The Rainbow Bridge adorned the main entrance to Fairyland at Lowry Park. To us as kids, it meant we were finally at the park and a fun time was not long in coming. The staircase extending backward from the top of the rainbow led to the entrance of Fairyland where you could enjoy a visit with Mother Goose and her family of storybook characters, such as Humpty Dumpty, the Three Little Pigs, and the Old Woman who lived in a Shoe. Other entertaining attractions were Sheena, the trained elephant, and her chimpanzee friend, Cleo.

This rare photo shows the original Lowry Park sign, made by John F. Cinchett. The photo was taken at the 1961 dedication ceremony of the park. Left to right are John F. Cinchett, Parks Director Frank Neff, Tampa Mayor Julian Lane and Gen. Sumter Lowry, Jr. Photo courtesy of John V. Cinchett, author of "Vintage Tampa Signs & Scenes."

Original Fairyland at Lowry Park Brochure - Click each to enlarge
Brochure images provided by John V. Cinchett

Rainbow bridge to Fairyland, circa 1957
Photo courtesy of Yvonne Colado

The slide at Fairyland, circa 1957
Place your cursor on the photo to see lower left portion enlarged, Humpty Dumpty exhibit
Photo courtesy of Yvonne Colado

Keith Hawks and a popular kid at Lowry Park, 1967

Lowry Park History

Lowry Park was named in 1925 in honor of Dr. Sumter L. Lowry, a city commissioner who persuaded the city to purchase the property for a public park in 1918. Tampa's zoo, which began as an animal shelter in Plant Park on the banks of the Hillsborough River near downtown in 1937, consisted of a small collection of indigenous animals such as raccoons, alligators and an aviary with a variety of exotic birds. As the collection grew, the animals were moved to the more centrally located park at Sligh Ave & North Blvd. in 1957, by Mayor Nick Nuccio, where it was maintained by Tampa's Parks Department.

In 1960, General Sumter L. Lowry, Jr. gave the Zoo its most prominent exotic animal, Sheena, an 18-month-old Asian elephant. This event provided the impetus for expanding and diversifying the animal collection. As the collection continued to grow through the 1970s, the need to upgrade the habitats and present the animals in natural settings became an issue fully embraced by the Tampa Bay community, which resulted in the formation of an organization dedicated to building a first-class zoological garden.

Sumter L. Lowry, Jr. was a prominent Florida businessman and insurance company executive. He was a long time member of the Florida National Guard and took part in that organization's service on the Mexican border in 1916, followed by service in Europe for the First World War, and in the Pacific for the Second World War.

Along with Lieutenant General Albert H. Blanding, he was one of the national founders of the American Legion. Lowry rose to the rank of Lieutenant General upon retiring from the Armed Forces of the United States and ran for governor in 1956, losing to LeRoy Collins.

Lowry Park at Wikipedia

Read about the history of Lowry Park Zoo

One day in 1960, a man approached Gen. Lowry and asked him to buy an elephant. Lowry asked "Why should I". The man said "because the children of Tampa have never seen one." Sumter agreed to buy it, but only on the condition it could be here by Christmas. He asked, "Where is this elephant?" "Well, India." was the reply.

Sheena was the first elephant to fly in a jet.

Baby Sheena giving Donna Ringer and hitchhiker Suzie the chimp a ride, circa 1965.

Photo provided by Rick Ringer

Sheena, 1986
by Joyce Parkerson

Bronze  4’ x 5’
Lowry Park Zoo

This bronze elephant is located at the entrance to the Asian domain within the Lowry Park Zoo, and is intended to serve as a memorial to Baby Sheena, an elephant who was donated to the Zoo by Sumter L. Lowry in December, 1960. Lowry intended Sheena to be a gift to the children of Tampa, who, in 1960, had not been exposed to elephants in a local setting. Sheena died in Jan. 1986 in an African Lion Safari in Canada where she was sent to wait out the zoo renovations, and this artwork was installed as a visual remembrance of her in 1987.
 

Seen here around 1975 sporting a fresh red, white & blue paint job to celebrate the USA's upcoming bicentennial, for many years the drab, gray plane served as a unique "jungle gym" for adventurous kids with a yearning to climb something.  After the plane was removed, it was relocated to the St. Pete air museum (which was basically an outdoor parking lot of old planes.)  The museum, which was located by the St. Pete-Clearwater airport and the old 94th Aero Squadron restaurant, eventually fell into disrepair and closed. The aircraft were moved (dumped) in a field off of Hwy 17 south of Ft. Meade FL. Some have been moved to the MAPS Air Museum, Akron Ohio to be restored for museum display.

P2V-2 Neptune Navy bomber
Click thumbnail photo to enlarge

A proud young lady pushing her baby cousin in his stroller

This 1962 photo gives a glimpse into the whale's mouth at Fairyland, revealing an aquarium with plants and fish.

Chapter 1 gives a good view of the original Lowry Park sign and surrounding neighborhood, including the intersection of Sligh Avenue and North Blvd.

Chapter 2 shows the seals in the seal pool enclosure, the trained animal show by Bill O'Harris with baby elephant Sheena and chimpanzee Suzie, and occasional views of the audience .  Various parts of Fairyland can be seen in the background, and children are shown posing on Sheena with Suzie behind them.

Chapter 7 shows the playground and possibly and animal shelter, the sprint car go karts, Suzie the chimp and trainer Bill O'harris,

Safety Village

A short distance away from Lowry Park was Safety Village, USA, where youngsters learned traffic safety under the supervision of the Tampa police and firemen.

At right, a miniature replica of the Tampa Police Dept. when it was located at 1710 North Tampa Street.

Photo courtesy of David Fox

Above: A local band at the Police Station, 1966

    Left:  Tampa's City Hall at Safety Village, 1966
    The Go-Karts were discontinued due to
    accidents and frequent maintenance.

Safety Village/Kids City bites the dust