleeing the
Revolutionary War. In 1936, the challenges of financing and construction were overcome,
and the development started construction. In 1938, Over 20,000 tourists clogged
A1A to visit the new attraction to see the bottlenose dolphin show. During the
1950’s, Marineland became one of Florida’s major attractions with over 500,000
visitors per year. It impacted the economy of the area and supported the development
of local hotels, restaurants, and other small businesses. Since its opening in 1937,
Marineland has undergone various developmental changes and still attracts a
large crowd to this day. The article reads “Rusted and warped, they represent
slices of St. John’s cinematic and tourist history of about 80 years ago”. This
directly ties into the 1920 and 1930s of the text of the beginning of the great
depression and the influx of migrants and tourists moving down to Florida. The history
of Marineland also ties into the 1700s when Europeans were obtaining large masses
of Florida land. The article also ties into the economic disaster Hurricanes
bring to Florida every year, just like the great Miami hurricane of 1926. On
Nov 10, 2022, Hurricane Nicole caused $34 million in damage to St. Johns
County.
Steve Stallone (original Picture of sign)
First Text to Marine Land
Marineland’s first Social Post
before going viral ( 1.5k Likes 400 Shares)
References
Scanlan, D. (2022, November
19). Marineland signs were hidden in a sand dune for 80 years - until
Tropical storm nicole. WUSF Public Media. Retrieved November 21, 2022, from
https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/arts-culture/2022-11-19/marineland-signs-hidden-sand-dunes-80-years-until-tropical-storm-nicole
A history of adventure:
Marineland dolphin adventure. Marineland Dolphin Adventure - Dolphin
Adventure. (2022, May 19). Retrieved November 21, 2022, from https://marineland.net/our-history/
