 1914 postcard of Central Park | |
| Location | Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°37′20″N075°25′15″W / 40.62222°N 75.42083°W |
| Status | Defunct |
| Opened | 1893 |
| Closed | 1951 |
| Area | 40 acres (0.16 km2) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 25 |
| Roller coasters | 3 |
| Water rides | 1 |
Central Park was an amusement park in the Rittersville section of Allentown, Pennsylvania. It operated from 1893 to 1951.
Central Park's origins date back to 1868, when J. Frank Reichart laid out a race course north of the Allentown-Bethlehem Turnpike at present-day Hanover Avenue in Allentown, Pennsylvania, which opened for trotting and pacing from May to August. In 1872, the Rittersville Park Association was organized. The park was enlarged to 16 acres and became known as Manhattan Park. [1]
When the Allentown and Bethlehem Rapid Traction Company took ownership of the area from Thomas Ritter, it was renamed The Greater Central Park. Included in the park was a zoo with a large collection of animals, including elephants. [1]
On July 2, 1893, the park opened as Rittersville Park, offering 40 acres of walking trails. It was built in a wooded area with picnic groves, walking paths, a few amusements, theaters and food stands. The first rides were a carousel, a toboggan chute, and the "Razzle-Dazzle". [2]
Around 1898, the zoo closed and the owner of the Manhattan Hotel bought two monkeys from the zookeeper. One of the monkeys reportedly set fire to the hotel, though it was rebuilt the same year. The new Manhattan Hotel prospered, as it had one of the largest outdoor theaters in the state at the time. [1]
Central Park hosted family reunions and picnics for businesses, clubs, and churches. A large sandbox, swings, and rides provided amusement for children. Among the events held in the park was the baby parade. [2]
When the Allentown-Kutztown Traction Company completed its trolley line from Allentown to Kutztown in 1899, the company added a stop at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, Central Park's main competitor in the area. [2]
In 1922, the Manhattan Hotel was torn down, and in its place the Manhattan Auditorium was built. An unsuccessful attempt was made in 1933 to establish the first supermarket in this area. It was later used for marathon dancing, auto shows, home shows, and roller skating, among other things. [1]
The park was home to three roller coasters, including Derby Racer (1912-1950), Skyclone (1927-1951), and Sleigh Ride (1924-1951). Derby Racer was designed by John A. Miller and built by Frederick Ingersoll. [3]
In 1946, the park was leased by the Transit Company to a private operator. [2]
The park closed in December 1951, following destruction in several fires, and the land was vacant for nearly a decade.
In the early 1960s, it was sold for real estate development, and the last of Central Park was razed in 1964. A few abandoned concrete footings remain in wooded areas intermixed between clearings and homes and buildings which now exist on the site.
Kennywood is an amusement park which is located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, just southeast of Pittsburgh. The park opened on May 30, 1898, as a trolley park attraction at the end of the Mellon family's Monongahela Street Railway.
Cedar Point is a 364-acre (147 ha) amusement park located on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. It opened in 1870 and is considered the second-oldest operating amusement park in the US behind Lake Compounce. Cedar Point, which is owned and operated by Cedar Fair, is the flagship of the company's amusement park chain. Known as "America's Roller Coast", the park features 17 roller coasters, which ranks third among amusement parks in North America behind Canada's Wonderland (18) and Six Flags Magic Mountain (20).
Hersheypark is a family theme park in the eastern United States in Hershey, Pennsylvania, about fifteen miles (25 km) east of Harrisburg, and 95 miles (155 km) west of Philadelphia. The park was founded in 1906, by Milton S. Hershey as a leisure park for the employees of the Hershey Chocolate Company. It is wholly and privately owned by Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company. Hersheypark has won several awards, including the Applause Award.
Knoebels Amusement Resort is a family-owned and operated amusement park, picnic grove, and campground in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. Opened in 1926, it is the United States's largest free-admission park. The park has more than 60 rides including three wooden roller coasters, three steel roller coasters, a 1913 carousel, and two haunted house dark rides.
Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC) is one of the oldest existing roller coaster manufacturing companies in the world. Based in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, it was established in 1904 by Henry Auchey and Chester Albright under the name Philadelphia Toboggan Company. The company manufactured carousels, wooden roller coasters, toboggans and later, roller coaster trains.
The following is an alphabetical list of articles on people, places, and things related to Pennsylvania in the United States.
Playland, often called Rye Playland and also known as Playland Amusement Park, is an amusement park located in Rye, New York, along the Long Island Sound. Built in 1928, the 280-acre (110 ha) park is owned by the Westchester County government. Beginning in 2018 the park has been operated under contract by Standard Amusements.
Lakeside Amusement Park is a family-owned amusement park in Lakeside, Colorado, adjacent to Denver. Opened in 1908, it is the oldest amusement park in Colorado still operating in its original location, and is the lone remaining American amusement park to have had the name White City. The park, comprising nearly half of the Town of Lakeside that it was responsible for creating in 1907, features the landmark Tower of Jewels.
The Lehigh Valley is a geographic and metropolitan region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh and Northampton counties in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a component valley of the Great Appalachian Valley bounded to its north by Blue Mountain, to its south by South Mountain, to its west by Lebanon Valley, and to its east by the Delaware River and Warren County, New Jersey. The Lehigh Valley is about 40 miles (64 km) long and 20 miles (32 km) wide. The Lehigh Valley's largest city is Allentown, the third-largest city in Pennsylvania and the county seat of Lehigh County, with a population of 125,845 residents as of the 2020 census.
Idlewild and Soak Zone, commonly known as Idlewild Park or simply Idlewild, is an amusement park in the Laurel Highlands near Ligonier, Pennsylvania, United States, about 50 miles (80 km) east of Pittsburgh, along US Route 30. Founded in 1878 as a campground along the Ligonier Valley Railroad by Thomas Mellon, Idlewild is the oldest amusement park in Pennsylvania and the third oldest operating amusement park in the United States behind Lake Compounce and Cedar Point. The park has won several awards, including from industry publication Amusement Today as the best children's park in the world.
Seabreeze Amusement Park (Seabreeze) is a historic family amusement park located in Irondequoit, New York, a suburb of Rochester, where Irondequoit Bay meets Lake Ontario. According to the National Amusement Park Historical Association (NAPHA), Seabreeze is the fourth-oldest operating amusement park in the United States and the thirteenth-oldest operating amusement park in the world, having opened in 1879. The park features roller coasters, a variety of other rides, a midway, and a water park.
Olentangy Park was a trolley park, a type of amusement park, in Clintonville, Columbus, Ohio, operating from 1880 to 1937.
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is an American amusement and water park located in Dorneyville, Pennsylvania. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, the park features 64 rides, including eight roller coasters, several thrill rides and kiddie rides, as well as a water park, Wildwater Kingdom, with 19 water rides.
Waldameer Park & Water World is an amusement park and water park in Erie, Pennsylvania, located at the base of Presque Isle. Waldameer is the fourth oldest amusement park in Pennsylvania, the tenth oldest in the nation, and one of only thirteen trolley parks still operating in the United States. The park is admission-free, with a midway, and covered picnic facilities. The roller coasters and other major rides require either the display of a paid wristband scanned upon riding, or the use of "Wally Points" on their "Wally Card" system. The water park operates an assortment of water slides and pools, and is admission by fee only. The name "Waldameer" can be translated roughly to "woods by the sea" in German. Waldameer's operating season runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Ramona Park was an amusement park located in the city of East Grand Rapids, Michigan between 1897 and 1955. The Park included a double track wooden roller coaster, a theater pavilion, a ridable miniature railway and boat livery.
The Lehigh Valley Transit Company (LVT) was a regional transport company that was headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The company began operations in 1901, as an urban trolley and interurban rail transport company. It operated successfully into the 1930s, but struggled financially during the Great Depression, and was saved from abandonment by a dramatic ridership increase during and following World War II.
Rocky Glen Park was a trolley park located near Moosic, Pennsylvania. Founded by Arthur Frothingham in 1886 as picnic grounds, it was transformed into an amusement park by engineer and entrepreneur Frederick Ingersoll in 1904. The park featured rides, arcades, and restaurants until its closure in 1987.
Cascade Park is a nature park and former amusement park located in New Castle, Pennsylvania.
The history of Hersheypark begins with the founding of the town of Hershey in 1903. Milton Hershey, The owner of the Hershey Chocolate Company surveyed a nearby area of land, which was to become a leisure park for the employees of his chocolate company. People began visiting the grounds of the future park in 1904 and 1905, while the park's first pavilion was built in the fall of 1905. The park was formally opened on May 30, 1906, when it opened as Hershey Park. The park slowly added rides until 1923, when the first roller coaster, the Wild Cat, was built. From then on, rides were regularly added, except during World War II. The park was redeveloped into Hersheypark in 1970, through a multi-phase project. Since then, it has added ten roller coasters, expanded to over 110 acres, and features many other attractions including shows with sea lions, well-known acts including Weird Al Yankovic and Duff Goldman from Charm City Cakes in the Hersheypark Amphitheater, and a short-lived laser light show.
Savin Rock was an American amusement park in West Haven, Connecticut. It was previously called The White City and was established in the 1870s. The park included a number of roller coasters, other rides and numerous funhouses.
