A SUPERB 2004 Marlene Womack article on the history of Bay County's Gulf beaches. http://pcnhhalifax.com/archives/txt/2004/09/05/GOLD0009.TXTDate: Sun 05-Sep-2004


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Local: Beaches defined between 1930 and 1960s

Sunday, September 5, 2004

Beaches defined between 1930 and 1960s

By Marlene Womack

Contributing Writer

mwomack@myway.com

Until 1929 and the construction of Hathaway Bridge, Panama City Beach could be
reached only by a ferry boat ride across the bay or a long, circuitous ride
through the town of West Bay.

During the next three decades, the beaches underwent several small spurts of
growth. But a boom came in the 1960s with the opening of Miracle Strip
Amusement Park and other tourist attractions, which put the beaches on the
map.

The first beach developments on what’s now Panama City Beach date back to the
1930s. They included Long Beach, Panama City Beach, Sunnyside, Laguna Beach
and one or two other small beaches, all independently owned by their
developers.

Long Beach

W.W. Sharpless and Hubert Brown were the original owners of Long Beach. In
late 1929, they purchased the popular Sherman Pavilion at Lands End (the
eastern end of Shell Island) and moved it by teams of mules and oxen to Long
Beach. They had big plans to attract the tourists and the local crowd. But
Sharpless was killed in 1931, and Brown died a short time later.

J.E. Churchwell, a Panama City banker, purchased the 220 acres of Long Beach
property for $10,000 from their widows and John McCall. He developed Long
Beach, adding more cottages, wooden walkways and a deep well.

Panama City Beach

The name, Panama City Beach, can be confusing to some. Most people refer to
the 20-mile strip of stunning white sand and turquoise-hued water between
Hathaway Bridge and Phillips Inlet as Panama City Beach.

But in the 1930s, Panama City Beach was actually a 104-acre piece of land
developed by Gid Thomas of Jackson County and his daughter and son-in-law,
Claudia and Angus Pledger.

They opened the original Panama City Beach on May 2, 1936. It was located at
the west end of Thomas Drive near what’s now the Sunbird Condominiums.

The resort offered a two-story hotel, cottages, a windmill with a water tower
and a 1,000-foot wooden pier. Thomas trucked in loads of oyster shells to make
the sand road more accessible. This beach grew, and many recall the famous
welcoming arch at its entrance.

Some other well-known spots developed prior to World War II included
Sunnyside, promoted and developed by M.E. McCorquodale of Gadsden County;
Laguna Beach, developed by J.B. Lahan of Birmingham, Ala.; the Old Dutch
Tavern; and the Sea Breeze Hotel at the “Y” (south end of State 79).

During the 1930s, the beaches grew slowly. Beach lots were available for $25
to $50, but most people wanted only to visit the beaches and not to purchase
the sand.

World War II

For the most part, World War II halted expansion of the beaches. Hotels and
cottages were commandeered for housing military and shipyard workers. Lookout
towers were constructed every 12 miles. Coast Guardsmen patrolled the beaches
on horseback or on foot with their German shepherd guard dogs looking for
enemy agents to come ashore or surreptitious activity along the beaches.

Edgewater Beach

In 1946, the A.I. DuPont Estate headed by Ed Ball purchased the 300-unit, red
brick Gulf Shores Apartments built as wartime housing the previous year. Under
the name of Wakulla Edgewater, the company refurbished these units and offered
one- or two-bedroom apartments with a living room, kitchen, dining room and a
full-tile bath at reasonable rates. Some of these units also featured air
conditioning and phones in the rooms.

Edgewater attracted the tourists with its paved streets and walkways,
shrubbery, flowers and grass lawns. On the south side of U.S. 98, the complex
maintained a huge beachside parking area for guests and visitors. Besides its
many homes, Edgewater also featured its own grocery stores, bars, other
amusements and Jenkins Drive-In, a year-round dining and dancing center.

Incorporated in 1953

In the middle of the 20th century, people found a changed society — one that
offered more leisure and vacation time. The beaches attracted the local crowds
along with tourists from Alabama and Georgia, who came for a day in the sun
and the surf. Those able to afford beach lots started purchasing them for the
still low price of $50.

About this time, several beach owners began pushing for “bridge-to-bridge
consolidation” and incorporation of the 20 miles or so of the beaches area.
Residents took strong sides with some in favor and others opposed.

When the consolidation effort failed, disputes over closing time and the sale
of liquor on Sundays arose on the different beaches. In 1953, to settle the
controversies, state Reps. J. Ed Stokes and Jack Mashburn created six small
municipalities empowered to make their own laws. They included the original
Panama City Beach, Long Beach, Edgewater Beach and lesser-known places by the
names of Playville, Dutchville and Julia, all along Panama City Beach.

In the 1950s, conditions on the beaches were much different from today.

Not many motels existed on the strip. Some had begun installing air
conditioning. If motel rooms were full or visitors could not afford lodging,
people were permitted to erect tents and sleep on the beach if they desired.

After a day on the beach or out fishing, most tourists were content to sleep
with their windows open feeling the cool, soft breezes from the gulf and
listening to the waves crash on shore. Neon lights or colorful flashing lights
were used to attract tourists to some of the motels. An air-conditioned
waterfront motel with a kitchenette rented for $12 to $14 per night, and
regular units rented for $8.

The Snake-A-Torium attracted visitors year after year, and night clubs and
supper clubs provided live bands and floor shows. Fun-Land featured several
arcades and gift shops.

Soft shoulders

U.S. 98 and Back Beach Road, cut in 1952, still needed improvements. Not many
buildings and businesses existed along them, and deep, loose sand edged these
roadways. After one wrong turn of the wheel on the blacktop, many motorists
found their vehicles mired in sand. They had to dig their way out using
cardboard boxes, wood or anything else they could find for traction.

Beachgoers learned to carry shovels in their cars.

At Long Beach, Churchwell added swings, a merry-go-round, a bowling alley and
skating rink. He also refurbished the casino with a new dance floor, and added
a snack bar and jukebox. This became the popular “Hang-Out,” a favorite of
teenagers.

A 100-day season

These beaches differed from others in Central and South Florida, which catered
to the winter crowd. Here, most beaches and attractions were open only during
the 100-day summer season from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Then hotels, motels,
restaurants and amusements shut their doors until next year.

With the increase of visitors to the beach, some promoters began thinking
about the day they could attract year-round tourists to the beaches.
Churchwell and others began equipping some of their cottages with heating
units and hot water.

Lee Koplin built Goofy Golf, a miniature golf course. Jungle Land and the
Magic Forest lured some of the families. Giant figures such as Sir Loin, a
huge Sphinx, the Abominable Snow Man, a Pirate, the Volcano (which became part
of Alvin’s Magic Mountain) and Angelo’s bull marked several restaurants and
attractions on the beach.

West Panama City Beach

In 1959, several independently owned beaches voted to become part of the town
of West Panama City Beach. This new municipality extended about seven miles,
from east of Laguna Beach to the western side of Edgewater Beach.

West Panama City Beach took in smaller beaches such as Beacon Resort at the
foot of State 79; Betty Lou Beach; Florida Beach; Larkway Villas; Bahama
Beach; Mara Vista Beach; and the Old Dutch Beach area up to Edgewater Resort.

The 1960s

Jimmy Lark, a local builder, enlarged his small amusement park, which had been
constructed after the war. With a few partners, he designed a 2,403- foot
roller coaster, the “Starliner.” John Allen of the Philadelphia Toboggan Co.
built it, and this roller coaster became the fastest and largest on the Gulf
Coast. The price of admission was 25 cents.

Lark added a haunted castle, Ferris wheel, merry-go-round and other rides and
opened Miracle Strip Amusement Park on Memorial Day weekend in 1963.

By then, Long Beach also had its own Ferris wheel, “Tornado” roller coaster,
pop the whip, shooting galleries and other rides. When amusements with Wild
West themes became popular, Petticoat Junction and Tombstone Territory
entertained the crowds, as well “the world’s highest skyride” and the frontier
train ride. Shell shops, a deer ranch and observation tower drew the
vacationers when they weren’t on the beaches.

In the mid-1960s, Cliff Stiles built the first “four-story hotel,” and it
immediately became a tourist destination. Vacationers heard about it and came
to see the first tall building on the beach. The seven-story Fontainebleau was
constructed a few years later. Panama City Beach’s answer to Okaloosa County’s
Gulfarium came with the construction of Gulf World in 1969.

A year later, Long Beach joined old Panama City Beach, West Panama City Beach
and Edgewater Gulf Beach in becoming one municipality called Panama City
Beach.

But today, many of these old amusements are gone because of changing times and
increased property values. Big beach stores, shopping centers and high-rise
condominiums now occupy most of this land.

The Miracle Strip Amusement Park closes forever today. Then the thousands of
teenagers who worked their first job at the Miracle Strip or those who enjoyed
trips to the park through the years will have only their memories.