Eldora Park

Last updated

Eldora Park was an amusement park that opened in 1901 in Eldora, Pennsylvania. It survived for three decades before closing from poor economics and declining attendance.

Contents

Eldora Park was located in the Black Diamond area of Carroll Township between Charleroi, Donora and Monongahela in Washington County. It was on the Pittsburgh Railways Company's interurban trolley that ran from Roscoe to Pittsburgh. It was a popular location for outings for mine worker unions, schools, community associations, and for family reunions.

The park had a merry-go-round, a roller coaster, a motion picture tent called the Electric Theatre, slides, swings, picnic tables, a restaurant, and a dance pavilion.

The park's Figure Eight roller coaster is believed to have been designed by Frederick Ingersoll, a native Pittsburgher who designed, built, and operated a roller coaster at Kennywood Park called the Figure Eight [1] and opened Luna Park, Pittsburgh in 1905.

The popularity of Eldora Park's amusement park declined in the 1920s, while the dance hall continued to host big bands through the 1930s. Lawrence Welk, Frank Lombardo, and The Golden Gate Five (a popular local band) were among the headliners. Steve Woodward, Guy Moffitt and Tom Sloan were financial backers credited with building the park on property formerly owned by the Wickerham family, one of the pioneer families in the area. [1]

The Depression, World War II, declining ridership on the trolley, and interest in other forms of entertainment, are all credited with the park's demise.

The dance hall was used as a roller skating rink before the park closed in the 1940s.

The park was chartered to the Charleroi Girl Scouts in the mid 1940s and used as a day camp called Camp Charwood into the 1970s. After camp sites (10'x12' railed tent platforms) were built in the woods on the property, Charwood also saw overnight camping through at least the late 1960s. Great Hall, as the dance hall was then called, was also used by the Girl Scouts for roller skating and, in bad weather, for various other activities.

Noteworthy events

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kennywood</span> Amusement park in Pennsylvania

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 16 roller coasters, which ranks third among amusement parks in North America behind Six Flags Magic Mountain (20) and Canada's Wonderland (18). Cedar Point's normal operating season runs from early May until Labor Day in September, which is followed by weekend-only operation through Halloween during an annual event known as HalloWeekends. Other amenities and attractions featured within the park include a one-mile-long (1.6 km) beach, an outdoor water park named Cedar Point Shores, an indoor water park named Castaway Bay, two marinas, and an outdoor sports complex called Cedar Point Sports Center.

Nickelodeon Universe is the name of two indoor amusement parks located at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota and American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with a third location under construction at the Mall of China in Chongqing, China. The parks consist of attractions and rides based on Nickelodeon’s popular franchises. The amusement parks are owned and operated by the Triple Five Group with licensing rights from Paramount Global, which owns Nickelodeon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oaks Amusement Park</span> Amusement park in Portland, Oregon

Oaks Park is a small amusement park located 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south of downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. The park opened in May 1905 and is one of the oldest continually operating amusement parks in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Six Flags Great America</span> Amusement park in Gurnee, Illinois

Six Flags Great America is a 304-acre (123 ha) amusement park located in Gurnee, Illinois, within the northern Chicago metropolitan area. The amusement park originally opened as Marriott's Great America on May 29, 1976, as one of two theme parks built by the Marriott Corporation. Six Flags acquired the amusement park in 1984 after the theme park division was an earnings disappointment for Marriott. The sale gave Six Flags rights to the Looney Tunes intellectual properties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kentucky Kingdom</span> Amusement park in Louisville, Kentucky

Kentucky Kingdom, formerly known as Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, is an amusement park in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The 67-acre (27 ha) park includes a collection of amusement rides and the Hurricane Bay water park. Kentucky Kingdom is located at the intersection of Interstate 65 and Interstate 264, sharing a parking lot with the Kentucky Exposition Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batman: The Ride</span> Roller coasters at seven Six Flags parks

Batman: The Ride is an inverted roller coaster based on the DC Comics character Batman and found at seven Six Flags theme parks in the United States. Built by consulting engineers Bolliger & Mabillard, it rises to a height of between 100 and 105 feet and reaches top speeds of 50 mph (80 km/h). The original roller coaster at Six Flags Great America was partially devised by the park's general manager Jim Wintrode. Batman: The Ride was the world's first inverted roller coaster when it opened in 1992, and has since been awarded Coaster Landmark status by the American Coaster Enthusiasts. Clones of the ride exist at amusement parks around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coney Island Cyclone</span> Wooden roller coaster at Luna Park

The Cyclone, also called the Coney Island Cyclone, is a wooden roller coaster at Luna Park in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City. Designed by Vernon Keenan, it opened to the public on June 26, 1927. The roller coaster is on a plot of land at the intersection of Surf Avenue and West 10th Street. The Cyclone reaches a maximum speed of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) and has a total track length of 2,640 feet (800 m), with a maximum height of 85 feet (26 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loch Ness Monster (roller coaster)</span> Steel roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg

Loch Ness Monster is a steel roller coaster located at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia. Manufactured by Arrow Development and designed by Ron Toomer, it was the first roller coaster in the world to feature interlocking loops. The roller coaster was opened within the park's Scottish hamlet, Heatherdowns, on June 2, 1978, and relates to the legend of the Loch Ness Monster. The roller coaster reaches a maximum height of 130 ft (40 m), with a maximum speed of 60 mph (97 km/h), and a total track length of 3,240 ft (990 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phantom's Revenge</span> Roller coaster at Kennywood

Phantom's Revenge is a steel hypercoaster located at Kennywood amusement park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, United States. It originally opened as Steel Phantom in 1991, featuring the fastest speed and longest drop of any roller coaster in the world. Its second drop is longer than its first, which is a unique characteristic among roller coasters. Manufactured by Arrow Dynamics, the ride was later modified and renovated by D.H. Morgan Manufacturing for the 2001 season when it reopened as Phantom's Revenge. The drop and track length were both increased, and its four inversions were removed, allowing the removal of its uncomfortable over-the-shoulder restraints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SooperDooperLooper</span> Looping roller coaster at Hersheypark

SooperDooperLooper is a steel roller coaster at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States. Designed and manufactured by Anton Schwarzkopf, the roller coaster opened to the public on May 8, 1977. SooperDooperLooper is located in The Hollow section of the park and cost more than $3 million to construct and build. The roller coaster reaches a maximum height of 70 feet, with a maximum speed of 45 miles per hour (72 km/h), and a total track length of 2,614 feet.

Paxtang Park is a current trailhead area in East Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and Paxtang, Pennsylvania, and former 40-acre (160,000 m2) trolley park. It originally existed from 1823 to 1929 between Derry Street and Paxton Street along Spring Creek and has reopened since 2020. The original park contained two roller coasters, the Coaster Flyer and the Jack Rabbit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indianola Park</span>

Indianola Park was a trolley park that operated in Columbus, Ohio's University District from 1905 to 1937. The amusement park was created by Charles Miles and Frederick Ingersoll, and peaked in popularity in the 1910s, entertaining crowds of up to 10,000 with the numerous roller coasters and rides, with up to 5,000 in the massive pool alone. The park was also the home field for the Columbus Panhandles for half of a decade. In the 1920s, new owners bought and remodeled the park, and it did well until it closed at the end of the Great Depression.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luna Park, Cleveland</span> Former amusement park in Cleveland, Ohio

Luna Park was a trolley park in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, from 1905 to 1929.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White City (Chicago)</span> Defunct amusement park in Chicago

White City was a recreational area located in the Greater Grand Crossing and Woodlawn community areas on the south side of Chicago from 1905 until the 1950s. At the time of its opening, on May 26, 1905, it was claimed to be the largest park of its type in the United States. It contributed to Chicago's status as the city with the most amusement parks in the United States until 1908. It eventually introduced the world to the Goodyear Blimp, which was first assembled at the park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luna Park, Pittsburgh</span> Amusement park

Luna Park was an amusement park in the North Oakland neighborhood of the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, from 1905 to 1909. Constructed and owned by Frederick Ingersoll, the park occupied a 16 acre hilly site bounded on the south by Atlantic Avenue and on the west by North Craig Street, and included roller coasters, picnic pavilions, carousels, a fun house, a Ferris wheel, a roller rink, a shoot-the-chutes ride, a concert shell, a dance hall, bumper cars, and a baby incubator exhibit. In its brief existence, the park featured regular performances of bands, acrobatic acts, animal acts, horse riders, and aerial acts.

Frederick Ingersoll was an American inventor, designer, builder and entrepreneur who created the world's first chain of amusement parks and whose manufacturing company built 277 roller coasters, fueling the popularity of trolley parks in the first third of the twentieth century. Some of these parks and roller coasters still exist today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mid Mon Valley Transit Authority</span>

The Mid Mon Valley Transit Authority is a public transportation service that is located in Washington County, Westmoreland County, and a small portion of Fayette County in Pennsylvania. It provides inter-city bus and paratransit service to select communities within the area.

Shady Grove Park was a trolley park in Lemont Furnace, Pennsylvania. It still operated as a campground and public pool for many years until 2012, when the pool was closed, and the current status of the park and campground is listed as permanently closed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steel Curtain (roller coaster)</span> Roller coaster at Kennywood

Steel Curtain is a steel hypercoaster located at Kennywood amusement park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, United States, near Pittsburgh. Manufactured by S&S – Sansei Technologies, the coaster reaches a height of 220 feet (67 m) and features nine inversions, including a 197-foot (60 m) corkscrew that is the world's tallest inversion. Themed to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the roller coaster is named after the Steel Curtain, the nickname for the Steelers' defensive line during the 1970s.

References

  1. 1 2 Paglia, Ron. Eldora Park was big part of area's history. Tribune-Review, December 3, Retrieved on March 1, 2016.
  2. ↑ Mon Valley History: Carroll Township, Washington Co. from The History of Washington County, Earle L. Forrest, 1926.
  3. ↑ Beautiful Eldora, The Daily Independent, March 24, 1904, http://NewspaperARCHIVE.com, Retrieved on April 27, 2008.
  4. ↑ Objected to the Sign, The Daily Independent, July 10, 1905, http://NewspaperARCHIVE.COM, Retrieved on May 18, 2008.
  5. ↑ The Daily Independent, December 4, 1962.
  6. ↑ You Can't Afford to Miss This: Gertrude Breslau Hunt (advertisement), The Daily Independent, September 23, 1911, http://NewspaperARCHIVE.com, Retrieved on May 18, 2008.
  7. ↑ "Mother" Jones Scores West Va. Coal Barons, The Charleroi Mail, June 6, 1913, http://NewspaperARCHIVE.com, Retrieved on May 25, 2008.
  8. ↑ Lawrence Welk and Orchestra at Eldora, The Daily Independent, June 3, 1939, http://NewspaperARCHIVE.com, Retrieved on May 18, 2008.
  9. ↑ Local Girl Scouts Lease Eldora Park, The Charleroi Mail, May 3, 1946, http://NewspaperARCHIVE.com, Retrieved on May 18, 2008.
  10. ↑ Charwood Day Camp Will Open Tomorrow, The Charleroi Mail, June 23, 1947, http://NewspaperARCHIVE.com, Retrieved on May 18, 2008.

40°10′37″N79°53′28″W / 40.177°N 79.891°W / 40.177; -79.891

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.