Space City USA

Last updated
logo from 1963 booklet SpaceCityUSA.jpg
logo from 1963 booklet

Space City USA was a planned theme park near Huntsville, Alabama. Located adjacent to Lady Ann Lake between Huntsville and Decatur, the $5 million (at the time) project was planned starting in 1959 as "Time World". Construction began in 1963 but the project was abandoned three years later, before the park could be opened. [1] (The park property is now inside the Madison and Huntsville city limits.) Built around a space travel theme, popular at the time, theming also included "Lost World" with dinosaur models, a simulated moon colony, a "Land of Oz", and an Old South section. [2] [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limestone County, Alabama</span> County in the United States

Limestone County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 103,570. Its county seat is Athens. The county is named after Limestone Creek. Limestone County is included in the Huntsville, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madison County, Alabama</span> County in Alabama, United States

Madison County is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 388,153, making it the second-most populous county in Alabama. Its county seat is Huntsville. Since the mid-20th century it has become an area of defense and space research and industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottsboro, Alabama</span> City in Alabama, United States

Scottsboro is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Alabama, United States. The city was named for its founder Robert T. Scott. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city is 15,578.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huntsville, Alabama</span> City in North Alabama, US

Huntsville is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is the county seat of Madison County with portions extending into Limestone County and Morgan County. It is located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madison, Alabama</span> City in Alabama, United States

Madison is a city located primarily in Madison County, near the northern border of the U.S. state of Alabama. Madison extends west into neighboring Limestone County. The city is included in the Huntsville Metropolitan Area, the second-largest in the state, and is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The population was 56,933 at the 2020 census. Madison is bordered by Huntsville on nearly all sides with some small unincorporated lands within Madison in Madison and Limestone counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huntsville International Airport</span> Airport in Alabama, US

Huntsville International Airport is a public airport and spaceport ten miles southwest of downtown Huntsville, in Madison County, Alabama, United States. The FAA has designated the Huntsville International Airport as a Re-entry site for the Dream Chaser, a spaceplane operated by Sierra Space to make reentries from Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

Space Shuttle <i>Pathfinder</i> Space Shuttle test simulator

The Space Shuttle Pathfinder is a Space Shuttle test simulator made of steel and wood. Constructed by NASA in 1977 as an unnamed facilities test article, it was purchased in the early 1980s by the America-Japan Society, Inc. which had it refurbished, named it, and placed it on display in the Great Space Shuttle Exhibition in Tokyo. The mockup was later returned to the United States and placed on permanent display at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, in May 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Von Braun Center</span> Arena in Alabama, United States

The Von Braun Center is an entertainment complex, with a maximum arena seating capacity of 9,000, located in Huntsville, Alabama. The original facility debuted in 1975 and has undergone several significant expansions since its opening. In addition to the arena, the VBC complex features multiple exhibit halls, a concert hall, a playhouse, a music venue, and several additional facilities for meetings and exhibitions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Alabama</span> Region in Alabama

North Alabama is a region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Several geographic definitions for the area exist, with all descriptions including the nine counties of Alabama's Tennessee Valley region. The North Alabama Industrial Development Association also lists Cherokee, Cullman, Franklin, and Winston counties in the region. The Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association expands the definition further to include Blount, Etowah, and Marion counties.

<i>The Birmingham News</i> Newspaper published in Birmingham, Alabama

The Birmingham News was the principal newspaper for Birmingham, Alabama, United States in the latter half of the 20th Century and the first quarter of the 21st. The paper was owned by Advance Publications and was a daily newspaper from its founding through September 30, 2012. After that day, the News and its two sister Alabama newspapers, the Press-Register in Mobile and The Huntsville Times, moved to a thrice-weekly print-edition publication schedule.

Alabama's 5th congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in Alabama, which elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives. It encompasses the counties of Lauderdale, Limestone, Madison, Morgan and most of Jackson. It is currently represented by Republican Dale Strong, a former Madison County Commissioner. Strong was first elected in 2022 following the retirement of Republican incumbent Mo Brooks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernst Stuhlinger</span> German-American scientist

Ernst Stuhlinger was a German-American atomic, electrical, and rocket scientist. After being brought to the United States as part of Operation Paperclip, he developed guidance systems with Wernher von Braun's team for the US Army, and later was a scientist with NASA. He was also instrumental in the development of the ion engine for long-endurance space flight, and a wide variety of scientific experiments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dallas Mill</span> United States historic place

Dallas Mill was a manufacturer of cotton sheeting in Huntsville, Alabama, United States. The first of four major textile mills in Huntsville, the mill operated from 1891 until 1949, before it was converted for use as a warehouse in 1955 and burned in 1991. The village, constructed to house workers and their families, was incorporated into the city in 1955. The mill and its mill village are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Huntsville Times was a thrice-weekly newspaper published in Huntsville, Alabama. It also served the surrounding areas of north Alabama's Tennessee Valley region. The Times formerly operated as an afternoon paper, but moved to mornings years after The Huntsville News ceased publication. It was published by The Huntsville Times Company, Inc., a subsidiary of Advance Publications, Inc. The paper was first acquired by Advance's founder, Samuel Newhouse Sr., in 1955. The Times is a sister paper to two other Advance-owned publications within Alabama, The Birmingham News and the (Mobile) Press-Register.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huntsville meridian</span>

The Huntsville meridian begins on the northern boundary of Alabama, in latitude 34° 59′ 27" north, longitude 86° 34′ 16″ west from Greenwich, extends south to latitude 33° 06′ 20″ north, and governs the surveys in the northern district of Alabama.

The Von Braun Astronomical Society is a society of amateur and professional astronomers dedicated to education and public outreach on behalf of astronomy based in Huntsville, Alabama, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Governors Drive</span> Road in Huntsville, Alabama

Governors Drive is a major east–west thoroughfare in Huntsville, Alabama. It follows U.S. Route 431 (US-431) in east Huntsville and State Route 53 (SR-53) in west Huntsville. Governors Drive is one of the main entrance points to the city from the east, carrying on average approximately 48,000 vehicles a day across Monte Sano Mountain.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Huntsville, Alabama, USA.

Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, U.S.A., Inc. (MTMUS) is a joint venture automobile manufacturing factory in Huntsville, Alabama, United States owned by Japanese automobile manufacturers Mazda and Toyota.

Heinz Hilten was a German-American architect and member of the "von Braun rocket team." He was a later Operation Paperclip hire and was involved in the design of numerous buildings in Space Age-era Huntsville, Alabama, both for NASA and for general use.

References

  1. McCarter, Mark (February 18, 2015). "Huntsville's Space City USA: Failure to launch a history lesson for Shoals theme park developers?". The Huntsville Times . Huntsville, AL: Advance Publications . Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  2. Storey, Deborah (March 18, 2012). "Space City, amusement park proposed in 1960s, was never completed". The Huntsville Times . Huntsville, AL: Advance Publications . Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  3. Hollis, Tim (1999). Dixie Before Disney: 100 Years of Roadside Fun. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi. ISBN   1578061180.

34°39′57″N86°43′26″W / 34.665829°N 86.723893°W / 34.665829; -86.723893