Trolley park

Trolley park

In the United States, trolley parks, which started in the 19th century, were picnic and recreation areas along or at the ends of streetcar lines in most of the larger cities. These were precursors to amusement 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 as dances, concerts and fireworks. Many eventually added features such as swimming pools, carousels, Ferris wheels, roller coasters, sports fields, boats rides, restaurants and other resort facilities to become amusement parks. 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 in Brooklyn, 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 first carousel 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 at Coney Island in Brooklyn, 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 also Luna Park (opened in 1903), and Dreamland (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 automobiles 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 the Great 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 in Chevy Chase, Maryland
*Chutes Park, Los Angeles, California
*Contoocook River Amusement Park, formerly in Concord, 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 in Glen 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, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1898 - present
*Lake Compounce, Bristol, Connecticut
*Luna Park, formerly in Arlington 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 in Columbus, Ohio
*Paxtang Park, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
*Pine Island Park, formerly in Manchester, 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


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Trolley park — Aux États Unis, les trolley parks émergèrent au XIXe siècle. Ces lieux de détentes et de récréation étaient placés aux terminus des lignes de transports en commun des grandes villes (tramway, trolleybus, ...) Ils furent les premiers parcs de… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • trolley park — noun a) a recreational area at the end of a streetcar line b) a holding area for supermarket trolleys …   Wiktionary

  • trolley — [ trɔlɛ ] n. m. • 1893; mot angl., de to troll « rouler » 1 ♦ Dispositif composé d une perche fixée au véhicule et d un organe mobile de contact, servant à transmettre le courant d un câble conducteur (⇒ caténaire) au moteur d un véhicule.… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Park \x26 Market (estación del tranvía de San Diego) — Park Market (estación del tranvía de San Diego) Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Park Market …   Wikipedia Español

  • Trolley dodger — was a pejorative term of Manhattanites for residents of Brooklyn, New York from the late 19th century to the middle of the 20th century. The term, relating to Brooklyn s preponderance of trolley lines, is the basis of the name of Major League… …   Wikipedia

  • Park Extension — (Parc Extension in French) is a neighbourhood in the city of Montreal, Quebec. It is located in the borough of Villeray–Saint Michel–Parc Extension and has a population of 35,000 and an area of 1,6 km². The name derives from the fact that it is… …   Wikipedia

  • Park Row (BMT station) — Park Row was a major elevated railway terminal constructed over the New York end of the Brooklyn Bridge, across from New York City Hall in Manhattan that served as the terminal for BMT services operating over the Brooklyn Bridge from the BMT… …   Wikipedia

  • Park Square, Rhode Island — Park Square is a village located on Rhode Island Route 146A in North Smithfield and Woonsocket, Rhode Island.Park Square was originally the site of Oak Knoll Farm and the area contained only a diner, a gas station, an amusement park, a trolley… …   Wikipedia

  • Park Inn Pulkovskaya Hotel St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg) — Park Inn Pulkovskaya Hotel St. Petersburg country: Russia, city: St. Petersburg (South Moscovskiy Prospect) Park Inn Pulkovskaya Hotel St. Petersburg Location Approximately 20 minutes by road and metro from central St. Petersburg. There is a… …   International hotels

  • Idora Park, Youngstown — For another park of the same name in Oakland, California, see Idora Park. Idora Park (1899–1984) was a northeastern Ohio amusement park popularly known as Youngstown s Million Dollar Playground. Built by a streetcar company, the Youngstown Park… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”