Miami Serpentarium-Founded by Bill Haast
Posted by: 
Markerman62
N 25° 39.145 W 080° 19.797
17R E 567254 N 2837362
Located in front of the Pinecrest Town Center on US 1 in Pinecrest.
Waymark Code: WM11KRA
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 11/08/2019
Views: 3
The Miami Serpentarium, an early Florida roadside tourist attraction, was once located on this site. Operating from 1946 to 1984, the Serpentarium drew as many as 50,000 annual visitors. Founder Bill Haast put on five shows a day in a white lab coat, extracting venom to sell for scientific experiments. The self-described "poster boy for the benefits of venom" briefly operated a bona fide cancer research laboratory on the property and before invention of the Salk vaccine pursued a cobra venom treatment for polio. Having developed immunity from 172 poisonous snakebites, the "snake man" donated blood to many snakebite victims. Haast died at the age of 100 in 2011.
Marker Number: None
Date: None
County: Miami-Dade
Marker Type: City
Sponsored or placed by: Village of Pinecrest
Website: Not listed
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