Highways in the Sun
The opening of highways to southern states during the second decade of the twentieth century allowed newly mobile northerners and adventurous men and women from around the nation to see the unique sites and communities of Florida's interior, away from the more developed cities and destinations on the east and west coasts. After the completion of the Dixie Highway from Montreal to Miami in 1915, the number of automobile tourists increased dramatically every year, and Florida's rural areas and small towns began to change as well.
William Frost Layton in recreational vehicle on tract of land he later developed into Layton's Cottage, Trailer, and Fishing Park: Riviera Beach, Florida (ca. 1940)
Image number: PR30428
Men and their trailer (December 5, 1949)
Image number: C012543Accompanying note: "Morris Monts de Oca, Charlie Anderson, Bill Buford, Freddie Crews, Wyatt Blassingame, Von Walker, & Wilton Sauls. After 6 days and nights on the beautiful Suwannee River these men are headed home. They traveled the river from Okefenokee Swamp to the Gulf of Mexico."
Campers in Corkscrew Swamp: Collier County, Florida (19--)
Image number: C027949
View of trailer parked near entrance to the Myakka River State Park: Sarasota, Florida (1947)
Image number: C011695aMyakka River State Park was opened in 1942.
Boyds Modern Tourist Cottages: Pensacola, Florida (1941)
Photo by: Marion Post WolcottImage number: RC02739
Original image caption: "Sign advertising tourist cottages on highway outside Pensacola, Florida." The image was created by the New Deal program, Farm Security Administration (originally the Resettlement Administration) in order to demonstrate the hardships of farm workers during the Great Depression.
Michael Sadler holding a sculpture stands outside a trailer: Dead Lakes, Florida (1947)
Image number: C006771
From early automobiles, modified to carry
sleeping quarters, kitchen equipment, and barrels of water, to the
sophisticated campers as luxurious as nice homes, Florida’s
vacationer-explorers used their beloved vehicles to find out-of-way
locations of interest and comfortable places to live for a few days or
weeks. The original tin can tourists of the 1920s pioneered camper
travel, and the practice became ever more popular among the booming
families after World War II and increasingly-mobile retirees journeying
south.
Trailer parks developed to cater to the waves of new visitors bringing their accommodations with them. Roadside attractions and amusement parks likewise developed facilities to meet the needs of the expanding variety of campers and trailers. Snowbirds, young families, and mobile workers all found Florida welcoming, and more permanent trailer parks appeared recreating the familiarity of village life, only with movable structures comprising its residents’ homes.
Retired railroad man from Ohio at the Long Branch Trailer Park.
The Tin Can Tourists association formed to coordinate the conventions of the new and expanding practitioners of automobile-camper travel. Many of the images included in this section are from a collection at the Department of State, State Archives of Florida that documents the organization and activities of the Tin Can Tourists of the World (T.C.T.) from 1920 to 1982. The records consist of scrapbooks, photographs, convention programs, necrology (memorial) service programs, official records (constitution, by-laws, minutes), correspondence and an early membership list. The scrapbooks contain the bulk of the information available. They document the functions of the T.C.T., the various camp sites where meetings were held, the evolution of the trailers used and the automobiles that towed them, and the activities as well as the amusements enjoyed by the members.
Signs read: "Keep to the Right," "Go Slow," and "No Peddlers Allowed."
Harriett belonged to Mrs. Harriett Warren, Mrs. Flora Kavanaugh, and Westel Ashe, all of Brattleboro, Vermont.
View of west end of camp; 3,000 campers, mostly in tents.
Trailer parks developed to cater to the waves of new visitors bringing their accommodations with them. Roadside attractions and amusement parks likewise developed facilities to meet the needs of the expanding variety of campers and trailers. Snowbirds, young families, and mobile workers all found Florida welcoming, and more permanent trailer parks appeared recreating the familiarity of village life, only with movable structures comprising its residents’ homes.
Retired railroad man sitting on the bumper of his house-car (1931)
Image number: PR02800Retired railroad man from Ohio at the Long Branch Trailer Park.
Trailer enters the Bradenton Trailer Park: Bradenton, Florida (1949)
Image number: C011444The Tin Can Tourists association formed to coordinate the conventions of the new and expanding practitioners of automobile-camper travel. Many of the images included in this section are from a collection at the Department of State, State Archives of Florida that documents the organization and activities of the Tin Can Tourists of the World (T.C.T.) from 1920 to 1982. The records consist of scrapbooks, photographs, convention programs, necrology (memorial) service programs, official records (constitution, by-laws, minutes), correspondence and an early membership list. The scrapbooks contain the bulk of the information available. They document the functions of the T.C.T., the various camp sites where meetings were held, the evolution of the trailers used and the automobiles that towed them, and the activities as well as the amusements enjoyed by the members.
Tin Can Tourists camp: Gainesville, Florida (192-)
Image number: PR01242Signs read: "Keep to the Right," "Go Slow," and "No Peddlers Allowed."
House car named Harriet at Tin Can Tourists convention: Arcadia (January 10, 1929)
Image number: N028617Harriett belonged to Mrs. Harriett Warren, Mrs. Flora Kavanaugh, and Westel Ashe, all of Brattleboro, Vermont.
Tin Can Tourists convention: Arcadia, Florida (January 7, 1929)
Image number: N028619View of west end of camp; 3,000 campers, mostly in tents.
Tin Can Tourists' band: Sarasota, Florida (ca. 1940)
Image number: N028611
The
Tin Can Tourists of the World (T.C.T.) was an organization of camping
and "trailering" enthusiasts founded at a Tampa, Florida campground in
1919. The goals of the group were to provide its members with safe and
clean camping areas, wholesome entertainment, and high moral values. The
origin of the term "tin can" in the name is not clear. Some have
suggested that it refers to the campers' reliance upon canned foods.
Others have asserted the name refers to the small Ford automobile of the
era, the Model T or "Tin Lizzie," which was a popular and affordable
automobile option among middle class Americans from which the majority
of T.C.T. members came. The modified automobile driven by Tin Can
Tourists often included large metal barrels for carrying water attached
on the vehicles' exteriors. The original recognition emblem of the
T.C.T. was a tin can soldered to the radiator cap of a member's car.
The T.C.T. usually held at least two meetings a year. A winter meeting was held at a campground in Florida and a summer meeting was held at a campground in Michigan. The Florida meetings were held in various places, including Tampa, Sarasota, Ocala, and Eustis. These meetings provided the opportunity for transacting official club business and taking part in the numerous social activities offered. For many years these club gatherings provided places of exhibition to the manufacturers of trailers, mobile homes, and camping gear. This aspect of the gatherings continued until after World War II when manufacturers' trade shows took the place of exhibiting at T.C.T. meetings.
Otho Granford Shoup, Royal Chief of the Tin Can Tourists 1923-1925.
Although some of the early communities popular among Tin Can Tourists resisted the large gatherings of visitors and considered them unruly, Floridians soon began to realize the benefits of a new stream of tourists. The influx of car tourists helped spur further development of better roads in Florida, and inspired the creation of new roadside attractions and other service industries such as restaurant and visitor travel centers.
Poem copyrighted by F.C. Pfeiffer.
The Golden Age of Camping
The T.C.T. usually held at least two meetings a year. A winter meeting was held at a campground in Florida and a summer meeting was held at a campground in Michigan. The Florida meetings were held in various places, including Tampa, Sarasota, Ocala, and Eustis. These meetings provided the opportunity for transacting official club business and taking part in the numerous social activities offered. For many years these club gatherings provided places of exhibition to the manufacturers of trailers, mobile homes, and camping gear. This aspect of the gatherings continued until after World War II when manufacturers' trade shows took the place of exhibiting at T.C.T. meetings.
Tin Can Tourists convention at Payne Park: Sarasota (1936)
Image number: N028614House cars at a tin can tourist campout (19--)
Image number: PC0218Otho Granford Shoup at Gainesville (ca. 1923)
Image number: PR01241Otho Granford Shoup, Royal Chief of the Tin Can Tourists 1923-1925.
Although some of the early communities popular among Tin Can Tourists resisted the large gatherings of visitors and considered them unruly, Floridians soon began to realize the benefits of a new stream of tourists. The influx of car tourists helped spur further development of better roads in Florida, and inspired the creation of new roadside attractions and other service industries such as restaurant and visitor travel centers.
Tin can tourist: Florida (19--)
Image number: PC0465Poem copyrighted by F.C. Pfeiffer.
Cooking barbecue at a Tin Can Tourists convention: Arcadia, Florida (192-)
Image number: RC11254The Golden Age of Camping
After
World War II, more and more Americans took to the open road to explore
the nation and spend vacations in their vehicles. Although the
increasing number of hotels and resorts eventually caused a decline in
camper-traveling, ever-more-sophisticated trailers and campers allowed
people more comfort and convenience as they sought to combine leisure
with their love of traveling.
By the middle of the century, state and national parks equipped themselves to accommodate various types and sizes of camping vehicles. Resorts and villages catering to camper travelers and seasonal residents offered amenities such as art classes and music and dance lessons, as well as leisure and sport facilities such as exclusive covered swimming areas and shuffle board courts.
Image number: C024681
Accompanying note: "The city-owned trailer park in Sarasota is one of the world's largest. Thousands gather here every winter to enjoy Florida's Scenic beauty."
Photo by: Charles Barron
Trailer parks proved particularly attractive areas for the thousands of retirees that annually chose Florida as their new homes. Successful parks such as Briny Breezes in Palm Beach, on famous Highway A1A, gained enough population and established enough infrastructures to be incorporated as distinct towns. Trailer parks also provided necessary housing for the droves of new workers brought to areas of Florida transformed by new industries such as Cape Canaveral, the center of United States space-age development in the late 1950's and 1960's.
Photo by: Johnson
Photo by: Johnson
Photo by: Karl E. Holland
Photo by: Karl E. Holland
Photo by: Karl E. Holland
Photo by: Johnson
Source: floridamemory.com
By the middle of the century, state and national parks equipped themselves to accommodate various types and sizes of camping vehicles. Resorts and villages catering to camper travelers and seasonal residents offered amenities such as art classes and music and dance lessons, as well as leisure and sport facilities such as exclusive covered swimming areas and shuffle board courts.
Car and trailer crossing a bridge: Astor, Florida (1957)
Photo by: Francis P. JohnsonImage number: C024681
From Campers to Trailer Parks
The fondness of many of Florida's millions of visitors and new residents for leisurely accommodations and vacationing helped establish new communities that catered to people looking to stay for extended periods without living in one location year-around. Still other places, such as trailer parks, offered both the chance to put down roots and to pick up stakes and move on when the time was right. Florida is a state well-suited for those who choose impermanence as a lifestyle. In some cases, however, trailer parks and resort camping areas became so well-established that they constituted new towns in themselves. Florida cities that experienced tremendous growth, prosperity and popularity as vacation and relocation destinations, such as Sarasota, also benefited from their trailer parks which helped draw visitors and new residents.Al and Roey Stickles pushing a baby stroller through a trailer park in Sarasota, Florida (1946)
Image number: C002906Al Stickles tends to the area near his trailer: Sarasota, Florida (1946)
Image number: C002951Al and Roey Stickles sit down to have a meal: Everglades National Park, Florida (1946)
Image number: C002885Al and Roey Stickles dancing at the trailer park: Sarasota, Florida (1946)
Image number: C002936View of the Sarasota Trailer Park: Sarasota, Florida (1948)
Image number: C008139Accompanying note: "The city-owned trailer park in Sarasota is one of the world's largest. Thousands gather here every winter to enjoy Florida's Scenic beauty."
View of Hollywood Beach Trailer Park: Hollywood, Florida (1953)
Image number: C017604Photo by: Charles Barron
Trailer parks proved particularly attractive areas for the thousands of retirees that annually chose Florida as their new homes. Successful parks such as Briny Breezes in Palm Beach, on famous Highway A1A, gained enough population and established enough infrastructures to be incorporated as distinct towns. Trailer parks also provided necessary housing for the droves of new workers brought to areas of Florida transformed by new industries such as Cape Canaveral, the center of United States space-age development in the late 1950's and 1960's.
Retirees play shuffleboard at the trailer park: Clearwater, Florida (1955)
Image number: C022013View of the shuffleboard court at the trailer park: Clearwater, Florida (1957)
Image number: C022012View of the Trailer park and boat area at Briny Breezes: Delray Beach, Florida (1963)
Image number: C640338Photo by: Johnson
Briny Breezes Auditorium (19--)
Image number: PC0908View of the Briny Breezes Trailer Park: Delray Beach, Florida (1963)
Image number: C640331Photo by: Johnson
Unidentified couple tends to their yard at Trailer Estates: Sarasota, Florida (1967)
Image number: C023723View of the Miami Heights Trailer Park: Miami, Florida (1967)
Image number: C673886Photo by: Karl E. Holland
Mr. Paul E. Linthieum tends to the garden near the trailers: Fort Lauderdale, Florida (1967)
Image number: C673865Photo by: Karl E. Holland
Ladies sit near the community swimming pool: Fort Lauderdale, Florida (1967)
Image number: C674485Photo by: Karl E. Holland
Hollywood camp on the ocean front: Hollywood, Florida (1950)
Image number: C013526Retirees at the trailer park: Fort Lauderdale, Florida (1963)
Image number: C640346Photo by: Johnson
Source: floridamemory.com