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History · Marineland

Marineland dates to 1938, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 3 buildings. Below: maps from 1943 on and the census since 1950.

1938founded
1on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Marineland began

When was Marineland founded?

1938

Marineland dates its founding to 1938 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1950.

First census: 9 in 19502020 census: 1588 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1940.The full story ↓

What stands out about Marineland’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Marineland are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost two-thirds of its people between 1980 and 2000, then more than doubled.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Marineland’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Marineland’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Marineland, census by census

0196019802000202031 in 1980Low: 6

Lost two-thirds of its people between 1980 and 2000, then more than doubled.

8 censuses, 1950–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Marineland’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Marineland came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Marineland.

Read it all →

Marineland was founded when Marineland Dolphin Adventure opened on June 23, 1938, as "Marine Studios", a facility designed for Hollywood filmmakers to create underwater footage for motion pictures and newsreels. Popularly known as the "World's First Oceanarium," Marine Studios was the premier destination to allow the general public to experience marine life up-close. The town was officially incorporated as a municipality in 1940.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Marineland, 1938 to 1980

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1938
    FoundingMarineland is established
  3. 1940Post officeThe Marineland post office opens
  4. 1943On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1947Post officeThe Marineland post office closes
  6. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 31
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Marineland on the map, 1943 to 1970

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Marineland. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Marineland on the 1943 USGS mapMarineland on the 1956 USGS mapMarineland on the 1970 USGS map1943Matanzas sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Marineland.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Marineland

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
1986
Marine Studios
Marine Studios
Districts
Marine StudiosDistrict

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Marineland had its own post office from 1940 to 1947.

Marineland
1940–1947
19401980today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Marineland’s history

What year was Marineland founded?

In 1938, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Marineland’s post office opened in 1940, and the census of 1950 counted 9 people here.

What is on the National Register in Marineland?

One place: the Marine Studios (listed 1986).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.