The Weeki Wachee Archive is considered a hidden collection because it is a special collection of historical artifacts that is largely unprocessed, uncataloged, and therefore inaccessible to both the public and researchers. A goal of this project is to reveal the collection and make it accessible. The archival workshop consists of approximately 600 square feet of rooms filled with materials documenting the park’s history. Before the Weeki Wachee Archival Project began, the collection included three storage cabinets containing photographs, blueprints, and documents; two shelving units filled with artifacts; a broken-down refrigerator holding film reels from the 1950s and 1960s; and a clothing rack containing costumes. Only one of the three storage cabinets housed materials in proper archival storage conditions.

One of the first priorities of the project is to bring the archive collection closer to professional archival standards. According to the Society of American Archivists, historical collections should be maintained between 60–70 degrees Fahrenheit with humidity levels between 30–50 percent. LED lighting is also recommended because it emits minimal heat and no infrared radiation, reducing damage to sensitive materials. The Library of Congress further recommends freezing film reels if deterioration has already begun. To improve preservation conditions, the Friends of Weeki Wachee Springs State Park purchased dehumidifiers, air conditioning units for each room, deep freezers for film reels, LED lighting panels for workstations, and window coverings to reduce UV light exposure.

Proper storage was another essential step in the preservation process. As physical media ages, it naturally deteriorates. Paper releases acid as it breaks down, causing yellowing and brittleness, while humidity and UV light can fade and damage photographs. To slow this deterioration, each document and photograph must be stored in acid-free Mylar sleeves, and groups of items must be housed in acid- free archival boxes. Project staff identified and purchased the most common sizes and types of archival supplies needed for the collection. Additional shelving units were also added to accommodate materials being rehoused in proper storage.

Before cataloging could begin, the archive first needed to be organized in a way that would make materials easier to locate and manage. Because the collection contains tens of thousands of items, organization is an ongoing process. The most practical system for the archive was grouping similar materials together and arranging them by decade of creation. As items are sorted, they are placed into protective Mylar sleeves to ensure their safety preservation while they await cataloging.

Cataloging Efforts began with the oldest materials in the collection, as these items are the most vulnerable to further deterioration. One major project involved photos and negatives from the 1950s and 1960s taken by Weeki Wachee’s official photographers. These images documented promotional photo shoots used in park advertising materials. Each photo set had originally been stored in its own envelope, often labeled with the date, title of the shoot, and photographer’s name. The sets typically included both negatives and photographic prints.

The first step in processing these collections was organizing the photographs within each set. The original photographers had written numbers beneath each negative for their own organizational purposes, so the negatives and prints were sorted according to those numbers. This ensured that every image in a set would be scanned, since some sets did not contain prints of every photograph. Once individual sets were organized, all
photo sets were arranged chronologically to create a clearer historical timeline of the park’s history development and for more comprehensive displays in a future Visitor’s Center.

Each item was then assigned a catalog number according to the standards established by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) archivists. Because Florida has 175 state parks, maintaining a uniform numbering and cataloging system is essential for preventing information from being lost or misplaced in digital records. After training with DEP archivists, these standards were implemented within the Weeki Wachee Archive, giving every artifact its own unique identifier.

After numbering, high-quality digital scans were created for every item in the collection. The archive’s scanner allows it to convert negatives into photographic images. Once digitized, detailed metadata was created for each item to preserve its historical context. For photographs, this process included identifying the mermaids featured in the images, the shows being performed, costumes being worn, locations depicted, events being documented, and additional relevant information. This state of the process required extensive research and collaboration with former mermaids, whose firsthand knowledge of the park has been invaluable. Many former performers have volunteered countless hours helping identify people, places, and events represented in the archive.

Once cataloging was completed, all digital scans and metadata were sent to Florida DEP archivists to upload into the state’s museum cataloging software. The physical materials were then safely stored in archival cabinets. This same process is repeated for every item in the collection. Preserving Weeki’s history is an on-going project. Although it is time-intensive, the work ensures that the history of Weeki Wachee will be preserved and accessible for future generations, and to meet our goal of establishing a Visitor’s Center within Weeki Wachee Springs State Park.