- Trolley park
In the
United States , trolley parks, which started in the 19th century, werepicnic andrecreation areas along or at the ends ofstreetcar lines in most of the larger cities. These were precursors toamusement parks . These trolley parks were created by the streetcar companies to give people a reason to use their services on weekends. [ [http://www.icewind.net/themepark/h_trolleyparks.htm Midway Plaisance-Trolley Parks] . Retrieved 4 August 2007] These parks originally consisted of picnic groves and pavilions, and often held events such asdance s,concert s andfireworks . Many eventually added features such asswimming pool s,carousel s,Ferris wheel s,roller coaster s, sports fields, boats rides, restaurants and other resort facilities to becomeamusement park s. Various sources report the existence of between 1500 and 2000 amusement parks in the United States by 1919. cite book | last =Adams | first =Judith A. | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =The American Amusement Park Industry: A History of Technology and Thrills | publisher = Twayne Publishers | date =1991 | location =Boston | isbn =0805798218 ]Coney Island
One such location was
Coney Island inBrooklyn, New York where a horse drawn street car line brought pleasure seekers to the beach beginning in 1829. In 1875, a million passengers rode the Coney Island Railroad, and in 1876 two million reached Coney Island. Hotels and amusements were built to accommodate both the upper-classes and the working-class. The firstcarousel was installed in the 1870s, the first "Switchback Railway" in 1881. It wasn't till 1895, that the first permanent amusement park in North America opened:Sea Lion Park atConey Island inBrooklyn, New York . This park was one of the first to charge admission to get into the park in addition to sell tickets for rides within the park.In 1897, it was joined by
Steeplechase Park , the first of three major amusement parks that would open in the area. George Tilyou designed the park to provide thrills and sweep away the restraints of the Victorian crowds. The combination of the nearby population center of New York City and the ease of access to the area made Coney Island the embodiment of the American amusement park. Often, it is Steeplechase Park that comes to mind when one generically thinks of the heyday of Coney Island, but there was alsoLuna Park (opened in 1903), andDreamland (opened in 1904). Coney Island was a huge success and by year 1910 attendance on a Sunday could reach a million people.Trolley parks decline
By the early 1900s, there were hundreds of amusement parks, many of them starting as trolley parks, in operation around the world. Every major city boasted one or more parks, often based on (or named) Coney Island, Luna Park, Dreamland. This began the era of the “golden age” of amusement parks that reigned until the late 1920s. This was an era when the number of hours worked was reduced, while the amount of disposable income was rising. The amusement parks reflected the mechanization and efficiency of industrialization while serving as source of fantasy and escape from real life.
With the increasing number of
automobile s in use, urban trolley parks gradually declined due to lack of parking and changing demographics in the urban areas. Although the automobile provided people with more options for satisfying their entertainment needs, amusement parks that were accessible by car continued to be successful and new parks were developed. It was urban trolley parks which saw declining attendance. By the end of the 1920s, amusement parks were to suffer steep declines for various reasons, and particular due to theGreat Depression .List of trolley parks
*Bonnie Brae Park,
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
*Bushkill Park,Easton, Pennsylvania [ [http://www.bushkillpark.com/ BushkillPark.com] ]
*Camden Park,Huntington, West Virginia . Opened in 1903
*Canobie Lake Park ,Salem, New Hampshire [ [http://www.canobielakepark.com/ CanobieLakePark.com] ] Seed, Douglas, & Khalife, Katherine (1996). Salem, NH. Volume II - Trolleys, Canobie Lake, and Rockingham Park, Images Of America. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-0438-5.]
*Chevy Chase Lake, formerly inChevy Chase, Maryland
*Chutes Park ,Los Angeles, California
*Contoocook River Amusement Park, formerly inConcord, New Hampshire [ [http://www.ci.concord.nh.us/trails/trails/concordv2.asp?siteindx=C50,50,60,10 concord.nh.us] ]
*Crescent Park,Riverside, Rhode Island
*Dixieland Amusement Park, South Jacksonville (Jacksonville), Florida. South Jacksonville Municipal Railways. Destroyed in a hail storm.
*Glen Echo Park, formerly inGlen Echo, Maryland
*Great Falls Park (operated by Washington and Old Dominion Railway), formerly in Great Falls,Virginia
*Idora Park ,Oakland, California 1904 - 1929
*Idora Park, Youngstown ,Ohio 1899 - 1984
* Iowa Trolley Park,Clear Lake, Iowa [ [http://www.iowatrolleypark.org IowaTrolleyPark.org] ]
*Indian Park,Montoursville, Pennsylvania cite web |url = http://www.montoursville.k12.pa.us/MASD/MontHistory/narrative/narrative1.htm | title = Narrative: Montoursville's history presented by chapter | accessdate = 2007-05-02 | author = Don King | publisher = Christopher Garneau ]
*Kennywood , inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1898 - present
*Lake Compounce ,Bristol, Connecticut
*Luna Park, formerly inArlington County, Virginia
*Manawa Park,Council Bluffs, Iowa . Closed in 1928.
*Midway Park, Maple Springs,New York [ [http://www.midway-park.com/ midway-park.com] ]
*Mountain Park, Holyoke, Massachusetts
*Norumbega Park ,Newton, Massachusetts
*Oaks Amusement Park ,Portland, Oregon .May 30 ,1905 - present
*Olentangy Park , formerly inColumbus, Ohio
*Paxtang Park ,Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
*Pine Island Park, formerly inManchester, New Hampshire [ [http://www.rcdb.com/pd973.htm RCDB.com] ]
*Playland,San Francisco, California 1927-1972
*Ponce de Leon Park ,Atlanta, Georgia [ [http://www.southernspaces.org/contents/2008/toton/1a.htm southernspaces.org] ]
*Quassy Amusement Park ,Middlebury, Connecticut [ [http://www.quassy.com/ Quassy.com] ]
*Riverhurst Park,Weston Mills, New York
*Rock City Park, Allegany, New York
*Seabreeze Amusement Park ,Rochester, New York 1879 - present
*Suburban Gardens ,Washington, D.C.
*Vanity Fair,East Providence, Rhode Island
*Waldameer Park ,Erie, Pennsylvania
*West View Park ,West View, Pennsylvania
*Whalom Park ,Lunenburg, Massachusetts "Coasting to a stop at Whalom Park", The Boston Globe (Boston, MA), October 19, 2006, Jenna Russell]
*Willow Grove Park ,Willow Grove, Pennsylvania .May 30 ,1896 - 1976.References
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