I remember taking the ferry from Rowes Wharf in Boston to Nantasket Beach as a kid. There were dances, performances, and exhibitions at the Alhambra Ballroom; the dinner hall on a bluff overlooking the bay was famed for its Rhode Island shore dinners (steamed clams, clam chowder, lobster, clam cakes, fish, corn on the cob, and watermelon). It was safe and so much fun. Contents. Lincoln Park, North Dartmouth, Ma. While sad, the news contained one ray of hope a final season for nostalgia-filled fans to say goodbye. My first date with my now wife of 38 years was there! Copyright 2021 Retro Roadmap. So many memories of the roller coaster and other rides, as well as swimming at the beach across the street from the park where the water was very cold indeed! I thought the title of the article said New England Amusement Parks. There was a tunnel of love dubbed the Rivers of Venice, an on-site radio station, and of course all manner of roller coasters and other thrill rides. 20 Best Things to Do in New England in March, 10 Best Things to Do in The Spring in New England, 40 Cozy Fireside Experiences in New England, Yankee Magazines Ultimate Guide to Autumn in New England, Yankee Magazines Ultimate New England Winter Guide, Yankee Magazines Ultimate New England Summer Guide, 63 Reasons Why We Love the Cape & Islands, For $14 Million, You Could Own Provincetowns Iconic Lobster Pot Restaurant. Early 50s. I remember riding the Virginia Reel 7 times one night! HOURS: Open Saturdays and Sundays through October 30, 2022, 11am-4pm. Many in Hull remained unconvinced. Not sure what the weather is like where you are, but weve got snow-a-fallin here outside of Retro Roadmap HQ, so instead of going out on the roads, Im looking backward down memory lane via my own photo collection.I figured Id go back as far as I could in my own collection and start with Paragon Park, circa 1984. different name. All I was left with besides a footprint on my backside for not taking more, better photos, when I did have the time, were my memories of having an all day pass discounted by collecting match book covers stapled to my shirt hem and spending the day riding the kiddie cars, the Congo Cruise, the merry go round and more, playing skee ball in the arcade and eating ice cream on a hot summer day. I grew up in The Berkshires and looked forward every summer to making a trip to Mountain Park and stopping at the nearby dinosaur tracks along with way. This was perfect! We had some good times there. The Summer of 1985 seemed like the longest ever, as day by day more and more of Paragon disappeared. Never a fan of ferris wheels but I do recall riding the one at Nantasket on our eighth grade class trip. It was a complicated transaction, as Dodge still was leasing the property from the railroad, and subleased the operation to Stone and Golden. Met my husband at Lake Whalom and we have been married 57 years this year. There was a beautiful picnic area and was home to to the Mountain Park Playhouse for avid theater goers. I remember watching Bea Lillie and Robert Emhardt among others. I still have pictures. I was a lonely kid wandering the park every night, until I Title . Even met my husband. We lived in NH but Fitchburg was where we did a lot of our shopping so in the summer we would stop by Whalom some times. saw this little blond girl my age (10) all alone. The west is the best wind direction. (Water World had room to expand because both of DCs older parks had closed some years before.) Fond memories! Thank you William C. Could you be my brother Billy? Mountain Park in Holyoke, MA! Such wonderful memories of a different time!???? Well friends, you never know whats going to happen because the park never reopened the following season, and when I returned in the summer of 1985 I was greeted with this sad sign: Not only had Paragon Park been permanently shuttered, but I had even missed the public auction of all of the goods from the place. It is now adjacent to the old train station and clock tower. Have you seen the website http://www.paragonparkmemories.com/Index.html ? Whalom Park was a wonderful place for so many in the 60s. Thanks for the article which sent me many, many years back in time. When I heard they were getting rid of the park it broke my heart. Lincoln Park was the highlight of my summer in the early 70s. Bemsons was my other favorite with animals and rides. In Africa, what are the two most common biomes? The Giant Coaster, which was built in 1917 and was removed from the park in 1985, is now known as The Wild One at Six Flags America. I was just remembering visiting Bensons as a kid. Worked there for a while after graduation. My grandparents took me. John- what great evocative memories you have of Hull! It was moved from Nantasket Beach and opened as The Wild One at Six Flags America outside Washington, D.C. back in 1986. No more races. Im so glad I caught the Art Deco lines and colors, as well as a bit of the ski lift ride as well! David Goran is one of the authors writing for The Vintage News But, it was a nice park located conveniently on Route 6 between Fall River and New Bedford. But in the 80s some of my best fun was checking out the abandoned rides of Crescent Park when my grandmother lived in the high rise they built on the land. There was also a small park in or near Whitman, MA cant recall the name that we went to once. It was small. I also remember the Revere Beach Amusements alomng Revere Beach in the 50s and 60s. Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff/File/Globe. There was a coast guard station at lands end and a rather exquisite abandoned nightclub also at lands end. Storyland was good as well. I miss Pleasure Island in Wakefield MA! Yes, cant believe they forgot Norumbega Park!! My sister and I roadtripped there in the early 90s we tried to make it from Massachusetts to Miami but found that the country is much bigger once you get out of the northeast, so we stopped in SC. I remember going to Bensons Wild Animal Farm several times as a youngster. "It has stood the test of time." The Giant Coaster opened at Paragon Park in 1917; at 98 feet tall, it was the tallest roller coaster in the world at the time. About a dozen years later I visited Paragon Park while on spring break from RIT and took a few pictures. Although the park suffered $5 million in damages, the park owner has no doubt of its return. My wife and I had our first date there. I liked Riverside Park in the 70s. I too have fond memories of the place, and even though its a shell of its former self, I cant help but hope it returns to its former glory. The place I remember having the coldest water and almost cramping my toes is Old Orchard Beach in Maine. The Super Screamer was there until 1999. The price of a new ride was now in the millions, and the cost of liability insurance for thrill parks continued to climb. Mountain Park in Holyoke MA has left wonderful memories of class trips and later bringing my children. Dogs are banned from the state-owned Nantasket Beach Reservation from May 1 to September, and a local law change would have no effect on the states rules. I loved the carousel. Salisbury Beach was a once a year treat. Download Go. Is this all about Massachusetts or not? At about the same time, Dodge decided to scale back from running Paragon on a day-to-day basis. If your birthday was in the summer (mine wasnt), a party there was something to anticipate all year. The 25.9-acre amusement park the nation's largest at the time included roller coasters and other rides, games, vaudeville and movie theaters, a funhouse, and a "health center" where premature infants in incubators were put on display. Lots and lots of great memories. Perhaps the most famous attraction at Whalom Park was its 1940 Flying Comet wooden roller coaster, built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, the same outfit responsible for the wooden coasters at Coney Island. DeNoto, who now lives in New York, states in the suit that he took his boy to the park on June 26, 2018 because the lad was finally tall enough to ride the coasters. Glad to know that the Giant Coaster is still around and can be enjoyed by those who have the stomach for it . There were daily parades and a scenic railroad, too. The entertainment at the Palm Garden rivaled that in the city; in fact, Paragon was on the same circuit as Boston theaters and showcased nationally known performers in addition to the in-house song-and-dance troupe. The roller coaster hit speeds of up to 53 miles per hour during a ride of less than 2 minutes. Where is the Paragon Park roller coaster now, given this? Beach was great! Too bad theyre all just sweet memories now. I loved the Giant Coaster and the Congo Cruise. My sons favorite memory is throwing up on the flying swings. It is a warm summer day and Paragon Park is busy with visitors. i miss those days i was took by the state for i was a foster child and never got to say goodbye to my friends schoolmates in hull high or even katie averill my girlfriend at the time, a sad moment for me but as a kid a great way to spend a childhood, delivering the newspapers and even raised the flag at the monument by cumberland farms every morn for the veterans , i was a boy scout in troop 21. oh so many fond memories . New owners took over after Bensons death in 1943, and although the park still drew crowds, it had up-and-down years for the next few decades. We couldnt go often, back then it was a long drive in the older cars. Superman: Tower of Power in Louisville, Kentucky The carousel moved down the block the following spring, by which time the developers had returned with a new plan for a seven-story, 112-unit brick building fronting Nantasket Avenue. Id have the day in the park while my parents and aunts and uncles would sit under the pavilion on a Sunday listening to the polka bands. Ple Mike! The coaster itself was shortened in order to be ready by the Fourth of July holiday, with its final circular turns left off the drawing board in the interest of time. I found this video in my archives! Opened by the Fitchburg & Leominster Street Railway on the shores of Lake Whalom in 1893, Whalom Park would be known as one of the 15 oldest amusement parks in the United States by the time it closed for good in 2000. He is working on a book about the park's history. The developers said theyd received at least 100 deposits from potential condo buyers; evidence, they said, that the market existed for high-rise units overlooking the ocean and the bay. I hope that whatever parks are now available to families offer todays kids memories that they will carry with them into their 70s too. Paragons next major milestones arrived in 1963, when three separate fires swept through the area. The Philadelphia Toboggan carousel was rescued and now operates at Battleship Cove in Fall River. A scenic railway was added in 1900. Beginning with the 1920 season, Stone and Golden took over management of the entire Paragon operation, leasing all of the rides and concessions controlled by Dodge. The person, who has not been identified, was flung about 10 feet out . In this video you will ride the coaster THREE times! I still visit Nantasket when I can, thumbing my nose at the condos and visiting the carousel (PTC #85) that they saved and moved down the street. One bidder paid $25 for the entire lot of rainbow-colored trash cans. When older went with my friends. Loved going to Rocky Point sometimes just for the chowder and clam cakes but always ended up in the amusement park. It put Paragon Park on the map as a must-visit for anyone coming to New England, and was beloved by locals as well. Growing up in Everett,MA I know several of these parks. Crowds dwindled in the 1970s, and the park finally closed following the 1977 season. Paragon park roller coaster on nantasket . Paragon Park in Hull, Ma-Lincoln Park, Dartmouth, Ma. Also, we often went to Jolly Chollys in North Attleboro as well. Our school also had our senior prom there. There was also Acushnet Park in the very south end of New Bedfordnot as big but great Park. sadly lasted only about 10 years. I remember Savin Rock very well. I recall a Western theme park in Northeast CT, named Cowboy Village. True story. growing up in Nashua, it was an exciting and exotic school field trip in the early 70s. The Giant Coaster sat silent, and the undulating tracks looked like the skeleton of a dinosaur carcass, being slowly dismantled and eaten away at by the vultures that couldnt wait to turn the site into a condominium complex. Wish I had more photos from back then, but had no idea the park would be closed. Retro Roadmap Photo Archives- Do These Places Look Familiar To You? Went there as a little kid driving Rt.2 all the way from Hartford. But most significantly, Dodge looked to make an impact with the new and improved park. Even the repeal of Prohibition in 1933 did little to improve things, although the ability to obtain liquor licenses made it manageable. According to the latest fatalities report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in 2005, 52 . In fact, a penny would get you a lot in those days, especially in the penny arcade. ive been in that too by the vfw building on the hill, was so glad to see this site !!!!!!!!!!! More for little ones and still open are Storyland and Santas Village in NH a place families still can enjoy. As I have spent all my 51 summers at Pemberton point at my grandparents cottage, I will never forget spending my summers enjoying the park especially my favorite the roller coaster. I do remember Whalom Park and Bensons Wild Animal farm as well, we took our own children there a few times as well! Flag item for content or copyright It is called the Wild One now. A scaled down replica of a tour around the Holy Land, the premise certainly has promise. It was in Holyoke, MA, I believe. My favorite ride was the wooden roller coaster and enjoyed being an usher at the playhouse. It had a great wooden roller coaster as well as a Ferris Wheel and other attractions. Pleasure Island in Wakefield, Massachusetts. Lincoln Park had an awesome roller coaster. Within a few weeks, Kahn announced that the developers would ride to the rescue and keep the ride operating, either on-site or at a separate location within the towns borders. Boston Public Library/Tichnor Brothers Postcard Collection, Visitors walking the grounds of Rocky Point State Park today may not realize that they are treading on entertainment history, but the reminders are there if you know where to look. Those were the days! Very scary, but such an adventure. The Chicago event introduced the concept of the midway of attractions now common at amusement parks and carnivals (known then as the Midway Plaisance), and inspired the construction of hundreds of enclosed parks across the country, many of which took their names from the White City nickname of the whitewashed buildings that surrounded the Columbian Expositions central lagoon. At 98 feet high with an 88-foot drop, the park's giant wooden roller coaster used to be the world's tallest before the park closed in 1984. They were all fun. I was in 5th grade so spent much of the summer watching the fishing boats come and leave from Pemberton Pier. I remember going on it every summer as a child.such great memories!!! In short, we I really loved Lincoln Park.If youre not you made my morning just for letting me remember Lincoln Park!!! The $6 million roller coaster replaced the Inverter, a ride that was discontinued in 2017 off the main boulevard. Now, it's. Also brought my kids to Mt. War rationing and blackout drills during the 1940s put more strain on the parks operations. I havent thought about that place in years! The sale was set to close in March, only a few weeks away. It remained so until 1925, when it was topped by two feet by the Revere Beach Cyclone just down the road. The centerpiece of the complex a metal track on which riders raced their horses against each other, based on the old English horse race through the countryside, usually with a distant church steeple as the finish line was only part of the show. We moved to Gulf Breeze, FL and several years later they started . Carousel Under the Clock, as it was known, operated as a private business until 1996, when the three businessmen who purchased the ride at the auction decided that they needed to recoup their investment. Who knows, maybe youll reconnect with some of your HS pals! document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This setting should only be used on your home or work computer. What a wonderful and very interesting article about the history of amusement parks in New England. Miraculously, Paragon opened on time for the 1978 season, but not before family matters would complicate the family business. The amount of time the blackberry has been allowed to ripen has an impact on how bitter, Because of its shape, farfalle means butterflies and is commonly referred to as bow tie pasta. I can always remember when we were getting close to the the beach and we would pick-up the scent of the ocean and we could hear the screams coming from the riders on the coaster. I recall going to Storytown in Lake George area now a Six Flags. The atmosphere was always great! A rider suffered head, wrist and ankle injuries on Monday after being ejected from a roller coaster in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. I wonder if anyone remembers the Pine Island Park in NH. Waves are just as likely to come from local windswells as distant groundswells, and the best swell direction comes from the northeast. It was a historic park. These old beach attractions are truly an endangered species. Pleasure Island & Bensons were family favorites. "You can hear cars squeaking and the people screaming," Haraden said in an interview with The Patriot Ledger. There, they would ride The Giant Coaster, a roller coaster that was legendary for being one of the roughest and most intense wooden roller coaster rides of all time. Keep us posted on your book and have a great weekend! Luckily they saved the merry go round and youre able to ride on it still in its new location. My sister was born early on the morning of July 3rd. It was. When it closed a man I knew bought the huge statue of the steer they had and someone else got the elephant. The reason for the hoopla appears to be "Paragon Park: The Musical," co-written by Zoe Bradford and Michael Hammond with music and lyrics by Adam Brooks. The Likelihood of Dying on a Roller Coaster. After the first fire, it was partially redesigned by Herbert Paul Schmeck who worked on its original construction. Within two years, however, the friend needed financial help, and turned to Dodge, who invested in the venture and then launched grander vision of a larger, self-contained amusement park on the vacant land surrounding the Nantasket Steeplechase and the adjacent Old Mill attraction. I still think of it and its thrills in y late 70s. Im now in what you would call the elderly stage of my life (Im almost 77). My Aunt bought a house near back entrance. With the dragon that breathed real fire that you could see from the main Route. Among the most popular attractions of that era was a 500-pound silverback gorilla called Colossus, who was promoted as being among the largest in captivity and once ran for president as a publicity stunt. We were upset we had been looking forward to that ride. The Friends operate the carousel next door to the former railroad station, and in 2013 opened a small museum of Paragon memorabilia. Lincoln Park in Dartmouth, MA, just part of New Bedford, MA! Fire struck again in the fall, destroying the Chateau ballroom at the rear of the park. It ended in the 70s after a series of fires destroyed it. Till I was a teenager lived in Naugatuck CT and lived to ride the wonderful carousel at nearby Lake Quassapaug! Master carousel artisan Charles I.D. For out-of-state visitors, parking at Nantasket Beach will increase from $10 to $15 per day, and $20 per day. Kahn already knew that the towns zoning rules for the park property lacked a key ingredient: a height limit. Chester Kahn, a condominium developer whose summer residence was one block away from the Stones Hull home, floated the idea of turning Paragon into a high-rise condominium complex. In 1987, Bensons Wild Animal Farm was renamed New Englands Playworld Amusement Park and Zoo, but the rebranding didnt help: It closed for good that same year. Founded in 1886 in the Riverside neighborhood of East Providence, Crescent Park thrived for nearly a century. There are over 297 million people in the United States alone that have had the opportunity to ride 1.7 billion different amusement park rides, most of which being roller coasters. Chris Haraden lecture - The History of Paragon Park, Official Site of the Paragon Park Carousel, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paragon_Park&oldid=1135406011, Buildings and structures in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Defunct amusement parks in the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 24 January 2023, at 13:40. For letting me remember lincoln Park in Northeast CT, named Cowboy Village eighth grade class trip 53 per! Warm summer day and Paragon Park is busy with visitors although the ability to obtain liquor licenses made manageable! A beautiful picnic area and was home to to the Mountain paragon park roller coaster death in Dartmouth, MA i know of! Destroyed it this year Holyoke MA has left wonderful memories of a different time!???. 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