Wet Willie's Water Slide is one of Austin’s forgotten water parks and waterslides that only old timers know about or those from Generation X might remember. This water park had double slides. Wet Willie's was referred as the best water park next to Flowmotion and Austin Aqua Thrill Way. This waterslide one of the dangerous waterslides that was once in Austin. Wet Willie's Water Slide operated from 1978 to 1983 under the name of Wet Willy’s of Austin Inc.
Austin American-Statesman listed the address for Splish Splash Water Slide listed as 1001 W. Ben White with the phone number being 512-441-8279. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/379173614/)
The land where Wet Willie’s Water Slide was once located was owned by Roberto Flores and David J Moriaty. David J Moriaty leased the land to Wet Willie’s Water Slide beginning in 1977. (Ref: Travis County Real Estate Records, Volume 6599, Page 1498)
Wet Willie's Water Slide was one of the three water parks and waterslides which opened in South Austin in the summer of 1978. The waterslide was on a hillside with a large parking lot out front and was located at the address of 1001 W Ben White Blvd. The water park was also known as Wet n Wild, Wet and Wild, Splish Splash Water Slide, and Wet Willie's Splish Splash. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37959292/south_austin_water_slides/)
Austin American Statesman reported that Wet Willie’s was a franchise owned by Bluebonnet Aquaboggan Inc and Wet Willy's Water Slides, Inc. Austin American Statesman also reported that Wet Willie’s partially owned by Dr. Don Deeds of Georgetown and John Howard of Austin. John Howard was part owner of Wet Willie’s with 2 other people. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/20083354/austin_americanstatesman/)
Wet Willie's Water Slide was designed and constructed using ground level concrete by Galen B. Pellham of Springfield, Missouri in 1978. Geography of the area was conducive to a ground level water slide. Despite being located on a hill, the water park did fairly well sales-wise. The walls were painted gray. It was a double water slide. (Ref: https://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/taro/aushc/00112/ahc-00112.html)
The water slide for Wet Willie's Water Slide was made out of concrete as many waterslide were during the 1970s. The concrete got scalding hot during the summer. Wet Willie’s Water Slide was the biggest of the 3 waterslides that were constructed in 1978. However Wet Willie’s Water Slide was the slowest of those 3 waterslides. 
To be able to ride on this water slide you had to walk up a giant hill. There were no stairs as is the case with other water slide. This water slide was sore of different. When you got to the bottom, you had to walk up a giant hill to ride the water slide again. Wet Willie's had the corner system where those who had 4 corner mats had to leave.
Skaters have gone skateboarding down Wet Willie's Water Slide when it was closed during the winter season. Some have even biked the water slides.
Many remember that Wet Willie's Water Slide was dangerous! Wet Willie's Water Slide was not free of any tragic incidents. There were a series of tragic incidents and accidents that occurred at this water park. More than 3 deaths occurred.
One example of an accident happening at this water park back is in 1978 when someone got severely injured trying to jump the wall of their lane on one of the turns. This incident led the owners to shut down the waterslide for 2 months.
Another example is when someone jumped the curve of the slide, went over the edge, and had died. That person got airborne at a very high altitude and could not be saved. The waterslides were shut down just 2 days later. Repaving work was done on the waterslide to ensure there would be less slickness that way riders would not go airborne.
There was one other incident in late 1978 where a kid was severely injured on one of the slides while attempting to jump the curves. However this incident was reported be accidental. Nobody would insure them after that.
There have been a handful of incidents of people getting flipped on the turns. People would get flipped on one of the turns which led them to go backwards the rest of the way. Some reported having broken bones in several places of their body during these turns and flips. This happened multiple times for some people.
People reported having several injuries after riding both of their water slides. Several people received multiple bruises and scars riding both slides as they were made out of concrete. Many got blisters while going down the slide. The concrete would reach a scalding hot temperature during summer. The hot temperature burned many riders.
Wet Willie's Water Slide was renamed to Splish Splash Water Slide and later reopened in 1980. Austin American-Statesman ran a series of ads sponsoring Splish Splash Water Slide during the summer of 1980. The water slide was just one single water slide with a length of over 1,400 feet. Admission for children under 12 was $3 dollars all day. The owners offered group rates too. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58378813/splish-splash-waterslide/)
David J Moriaty sold some of the land to HOSPITAL CORPORATION OF AMERICA for the construction of a future hospital in 1981. (Ref: Travis County Real Estate Records, Volume 6599, Page 1499)
Splish Splash Water Slide continued to operate as a business under lease agreements. HOSPITAL CORPORATION OF AMERICA would own some of the land Wet Willie's Water Slide had been operating on while the South Austin Community Hospital was being built. South Austin Community Hospital would open later that year. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/379302048/)
The South Austin Community Hospital was built on top of the hill just east of Wet Willie's Water Slide. The trees on the bluff, including the existing vegetation on the lot's southern end, would remain as a buffer and noise barrier. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/379247400/)
The ground breaking ceremony of South Austin Community Hospital was held on the date of Thursday, May 28, 1981. It's took a lot of hard work on the part of people all over Austin. The hospital was now open to the public. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/379247566/)
However misfortune struck again when HOSPITAL CORPORATION OF AMERICA sued Wet Willie's Water Slide for declaratory relief, damages for breach of contract, and attorney’s fees in late 1981. That is what the lawsuit filed against Wet Willie’s was for. Damages. (Ref: Travis County Real Estate Records, Volume 7621, Page 663)
The State of Texas involuntarily ended their Wet Willie's Water Slide franchise and Wet N Wild by an act of tax forfeiture on the date of March 16, 1981 because no one would provide them insurance. That’s why Wet Willie's Water Slide was forced to tax file for forfeiture and later dissolved. (Ref: https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_tx/0004248206)
However Wet Willie's Water Slide continued to operate since they were not independent from Wet Willy's Water Slides, Inc. Dr. Don Deeds and John Howard sold their business to the Missouri based franchise Wet Willy's Water Slides, Inc in 1981 when the original independent Wet Willie's Water Slide was forced to file for tax forfeiture. Wet Willie's Water Slide would continue to operate despite the tax forfeiture and lawsuits. (Ref: https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_mo/00194036)
Another tragedy struck at this water park on July 7, 1981 when 10 to 15 other teenagers were linked together in a "train" on the water slide. A girl named Margaret Pitcher and Shawn Ellis were shot over the edge where the water course takes a left turn. Margaret Pitcher landed on her head on the concrete on the other side. They were not horsing around. They were just going fast and she went over the top. So did the person in front of her. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/379470874/)
[A 16-year-old Crockett High School student remained hospitalized Monday night with a concussion sustained in a weekend water-slide accident. Margaret Pitcher of 1806 Miles Ave. was in stable condition Monday night in Brackenridge Hospital. Police said Pitcher, her 14-year-old brother, Frederick, and "10 to 15" other teenagers were linked together in a "train" on the water slide at Wet Willie's, 1001 W. Ben White Blvd., when the accident occurred Friday. Police said Frederick Pitcher told them his sister was the second person in the "train" and that he was fourth or fifth in line. About halfway down the concrete water course, which customers traverse on mats provided by the operators, the girl and another youth shot over the edge where the water course takes a left turn: "She landed on her head on the concrete on the other side," her father, Fred Pitcher, said. The other youth, identified by police as Shawn Ellis, was unhurt. "They were not horsing around," Pitcher said of his daughter and the other teens. "They were just going fast, and she went over the top. So did the guy in front of her.".]
Nobody would insure them after that. So the owners shut down Wet Willie's Water Slide in early July 1981. Wet Willie's Water Slide would reopen a year later.
Dr. Don Deeds and John Howard sold parts of their business to man named Ralph Rash on March 17, 1982. Wet Willie's Water Slide/Splish Splash Water Slide was renamed to Wet Willie's of Austin, Inc. earlier that year. (Ref: https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_tx/0043037200)
The water slide for Wet Willie's Water Slide had been painted for a special occasion in 1982. Austin American-Statesman reported that the water slide at Wet Willie's Water Slide was being painted in preparation for the traditional 'splash day' which was during Memorial Day. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37966929/wet-willys-water-slide/, Austin American-Statesman Saturday, May 29, 1982)
However Wet Willie's Water Slide would not stay open for very long.
In 1983, someone jumped the curve of the slide and got airborne at a very high altitude. The person went over the edge and died. The whole waterpark closed not too long after that incident. This incident led Wet Willie's Water Slide to be shut down in early 1983. The death of this person, tax forfeiture, various lawsuits, and the new wave of water parks in the area are what killed Wet Willie's Water Slide. It was sad for Wet Willie's Water Slide.
The waterslides were left up for a short time and were used for a short period of time before construction of St. David's South Austin Medical Center (then South Austin Hospital). People used the waterslides to skate and bike on. Skaters have gone skateboarding down Wet Willie's Water Slide when it closed. Some have even biked the water slides. Soon both waterslides were covered with graffiti.
David J Moriaty sold the rest of the land where Wet Willie’s Water Slide was once located to HOSPITAL CORPORATION OF AMERICA on the date of 3/28/1983 in a cash deed for an undisclosed amount of money. (Ref: Travis County Real Estate Records, Volume 8034, Page 267)
In April of 1983, HOSPITAL CORPORATION OF AMERICA had the land cleared for a hospital called St. David's South Austin Medical Center/South Austin Community Hospital (then South Austin Hospital/S.A. MEDICAL CENTER INC) to be built. The water slides were removed afterwards.
The State of Texas involuntarily ended their Wet Willie's Water Slide franchise by an act of tax forfeiture again on the date of February 20, 1984 because no one would provide them insurance. That’s why Wet Willie's Water Slide was forced to file for tax forfeiture and later dissolved. (Ref: https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_tx/0043037200)
Both water slides were bulldozed during an expansion of the hospital. All that remained in 1984 was an empty field of dirt and grass. Dirt and grass were hauled by a dump truck. Grass and dirt were placed over where the concrete slab of the waterslide was. All remnants of Wet Willie's Water Slide were removed by 1985.
St. David's South Austin Medical Center is now located where Wet Willie's Water Slide once was. Only the storage building, pumps, and a water meter remain. The storage building is where the water meter is located and where the slides used to be. The pumps for Wet Willie’s Water Slide are located in the lower part of the parking garage for St. David's South Austin Medical Center.
Wet Willie's Water Slide was located at 1001 West Ben White Boulevard, Austin, Texas, US 78745.
No comments:
Post a Comment