Rocky Point Amusement Park

Infobox Amusement park
name = Rocky Point


location = Warwick
location2 = Rhode Island
location3 = United States flagicon|USA
address =
phone_numbers =
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opening_date = 1840
closing_date = 1995
season =
rides =
coasters =
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homepage = The Rocky Point Amusement Park was a highly popular landmark on the Narragansett Bay side of Warwick, Rhode Island. It operated from the late 1840s until its close in 1995. The following year, the park filed for bankruptcy.

Creation and early years

Rocky Point was an idea first thought of by Captain William Winslow in the 1840s. By 1847, he had purchased a portion of the land and began to offer amusements and serve dinner. In 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes became the first president to use the newly-invented telephone when he made a short eight-mile call from Rocky Point to Providence. [ [http://www.rockypointmovie.com Website for "You Must Be This Tall"] ]

Height of popularity

From the 1950s through the 1980s, Rocky Point Amusement Park was the most popular attraction in Rhode Island. It featured rides such as the Skyliner, Corkscrew Loop Roller Coaster, Log Flume, and the Freefall (similar to the identically named ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain), which fell 13 stories at 55 MPH.

Final years

In the early 1990s, Rocky Point's financial situation became shaky. The privately-held company that owned the park began to lose money as it attempted to keep the park up to date. Critics accused the company's shareholders of trying to wring every last penny out of the park. Rocky Point closed in 1995, then reopened briefly in 1996 as a farewell to patrons. Rides such as the Flume and Corkscrew were sold in an auction and are now in use at other amusement parks. [ [http://www.rockypointmovie.com Website for "You Must Be This Tall"] ]

Post-business era, vandalism

After the Rocky Point land was purchased for $8.5 million in 2003, the park's main building, known as the "Big House", was hit by vandals who lit it on fire on September 2, 2004. Police said the fire was suspicious, because the building had no electricity at the time.

Another fire started on October 16,2006 around 11 a.m., this time in an executive building on the waterfront. Smoke could be seen billowing up more than 2,000 feet in the air from miles away. Police reported no injuries in either fire. It is unclear if this fire was caused by arson.

On May 7, 2007, demolition of the remaining midway officially began with a press conference at the park. Prior to this, a handful of stands and minor buildings had already been demolished. [ [http://www.projo.com/ri/warwick/content/ROCKY_POINT_05-08-07_3P5I4SF.33a81dd.html# It’s the end of the line for beloved Rocky Point] ]

On September 7, 2007, a documentary film about the park titled "You Must Be This Tall: The Story of Rocky Point Park" had its world premiere at the Stadium Theatre in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. The film, which is available on DVD, garnered a five-star review from "The Providence Journal" and played to a sold out crowd of 1,100 people. [ [http://www.projo.com/movies/content/lb_rockypoint_09-07-07_0J70FO3.1efae6f.html Providence Journal Review] ]

In February 2008, the city of Warwick secured a federal grant to purchase about half of the 82 acres remaining of Rocky Point Park, including much of the view of the bay. [ [http://rockypointpark.org/2008/03/24/good-news-for-rocky-point/ Good News for Rocky Point] ] The city officially took title to 41 shoreline acres of the former park in August 2008. [ [http://www.projo.com/ri/warwick/content/WB_war_rocky_final_08-14-08_1VB7EUK_v9.3e82264.html] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.joenisil.com/rockypoint/index.htm Archived pictures of park history]
* [http://www.rockypointmovie.com Website for "You Must Be This Tall"]

ee also

List of amusement parks in New England
List of defunct amusement parks
Amusement ride