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Honeymoon Island is one the finest state
parks in Florida, but from 1940 to the end of 1941, it was an
exotic destination for newlyweds courtesy of Clinton Washburn, who
purchased the island in 1938. The Dunedin Historical Museum’s
new exhibit on the history of Honeymoon Isle is open from now to
Dec. 31.
A honeymoon on the island in 1940 was very
different from the luxurious ones that honeymooners plan today.
Back then, couples would stay in the classic “little grass
shack” with the basic furnishings (when you are in love, what
else do you need?). No gourmet dining either, as whatever their
husbands caught fishing, the wives cooked on the hotplates provided
in the huts. During Honeymoon Isle’s heyday, there were 50
grass shacks along with a community center, a mess hall, a chapel
and a bath/shower facility. More than 250 couples began their
married life there until World War II brought an end to the
“Dreamland.”
Publicity was spread about Honeymoon Isle
by newsreel and Life magazine, and couples desiring to stay there
for a two week honeymoon had to meet three requirements: they had
to arrive in the Dunedin area within three days of their wedding;
they had to have three character references; and, they had to send
a picture of themselves.
Washburn chose the honeymooners, met them
at the Fort Harrison Hotel, then whisked them off to Dunedin where
they would meet the boat to the island (no Dunedin Causeway then).
Fishing, boating, shell collecting, sports, contests and evening
bonfires with sing-alongs were the kinds of activities planned for
the couples.
The museum’s exhibit includes
photographs and artifacts from this little slice of time in
Dunedin’s history, as well as the Life magazine articles,
vintage home movies and interviews of former honeymooners. Also
included in the exhibit is a replica grass shack that gives
visitors an idea of how times were just before World War II.
The museum is located on Main Street in
downtown Dunedin, just off the Pinellas Trail. Hours are 10 a.m.-4
p.m. Tues.-Sat. For more information or for group reservations,
call 727-736-1176.
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