Inside the studio of the legendary Bruce Mozert

It seems like Bruce Mozert's work is everywhere these days. An exhibit called "Underwater Innovations: The Florida Springs Photography of Bruce Mozert" recently opened in Tallahassee. The 2020 calendar produced by the State Archives of Florida features Florida springs and uses many of his images. Because the State Archives accessioned the Bruce Mozert Collection in 2018, they scan new Mozert images seemingly every week, and copious amounts of his magical photos crowd my social media feeds. The collection contains approximately 25,000 negatives, thousands of prints, and hundreds of films. Mozert was prolific.

Learn more here: https://bit.ly/2TwSY9c

On December 29, 2014, I had the pleasure of meeting this pioneer in underwater photography. Gary Monroe's book "Silver Springs: The Underwater Photography of Bruce Mozert" helped to elevate Mozert's work to the status of fine art, but originally he was a successful commercial photographer based at Silver Springs. His creative and campy underwater images were sent to wire services nationwide and helped to make Siver Springs into one of the highest attended attractions anywhere.

 A Mozert photo reproduced in the Pittsburgh Press in 1954

Gary set up the meeting with Mozert and I was accompanied by my Springs Eternal Project partners John Moran and Lesley Gamble. I was inspired by the meeting and took pages of notes but for some reason, I never wrote about it until now. According to Wikipedia, Mozert was born in 1916, which means he would have been 98 when we visited! He passed away less than a year later on October 14, 2015.

His studio at the time was in a nondescript building near Silver Springs. The space was packed with photos, still and video equipment (all analog), and miscellaneous ephemera all over the walls. My kind of place. The front reception area had a stack of prints for sale, for sale at reasonable prices, a fact that made Gary cringe since he was working hard to establish Mozert's work as fine art, worthy of art galleries and museums. In the back was a darkroom and film editing equipment, and his office, packed with mementos and images of almost a half-century of work at Silver Springs. Photos covered almost every inch of wall. Gary helped get the reproduction rights for the use of one of Mozert's images in my first book, "Finding the Fountain of Youth," and I was extremely grateful. I proudly presented him with a copy of the book.

Photo by John Moran

Mozert photo in my book

This is from my notes:

According to Mozert, he came from a family of inventors. His father, grandfather and great grandfather were all inventors. His sister was a well-known illustrator in New York and she helped Mozert get a photography gig for a shoe company. He was headed to Miami for the assignment when he detoured to Silver Springs because he heard they were making Tarzan movies there. The underwater photography of the day used 55-gallon drums as underwater housings. Mozert built his housing from a piece of an inner tube connected to a metal box that he welded to hold the camera. It took him almost all night to make the apparatus and he bought an underwater mask at a dime store.

He also talked about the infamous preview of Howard Hughes movie "Underwater" starring Jane Russell where Jane Mansfield quite literally burst upon the scene, a story I had heard from Ginger Stanley Hollowell as well. Mozert claimed that he took a revealing photo that helped Mansfield get noticed. Lloyd Bridges, who filmed "Sea Hunt" at Silver Springs, was "down to earth," but he said Esther Williams whom he worked with on "Jupiter's Darling" was "temperamental."

He also reminisced about "blasting out the spring underwater" with a firehose and dumping seashells from the ocean into the spring for photography purposes, two practices that the State of Florida would probably frown upon today. He seemed aware of the declining condition of Florida's springs noting that the water table was going down, and that man had "tampered with (nature) so much."

Women in Jantzen bathing suits posing by a sign for the underwater theater 

at Silver Springs, from the State Archives of Florida.

After spending time talking to Mozert in his studio, we offered to take him to lunch, and I had the opportunity to drive him to a pizza place on Silver Springs Boulevard. At the restaurant, they had several of his photos framed on the wall, and the photographer proudly posed in front of this work. He seemed to enjoy the attention and telling stories from his past. Sadly as I search my memories of my impressions of Mozert years after the visit, I wish I remembered more. I recall that he seemed proud of his involvement with local civic organizations – he had Lions Club memorabilia displayed on his wall next to hand-tinted images of bikini-clad underwater models. I was overwhelmed by the office and studio, it seemed like a time capsule from Florida's Golden Age of Roadside Attractions that was unchanged by time.

Writer Jeff Klinkenberg states that in its heyday, Silver Springs was a wonder of the world – Florida's Grand Canyon. I'm fascinated with the people who inspired so many tourists to visit this now-famous remote location near Ocala. The spring's owners, Carl Ray and W.M. "Shorty" Davidson, were extraordinary marketers who came up with novel, innovative methods of promoting the attraction. Newt Perry, the "human fish," was featured in Mozart's underwater images and he developed unique techniques to stay underwater that were used at Wakulla and Weeki Wachee Springs. Ginger Stanley started out doing office work and ended up as a model in many iconic Mozert images. Ross Allen dedicated almost fifty years to studying the wildlife around the park at his reptile institute. To me, these individuals were icons in Florida history – people who had a huge impact on our state's development who created ripples that still reverberate today. And Bruce Mozert, who found himself in the right place at the right time and ended up spending a lifetime creating enchanting images, is foremost among these pillars of tourism history. For me, this trip to Mozert's studio was like visiting a temple of Old Florida. I am grateful for the opportunity to have made the pilgrimage.

Bruce Mozert with flash and underwater camera from the 1950s via the State Archives of Florida.

Back to the Gardens

Last weekend I had book signing at Barnes and Noble in Sarasota so I decided to visit the new Everglades Wonder Gardens since I was relatively close to Bonita Springs. I've been doing graphic design work for the vintage roadside attraction's new operator, photographer John Brady, and I was eager to see the results of his labors. Brady, who specializes in large format black and white prints of natural Florida, could not bear to see this beloved attraction close its doors after over 70 years of operation. So he negotiated a lease with the property's owner, David Piper, and has been working hard to give the place a make-over.

I loved the Gardens on my previous visit in 2011 because it was a throwback to an earlier era. It oozed Old Florida charm without the slickness and polish of a corporate theme park.  Signs were painted by hand, a dusty museum with amazing taxidermy greeted visitors, and animals were just an arm's length away in their cages. Having a deep affection for all survivors of Florida's golden age of roadside attractions, I appreciated the fact that this place had endured. But I also wondered how it had survived as our contemporary understanding of animals' needs and habitats had made places like this obsolete. There was also a wildness to the park, like in a blink it could easily become wild again and be reabsorbed into the jungle that is the Everglades.

John Brady's vision of the park is more in keeping with contemporary values; while honoring the Garden's Old Florida roots and its history, he is taming and shaping the vegetation so the visitor can more easily appreciate the lush environment of this Bonita Springs gem. He's opening up narrow pathways and pruning back overgrown plants so that they can be properly viewed. Exotic fig and Kapok trees are revealed, and new plantings are changing the attraction from an animal park to a botanical garden. Much of the larger animals have been transferred to Gatorland in Orlando. After cleaning out the gator pit, the large alligators that inhabited it moved on to Orlando and were replaced by smaller, more lively gators that seemed to be in better proportion to the space. Brady also retained turtles, gopher tortoises, and the bright colorful flamingos. In addition, he created viewing areas around the flamingo pond allowing for better views of these amazing tropical birds. One bird enclosure remains for injured Ibis and seagulls, and a lone peacock wanders the grounds, occasionally letting out a loud call and making the whole place seem a bit wilder.

The gift shop and museum are in transition as well, as Brady has located his Everglades Gallery of photography near the front of the building. There is still kitschy taxidermy, and Brady has worked hard to maintain the character of the space rather than overpowering it. The museum has fewer artifacts, but it will offer Brady an opportunity to present programming like book talks and lectures. There are still some wonderfully bizarre artifacts throughout, and the hand-rendered signage left over from the park's earlier days are true pieces of folk art.

But outside is where Brady is making the most changes. Many of the animal enclosures have been removed and those that are more aesthetically pleasing have been re-purposed. The former panther pen is being transformed into a butterfly enclosure, soon to be one of the park's highlights. The section that once held deer and turkeys has been opened up to create an open area where outdoor events can take place. Brady's philosophy is to make Everglades Wonder Gardens a community resource for all of Southwest Florida to enjoy.

The soft opening of the park was the previous day, and despite the ongoing work, folks seem to be chomping at the bit to get inside and see the transformation. Brady is planning a grand opening in the fall when more of the work is completed and the weather is cooler. When I visited the gardens in 2011, I was concerned for the future of this unique Florida treasure, especially after becoming aware that owners had considered selling the property due to David Piper's illness. Thank goodness John Brady stepped forward; the attraction is in good hands, blossoming into a 21st century-friendly botanical garden, growing organically from its Old Florida roots.

Daytona's Atomic Tunnel

I admit it, I love roadside attractions, in particular those of Florida's golden age of tourism.  The sunshine state has been home to many unique attractions that did not survive the age of the interstate like Six Gun Territory, Tom Gaskin's Cypress Tree Museum, the Great Masterpiece, Floridaland and more. Check out the Florida's Lost Tourist Attractions website for a good list.  One of the wackiest on the list has to be Atomic Tunnel which was located on U.S. 1 just south of Daytona near Port Orange.

The Atomic Tunnel was the brainchild of W.R. Johnson who turned his 1950s bomb shelter to use as a tourist trap according to a history on the Vintage Roadside website. My friends at VR have done a great deal of work researching the short-lived Volusia County attraction, even finding its original location, which is a good trick from the opposite site of the continent (they are based in Portland.) Jeff and Kelly of Vintage Roadside are committed to keeping stories of unique places place like the Atomic Tunnel alive so they don't vanish from our collective memories.

An early rendition of "Happy" the attraction's mascot

Here's some more of what they were able to find out about the Tunnel:
-The Atomic Tunnel was renamed the "Tunnel of Fantasy" and then the "Tropicolor Fantasy"
- In addition to featuring the attraction's mascot, "Happy" the Walking Fish, other attractions included Smokey the monkey, Mac the macaw, a man-eating piranha and dancing mice

Promotion from when the name was changed to the "Tunnel of Fantasy"

I've rocked Vintage Roadside's awesome homage to the Tunnel in the form of a great red T-shirt for a number of years. So when the opportunity came to team with Vintage Roadside on one of their creations,  a limited edition Atomic Tunnel shirt, I jumped at the chance. They create a quality product and are a first class operation. Every person that wears one will be keeping a bit of old Florida alive. And at the rapid rate the quaint and charming disappear from this state, preserving every little bit helps.

De Leon redux

I picked up a vintage brochure for Ponce de Leon Springs from a little shop in downtown DeLand. It appears to be from the '60s or '70s, a period between the roadside attraction era of the spring and the current state park incarnation. There is no mention of water skiiing elephants, ski shows or boat rides anywhere in the brochure. As a matter of fact, the piece states emphatically "We have no caged animals. The birds are free to fly wherever they want to. No clipped wings."

The map inside shows a much larger area than what is available to today's visitor with waterways and bridges intact that were probably created for the jungle boat cruise around the monkey island. The key features on the the "Central Florida's Historic Wonderland" map are Hangman's Oak, an Indian Mound, the 2718 Year-old Cypress Tree, a trail extending far around the property and the old Spanish Sugar Mill.

The brochure also has the following interesting claims:

• Ponce de Leon Springs were discovered by the Spanish explorer himself in 1513
• The native Americans living in the area considered the spring to be a place of healing and they brought their "sick and wounded here for treatment"
• The Spanish built the original mill in 1570 and it is claimed to be "America's oldest machine"
• The English under General Oglethorpe settled the area as indigo plantations
• After Florida was ceded back to the Spanish, the Native Americans recaptured the sacred spring and held it until 1832 when General Zachary Taylor recaptured it for the US
• The spring and the mill was held by the confederacy during the Civil War until Northern troops raided and destroyed the agricutural facilities there

To me it obvious that when this brochure was created the owners of the springs were moving away from the kitschy roadside attraction of the '50s to a place celebrating history and natural wonders. Swimming, camping, scuba diving and fishing are highlighted, setting the stage for what is now one of Florida's premier state parks. It is interesting to see the role this little place has played in Florida's history and to see how its use and marketing reflect the tastes and values of the times. A place of healing by the native Americans, a resource for agriculture for the European settlers, a target during war years, a facility for the circus with animal acts during the postwar years and then finally a place of history and natural beauty. It will be interesting to see what stamp our generation makes upon this timeless natural wonder.

Note: Ponce de Leon is in a diaper after bathing in the "Fountain of Youth"

From electric boat rides to canoes, the use of the springs
have reflected values of the times

Menu and restaurant from an earlier era of the springs;

note the mill in the background
Images from the State Archives of Florida