Silver Springs State Park, located east of Ocala, in Florida’s Marion County, has attracted visitors and inhabitants to the area for thousands of years. Its crystal-clear water and otherworldly qualities have continuously captured people’s attention and imagination.(1)

Entrepreneurs began enticing visitors to the springs in the 1800s with leisurely activities like glass-bottom rowboat rides. The spring has largely stayed the same throughout the years, but the landscape around it has constantly changed as each new manager tries to attract people to the spring.(2) This essay focuses on three different managers: business partners Carl Ray and W. M. “Shorty” Davidson (1927–1962), the ABC-Paramount Corporation (1962–1984), and the State of Florida (1993–present). We see their changing ideals represented in the cultural landscape as each finds ways to attract patrons and turn a profit in the face of rising competition from local attractions like Six Gun Territory (1963–1984) and Walt Disney World (1971–present). Among the most poignant changes are the development and closure of Paradise Park, a segregated park facility, and the construction and coverup of the Tourist Center complex by architect Victor Lundy. Through the accompanying photographs, we argue that the former Silver Springs Attraction reflects an outward face of progress to the white visitor during the peak of anti-integration sentiment in the South, while promoting “separate but equal” facilities for Black visitors. After integration, the attraction regresses to appeal broadly to white tourists through buildings that project visions of small-town USA and the antebellum South rather than promote inclusivity once Paradise Park closed. 

Paradise Park Advertisement, newspaper clipping, August 8, 1957. Credit: Orlando Sentinel, newspapers.com.

Paradise Park Advertisement, newspaper clipping, May 14, 1949. Credit: Tampa Times, https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tampa-times/197589430/.

Carl Ray and Shorty Davidson began developing Silver Springs into a renowned tourist attraction in 1924 when they acquired a lease on the property from local businessman and politician C. Ed Carmichael.(3) Ray and Davidson were shrewd and ruthless businessmen, working to develop Silver Springs during the Great Depression and staving off competition by buying out competitors. Silver Springs during the early ownership of Ray and Davidson featured vernacular buildings with Colonial and Gothic revival elements and glass-bottom boats captained by local Black guides.(4) Though respected for their abilities as storytellers and boat captains, Black people were not welcome at Silver Springs. They were not expressly barred, but like many establishments in the South during Jim Crow, it was understood that Blacks were not allowed to use any of the facilities.(5) One of Silver Springs’ early competitors was the similarly named Silver Springs Paradise Park, located one mile downstream, who boasted they “only hire intelligent white boat guides.”(6) Ray and Davidson fought the rival development with a series of legal cases against them.(7) They stopped the development and eventually purchased the land in 1935.

After World War II, Ray and Davidson tasked one of their experienced boat captains, Eddie Vereen, with turning the former Paradise Park acreage into an attraction for Black visitors after seeing a strong local desire from Blacks to visit, especially family and friends of the boat captains.(8) Much like Davidson, Vereen was innovative in promoting the new venture and traveled extensively to draw Black visitors to one of the few recreation opportunities open to them in the region.(9) With Vereen as general manager, Paradise Park opened on Florida’s Emancipation Day, May 20, 1949. A 1955 Paradise Park brochure, along with reminiscences by visitors, gives us insight into the “the newest and most unusual recreation area in Florida for the use of the colored people of America and the world” and the emotions it evokes. “There were three hills going up to the main building from the river. There were always beautiful flowers everywhere. …further down the hill was the reptile area, the dock where the boats were tied up, the ladder to the diving board, the float. There were picnic areas, a huge barbecue pit, and palm trees and green grass, and that crystal clear water. People played horseshoes. Sounds of fun were everywhere. It was like Paradise.”(10) Included in the separate but equal facilities and activities available to visitors were glass-bottom boat rides (the same vessels from Silver Springs) and animal exhibits and demonstrations by the Ross Allen Reptile Institute. The park also had bathhouse and concession facilities built in a vernacular style. Paradise Park was wildly popular as seen by the crowds of people and was visited by locals and tourists alike. It became a significant community gathering place hosting everyone from family and church gatherings to sports teams, Boy Scout campouts, and an annual beauty pageant.(11) 

In June of 1955, the same year the Paradise Park brochure was published, a fire at the head springs area destroyed the main building, which housed the ticket booth, offices, and concessions of Silver Springs. In Anaheim, California, Walt Disney opened Disneyland the following month, signaling an entirely new concept of attraction—the theme park. Instead of simply rebuilding Silver Springs in the same style, Ray and Davidson hired Victor Lundy, a young architect of the Sarasota School of Architecture, to design and build a new attraction. Lundy’s vision for the spring included a three-part design with a curved boat dock, main pavilion with concessions and office spaces, and a restaurant building with a cafe and banquet room. These spaces were built with broad, connecting overhead walkways that could be added to without disturbing the existing “unity of relationships.”(12) The semicircular forms mimic the curve of the spring, and fixed, picture plate glass windows give the visitor a panoramic view of the spring from the interior spaces. Lundy’s design won a citation in the recreation category in the third annual Design Awards Program sponsored by the national architectural magazine, Progressive Architecture.(13) 

Construction photographs show the interior skeleton of the building consisting of steel beams and trusses uniformly placed. While some were hidden by other construction materials, many were left exposed as part of the design in the roof overhang and interior spaces. This follows Lundy’s long-held interest in showing the structure rather than disguising it. Construction finished in 1957 and won the AIA Honor Awards Competition’s Award of Merit in 1959.(14) Lundy’s work throughout his career is described as expressing the optimism and technical possibilities of the time.(15) Those same values are applicable at Silver Springs where one of their primary audiences was World War II service members and their families, many of whom passed through Florida’s training bases during the conflict. The architecture rejects the earlier styles and focuses on the innovation of the form and materials while having minimal ornamentation to not detract from the landscape of the spring. It projected a vision of progress which Ray and Davidson needed to attract new visitors to their park after facing such a big financial loss.

The fire and rebuilding at Silver Springs, and the development of Paradise Park took place during mounting pressure to desegregate public facilities across the South in the 1950s. A series of federal court decisions signaled the inevitability of these changes, beginning in educational spaces with Brown v. Board of Education (1954) and in recreational spaces like public beaches and bathhouses through Dawson v. Mayor & City Council of Baltimore (1955).  While the cases in these decisions were aimed at state and municipal sites with publicly funded facilities, the impacts of privately run attractions were understood by many. The Pittsburgh Courier prophetically stated at the time, “It is felt that the last decision will open a completely new wave of attacks, leading eventually to quasi-public institutions, and finally, to private institutions which must be licensed by states and municipalities to do business with the public.”(16) Still, the long held social strictures did not change readily. As Florida Attorney General Richard Ervin said in 1955, “I think most everyone will recognize that Florida is not ready at this time for integration of the races at public parks and playgrounds.”(17)

Despite the federal court decisions, it would be another decade before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 finally forced the recognition that such exclusion is unconstitutional. Even so, desegregation amounted to assimilation rather than integration for some, as former Black-only sites like Paradise Park were underfunded, abandoned, and bulldozed. The societal changes at the time of the Civil Rights Act also coincided with a change in management at Silver Springs and Paradise Park. In 1962, after nearly forty years, Carl Ray and Shorty Davidson were ready to retire and sold the operation to the ABC-Paramount Corporation. That year, Silver Springs alone saw 1.5 million visitors; Shorty Davidson died just months later.(18)

After the passage of the Civil Rights Act, the new managers of Silver Springs, under ABC-Paramount, quietly accommodated Black patrons, but did not broadly promote the new accessibility as there was intense, and sometimes violent conflict from anti-integrationists in and around Ocala.(19) The new corporate ownership maximized the underwater filming opportunities of the spring, expanding a tradition begun in the 1930s. The attraction, like numerous others along Florida’s original highways, was about to see catastrophic declines in attendance following the completion of Interstate 75—which bypassed communities and kept motorists moving rapidly past them—and the opening of Walt Disney World in Orlando in 1971. In addition to the natural wonders of the site, the original Silver Springs attraction had featured the Ross Allen Reptile Institute and a recreated Seminole village, where tourists could purchase the art they observed being made by Native American artists. By the mid-1950s, Ray and Davidson had expanded visitors’ entertainment options by leasing land to add Tommy Bartlett’s Deer Ranch, the Prince of Peace Memorial, and the Carriage Cavalcade. To exert a more unified, corporate appearance and have full control of the site, ABC-Paramount cancelled these leases and by 1975 all original concessions were gone. To compete with Disney and try to draw the crowds passing Ocala on I-75, new facilities were developed by ABC-Paramount, like the Wild Waters waterslide park and an exotic animal zoo.

Aesthetically, the buildings and grounds were remodeled too, with Victorian bric-a-brac added that mimicked the look of Disney’s Main Street. Lundy’s sweeping Tourist Center design was obscured, with much of the brickwork and storefront glazing covered over with wood paneling. The curving, flat-roofed, glass-bottom boat dock and walkway were demolished and replaced with a new Victorian-inspired dock with gables, dormers, and glass windows. The original entrance was also closed off along with its driveway that was meant to pass through Lundy’s design. Eddie Vereen, general manager of Paradise Park since its creation, retired in 1967 and the park closed permanently after the following season. ABC-Paramount demolished the manicured landscape and structures to create an exotic animal attraction called Fort King Waterway, similar to what Tampa’s Busch Gardens offered tourists farther down I-75. None of these efforts could counter the downward industry trend and in 1984 ABC divested itself of its Florida attraction holdings, selling their operations at Silver Springs in Ocala and Weeki Wachee Springs on the west coast to Florida Leisure Attractions. The trend of turning away from all things modern continued under the subsequent owners too, with the addition of the Twin Oaks Mansion Amphitheatre in the 1990s, a performance and event venue partially built out to host concerts and weddings. The ersatz mansion evokes feelings of the Old South and continues to draw business into the park. Florida Leisure Attractions would lease the head springs area to a succession of companies over the years with Palace Entertainment being the last (2002–2013).

The dwindling crowds fundamentally shaped the landscape and there was little use for excess buildings like Lundy’s Restaurant, which served as a car museum at one point. It had fallen into disrepair by the time the State of Florida took over in 2013. Although the park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019, that did not prevent the restaurant building from being demolished in 2026. The Florida Park Service’s strategic vision for the site primarily emphasizes the natural resources of the spring and restoring the original ecology, although the agency also manages numerous historic structures statewide. Despite the significant challenges, the State has invested in preserving Lundy’s remaining Tourist Center and restoring it to its original design. In 2014 a one-sided historic marker was commissioned to honor Paradise Park; it is located at the intersection of Baseline Road and Northeast 24th Street outside of the park.(20) Most recently, in 2025, the Florida Department of Transportation placed an interpretive panel inside the park near the spring for visitors to learn about Paradise Park. Small steps have been taken to encourage education about Paradise Park, but much is still needed to make all visitors feel welcome and acknowledge the legacy and histories of exclusion. 

Notes

1. Archaeological work indicates that people have consistently occupied or interacted with the area for more than 10,000 years. More information can be found in Angela Matusik and Sarah Bennett, Silver Springs State Park Trail Crossings Phase III Archaeological Site Mitigation at Silver Run (8MR00093), Marion County, Florida, Florida Master Site File: SEARCH, 2022; Florida State Parks, “Geology of Silver Springs,”, accessed June 30, 2026, https://www.floridastateparks.org/learn/geology-silver-springs; and St. Johns River Water Management District, “Silver Springs,” accessed June 30, 2026, https://www.sjrwmd.com/minimumflowsandlevels/silver-springs/.

2. Some dredging was done in the 1940s to create artificial channels like the Fort King Waterway for more boat rides and tours, Andrew Waber, “Silver Springs,” National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination Form, Florida Division of Historical Resources, Tallahassee, 2019, 11.

3. David Cook, Historic Ocala: The Story of Ocala and Marion County (Historical Publishing Network, 2007), 37.

4. Waber, “Silver Springs,” 18.

5. William O’Brien, “The Strange Career of a Florida State Park,” Historical Geography 35 (2007): 165.

6. Lu Vickers and Cynthia Wilson-Graham, Remembering Paradise Park: Tourism and Segregation at Silver Springs (University of Florida, 2015), 71.

7. David Cook, “Litigation over Paradise Park comes to an end,” Ocala Star Banner, May 11, 2014, https://www.ocala.com/story/news/2014/05/11/litigation-over-paradise-park-comes-to-an-end/31937940007/.

8. They used the same landscapers as Silver Springs to give both parks a cohesive feel.

9. Lundy was the only entry from Florida to win. United States General Services Administration (GSA), Victor Lundy: Sculptor of Space, 2014, 33:20–33:30, https://www.usmodernist.org/lundy.htm.

10. Vickers and Wilson-Graham, Remembering Paradise Park, 132.

11. For more on the significance of Paradise Park see Vickers and Wilson-Graham, Remembering Paradise Park.

12. “Award of Merit - 1959 AIA Honor Awards Competition,” The Florida Architect, no. 6 (June 1959): 16–18, https://www.usmodernist.org/FA/FA-1959-06.pdf.

13. Carlton Reese, “Looking Back: The men who turned Silver Springs into a national attraction,” Ocala Magazine, October 9, 2023, https://ocalamagazine.com/looking-back-the-men-who-turned-silver-springs-into-a-national-attraction/.

14. Lundy was the only entry from Florida to win. United States General Services Administration (GSA), Victor Lundy: Sculptor of Space, 2014, 33:20–33:30, https://www.usmodernist.org/lundy.htm.

15. GSA, Victor Lundy: Sculptor of Space, 26:20–26:30.

16. A. M. Rivera Jr., “Old South Left Punchy,” The Pittsburgh Courier, November 19, 1955, www.newspapers.com.

17. Tallahassee UP, “Ervin Fears Abandonment of Local Parks,” Tampa Bay Times, November 10, 1955, www.newspapers.com.

18. Carlton Reese, “Looking Back: The men who turned Silver Springs into a national attraction,” Ocala Magazine, October 9, 2023, https://ocalamagazine.com/looking-back-the-men-who-turned-silver-springs-into-a-national-attraction/.

19. Vickers and Wilson-Graham, Remembering Paradise Park, 188.

20. Information about the Historical Marker and its text can be accessed through the marker database: https://markers.flheritage.com/home/details/850.

Bibliography

“Award Citations.” Progressive Architecture (January 1956): 92–93. https://www.usmodernist.org/PA/PA-1956-01.pdf.

“Award of Merit - 1959 AIA Honor Awards Competition.” The Florida Architect, no. 6 (June 1959): 16–18. https://www.usmodernist.org/FA/FA-1959-06.pdf. 

Cook, David. Historic Ocala: The Story of Ocala and Marion County. Historical Publishing Network, 2007.

Cook, David. “Litigation over Paradise Park comes to an end.” Ocala Star Banner, May 11, 2014. https://www.ocala.com/story/news/2014/05/11/litigation-over-paradise-park-comes- to-an-end/31937940007/. 

Florida State Parks. “Geology of Silver Springs.” Accessed June 30, 2026. https://www.floridastateparks.org/learn/geology-silver-springs. 

Lucas, Kyra Nicole. “The Formation and Transformation of Roadside America: A Study of The Preservation of American Roadscapes.” PhD diss., University of Florida, 2021. 

Matusik, Angela, and Sarah Bennett. Silver Springs State Park Trail Crossings Phase III Archaeological Site Mitigation at Silver Run (8MR00093), Marion County, Florida. Florida Master Site File: SEARCH, 2022. 

O’Brien, William. “The Strange Career of a Florida State Park.” Historical Geography 35 (2007): 160–184.

Reese, Carlton. “Looking Back: The men who turned Silver Springs into a national attraction.” Ocala Magazine, October 9, 2023. https://ocalamagazine.com/looking-back-the-men -who-turned-silver-springs-into-a-national-attraction/.

Rivera, A. M, Jr. “Old South Left Punchy” The Pittsburgh Courier, November 19, 1955.

St. Johns Water Management District. “Silver Springs.” Accessed June 30, 2026. https://www.sjrwmd.com/minimumflowsandlevels/silver-springs/.  

Tallahassee UP. “Ervin Fears Abandonment of Local Parks.” Tampa Bay Times, November 10, 1955.

United States General Services Administration. Victor Lundy: Sculptor of Space, 2014. Video, 49 min. https://www.usmodernist.org/lundy.htm. 

Vickers, Lu, and Cynthia Wilson-Graham. Remembering Paradise Park: Tourism and Segregation at Silver Springs. University of Florida, 2015.

Waber, Andrew. “Silver Springs.” National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination Form. Florida Division of Historical Resources, Tallahassee, 2019.

Authors

Haylee Glasel, Ph.D. is an architectural historian. Haylee began her career as a historic preservationist at the Florida Park Service working to provide technical and professional services to all State Parks before completing a doctorate in art history at Florida State University. While completing her degree, Haylee worked as a historic preservationist in the Florida State Historic Preservation Office. Her personal and professional interests include the preservation of Florida’s Modernist architecture and roadside attractions.

John Turner is Senior Museum Registrar for the Museum of Florida History. Previously he worked with the Florida Park Service’s Cultural Resources section to assist parks statewide and managed the Division of Recreation and Parks’ Historic Collections Facility and Archives. He was awarded the Joe Knoll Heritage Award by the Florida Park Service Rangers Association. John worked in the Department of State’s Master Site File and as Historic Site Specialist for Museum of Florida History-managed properties in the Capital city.