My family has deep ties to Marion County Florida and the Silver Springs State Park located just north of Ocala, Florida. The history of the Ray family in Silver Springs is closely tied to the rise of Florida’s early tourism industry and the transformation of Silver Springs into one of the most famous natural attractions in the United States.
My great-grandfather, Walter Carlye Ray was one of the founders and creators of Florida’s first major theme park. His granddaughter, Marguerite Morton Ray, is my mother who has shared so many important insights over the years about our family’s involvement at Silver Springs.[1]
The central figure in our family’s history is Walter Carlyle Ray, commonly known as Carl Ray. Born in Georgia in 1893, Ray moved with his family to Marion County, Florida, during the late nineteenth century. He grew up in the rural community of Martel near Ocala and later became involved in lumber, construction, and business ventures.
After serving as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War I, Carl Ray returned to Florida and entered into partnership with William Manassas Davidson, better known as “Shorty” Davidson. In 1924, the two men leased much of the land surrounding Silver Springs and began transforming the area into a modern tourist destination.
Their work fundamentally changed the history of Silver Springs. While tourists had visited the springs since the nineteenth century, Ray and Davidson modernized the attraction by expanding the famous glass-bottom boat operations and developing zoological exhibits and attractions. They further revolutionized guerilla marketing by promoting the site nationally through aggressive advertising campaigns.
Carl Ray handled much of the business and operational side of Silver Springs, while Davidson specialized in publicity and promotion. Their partnership survived the Great Depression and helped establish Silver Springs as an internationally known destination.
The Ray family side of my has remained deeply connected to the attraction for decades. Carl Ray’s son, often referred to as “Buck” Ray (W. C. Ray Jr.), later became general manager of Silver Springs. Another family member, my maternal grandfather, William R. Ray Sr. (“Bill” or “Blue” Ray), also became associated with the attraction and tourism operations.
Under their management, Silver Springs became one of Florida’s premier tourist attractions long before the rise of Walt Disney World.
By the early 1960s, Silver Springs attracted roughly 1.5 million visitors annually and was considered the most visited tourist attraction in Florida. In 1962, Ray and Davidson sold the attraction to ABC-Paramount for millions of dollars, marking the end of family control over the springs.
Carl Ray died in 1966, but his influence on Florida tourism endured. In 2016, both Ray and Davidson were posthumously inducted into the Florida Tourism Hall of Fame for their role in building modern tourism in Florida.
Silver Springs itself became internationally famous through films, underwater photography, television productions like Sea Hunt, and the iconic glass-bottom boats. Much of that success traces directly back to the entrepreneurial vision of my great-grandfather Carl Ray and my maternal Ray family’s long stewardship of the attraction.
I am grateful for the legacy that my mother’s family created for so many generations of Floridians and people from all across the United States here in Central Florida.
BIBLIOAGRAPHY
Cook, David. The Way It Was: Volume Two.: Volume Two. Victoria, Canada: Friesen Press, 2022.
Cook, David. The Way It Was: Volume One. Victoria, Canada: Friesen Press, 2018.
Knight, Marian, and Robert Rizzo. Silver Springs: The Liquid Heart of Florida. Cody, WY: WorldCrafts Press, 2020.
Martin, Richard A. Eternal Spring: Man’s 10,000 Years of History at Florida’s Silver Springs. Saint Petersberg, Florida: Great Outdoors Publishing Company, 1966.
[1] https://ocalamagazine.com/looking-back-the-men-who-turned-silver-springs-into-a-national-attraction/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Jeremiah Blocker - HIUS 713 
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