Bringing history to life

Johnny Weissmuller is shown with a baby elephant at Ross Allen’s Reptile Institute during the filming of “Tarzan Finds a Son!” at the Silver Springs attraction in 1939. [Photo courtesy Florida State Library and Archives]

The Historic Ocala Preservation Society is hosting a series of five talks beginning March 8 that will cover the quirky and fascinating history of Ocala and Florida. The speaker will be storyteller Kevin Bradford King.

King, a native of Los Angeles, moved to Ocala about two years ago from Miami. He is a history teacher at the Ina A. Colen Academy, author and lecturer. He has studied Florida history extensively and finds unusual and interesting aspects to share with his audiences.

King has researched and spoken about subjects ranging from railroad builder Henry Flagler to the mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs State Park.

The lecture series will begin at 3 p.m. every other Saturday, from March 8 through May 3. The talks will be given in the Bryant House at 712 SE Fort King St., which was built in 1892 and once was owned by the family of former Florida governor Ferris Bryant, according to HOPS board member, Brian Stoothoff. The home is the headquarters of HOPS.
“This is social history,” King said about the series in a phone interview.

King said he has spoken about famous women such as Coconut Grove resident Marjorie Stoneman Douglas, author of the 1947 book “River of Grass” about the Florida Everglades and a 2000 National Women’s Hall of Fame honoree. On March 8, he will speak about “Famous Women of Ocala” and on May 3 about “Famous Women in Florida.”

He said he also discusses mysteries like the unsolved murder of Brach candy heiress Helen Brach, whose disappearance might be tied to a “playboy in Ocala who had sold her racehorses,” among other suspects. The talk “Whatever happened to the candy heiress?” is scheduled for March 22.

Set for April 5 is “The Illustrious Vagabond,” which explores the camping adventures of inventor Thomas Edison and industrialist Henry Ford, both of whom had “winter homes” in Fort Myers.

“Edison and Ford never had a boyhood,” King said of the two.

The talk “Tarzan, Mermaids, Flipper & the Creature of the Black Lagoon” is set for April 19 and will include discussion of the Weeki Wachee attraction and filming of the television series “Flipper” in Florida, the filming for “Tarzan” features and the horror movie “Creature from the Black Lagoon” at Silver Springs. The Ocala attraction was also the location for filming of television shows including “I Spy” and “Sea Hunt.”

King also has spoken about the closing of numerous Florida attractions after the early 1970s with the opening of Walt Disney World.

Each talk will run about an hour and will include a question-and-answer period. The cost is $25 per talk, with proceeds to benefit HOPS.

To learn more, go to historicocala.org

Ocala’s Newt Perry was photographed with mermaids-in-training at Weeki Wachee Spring in March of 1948 during the filming of “Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid.” [Photo courtesy Florida State Library and Archives]