 Whalom Park, circa 1915 | |
| Location | Lunenburg, Massachusetts, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°34′32.02″N71°44′47.64″W / 42.5755611°N 71.7465667°W |
| Status | Defunct |
| Opened | 1893 |
| Closed | September 4, 2000 |
| Slogan | For a Whale of a Time! |
| Operating season | Open Year Round |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 25 |
| Roller coasters | 1 |
| Water rides | 1 |
Whalom Park was an amusement park located on Lake Whalom in Lunenburg, Massachusetts, that operated from 1893 to 2000. The site was redeveloped into a 240-unit apartment complex. [1]
Whalom Park was established in 1893 by the Fitchburg & Leominster Street Railway as a traditional, English-style park of gardens and walking paths. [2] At the time of its last day of operations in 2000, Whalom was known as the 13th oldest amusement park in the United States, [3] as well as the second-oldest trolley park in the world. [4] The park had been in continuous seasonal operation for 107 years. [5]
The "Flyer Comet" wooden roller coaster was one of the park's best-known rides. Most remaining structures at the park, including the Flyer Comet, were demolished in October 2006 to make way for development.
| Name | Manufacturer | Year Added | Year Removed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whalom Park Carousel | Looff [6] | 1914 [2] | 2000 [7] | Featured 2 Looff Sea Dragons. [6] [7] Broken up at auction April 15, 2000 [7] |
| Ferris wheel | Eli Bridge | 1950s | 2000 | |
| Flyer Comet | Philadelphia Toboggan Company | 1940 [2] [6] [8] | 2006 [2] | |
| Flying Scooters | Bisch Rocco | 1950s | 2000 | |
| The Looper [6] | Allan Herschell | 1967 | 2000 | AKA: The Hamster Cages. [6] Despite common belief, this ride was not purchased by Knoebels; Knoebels purchased theirs from a traveling carnival. |
| Octopus | Eyerly Aircraft Company | 1967 | 1986 | Parts of this ride were still sitting in back of the maintenance shop when the park closed in 2000 |
| Paratrooper | Frank Hrubetz & Company | 1963 | 2000 | |
| Roto-Jets | 1964 | 2000 | ||
| Giant Slide | 1969 | 2000 | ||
| Satellite Jets | Kasper Klaus | 1961 | 2000 | Originally located at Mountain Park in Holyoke, MA, a similar former trolley park which closed in 1987. |
| Scrambler | Eli Bridge | 1968 [8] | 2000 | |
| Sea Dragon | Chance Morgan | 1963 | 2000 | |
| Tilt-a-whirl | Sellner Manufacturing | 1958 | 2000 | |
| Tumble Bug | Traver Engineering | 1967 | 2000 | Sold To Edaville Railroad but never assembled. Sold as scrap metal in 2010. |
| Turnpike | Streco | 1959 | 1990 | Replaced in the early 1990s by two Honda go-karts due to maintenance issue, Honda go-karts were in the park until the park closed in 2000. |
| Train Ride | Iron Horse Company by Allan Herschell | 1960s | 2000 | Sold |
| The Whip | W.F. Mangels | 1920s | 2000 | the ride when it first opened was outside in 1920s but in 1957 they added a canopy to the ride and it stayed there till 2000 when the ride was removed. |
| Yo-Yo | Chance Morgan | 1962 | 2000 | |
| Skating Rink | 1906 [8] | 2006 [2] | ||
| Arcade | 1960s | 2000 | The Building that held the arcade was originally the park's Candle Pin Bowling alley. | |
| Funhouse | 1955 | 1970 | ||
| Ball Room | 1933 [9] | 2002 [5] [10] | Destroyed by arson, March 2, 2002. [5] [10] | |
| Silly Savage | 1964 | 2000 | Silly Savage was one of the park mascots at Whalom Park; he was a lion with a top hat. | |
| Super Chick | 1980s | 2000 | Another mascot. | |
| Simon Looneybear | 1969 | 1985 | Another mascot. Black bear. | |
| Wally Whalom | 1950s | 2000 | Wally Whalom was also a mascot at the park, but unlike Silly Savage and Super Chick in costumes, he was a clown. | |
| Barnaby, The Walking Talking Puppet | 1960s | 2000 | Barnaby was a puppet who gave shows to guests around the park. | |
| Whalom Park Center Stage | 1969 | 2000 | The Whalom Park Center Stage was an outdoor theater for shows that attracted guests. | |
| Kiddieland | 1963 | 2000 | Kiddieland was a section of the park for younger children where there were rides designated for younger kids and a small theater for puppet shows. | |
| Whalom Park Cafe Restaurant | 1940 | 2000 | There was a sit down restaurant called "Whalom Park Cafe" in the park besides the other food stands that were inside Whalom Park. | |
| Mini Golf Land | 1959 | 2000 | Mini Golf Land was a miniature golf course that was located near The Whip | |
| Picnic groves | 1893 | 2000 | The picnic groves had picnic tables and a pavilion, and a small playground. The picnic tables were sold at auction. | |
| Go Carts | 1980s | 2000 | Sold | |
| Waterpark | 1983 | 2000 | Whalom Park had its own waterpark with waterslides in it. | |
| Pirates Den | 1950s | 1981 | it was a dark ride with pirates-themed scenes and special effects in 1981 it got destroyed by a fire so they never rebuilt it got replaced by a new flat ride called Luv Machine. | |
| Luv Machine | 1983 | 1980s | a flat ride that replaced the pirates den dark ride it got removed because of declining popularity and maintenance issues it got replaced by new Kiddieland. |
The music video for the song "Touch and Go" by The Cars was shot at Whalom Park in 1982. [11]
There were two versions of the jingle:[ citation needed ]
First Version
Second Version
In 2006, Whalom Park was fully demolished and in 2010 was redeveloped into a 240-unit apartment complex. [12] In a nod to the former amusement park, the street within the complex was named Carousel Lane. The development, which was initially called Emerald Place was sold in 2022 for $76M and rebranded as Arrive Lunenburg. [13]
In 2023, the New Whalom Cooperative, a consumer co-op dedicated to the preservation of the Whalom amusement park past, present, and future, [14] hosted a "Whalom Park Experience" pop-up event at Doyle Field in Leominster, Massachusetts. In partnership with Manuel Amusements, the three-day July 2023 event featured rides such as a scrambler, swings, carousel, slide, and four kiddie rides with games including skeeball and balloon chance games. [15]
List of amusement parks in New England
List of defunct amusement parks
Amusement ride