Flag item for content or copyright I did not know that, thanks Larry! It was 1971. 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. That was wicked cool when you were a kid. 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. A great park for a day trip with the family. Does ANYONE remember the giant blue slide that was down next to the clock where they moved the Carousel too? Theyve got a Facebook page too a great place for everyone to gather and share their memories of the park and fun times there. We could ride the rides all day. I liked Riverside Park in the 70s. According to a Washington Post article from that time, it was purchased at auction for just $28,000. but still good memories. Let us know in the comments below! Somewhere I have an old B&W photo of tiny little me looking up at an elephant in awe. A teenager was decapitated by a roller coaster after he hopped a pair of fences and entered a restricted area Saturday at Six Flags Over Georgia, authorities said. Traveled from CT many times in my childhood. Youd once drive into Hull on George Washington Boulevard and watch the horizon for the rising coaster in the distance; now, its a monstrous condo building. I wonder if anyone remembers the Pine Island Park in NH. One of the most intriguing to me is Holy Land, USA in Waterbury, CT. Its one of those in-between places that some might say doesnt belong on the list because its being, well, you might say resurrected. I have a 24 doll won by my aunt at the Nantasket beach, the doll has no markings, but has the tag still stapled on the voil dress she has on, the tag said won at Luckys Nantasket beach park . The Likelihood of Dying on a Roller Coaster. Loved the elephant ride at Benson Animal Farm. Growing up, Paragon Park, a small amusement park in Hull MA just across from Nantasket Beach was my idea of the ultimate place to go, and wed hopefully go there once a summer if we were lucky. A rider suffered head, wrist and ankle injuries on Monday after being ejected from a roller coaster in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The Great Blizzard of 1978 put the park under six feet of water as the Atlantic Ocean and Hull Bay converged on the Hull peninsula and left a wake of destruction. But most significantly, Dodge looked to make an impact with the new and improved park. It remained on the site for a short time after the closing, a hulking ghost of the parks past. My Dad was. Long time ago. Is this all about Massachusetts or not? I loved Rocky Point. Thanks for addding your history to the thread of Paragon Park. And I can still hear the excited screams of the daring roller coaster riders now. What about Pine Island Park, In Manchester, NH? Willard's Whizzer, Marriott's Great America Amusement Park, 1980. Fires twice damaged the coaster, in 1932 and 1962. Unfortunately it was replaced by a Six Flags. Paddle boats ! As I remember it was not a very large park, or maybe I didnt get to see it all.But memories are still there. This makes the second fatal accident at an amusement park this year. Jim- thanks so much for sharing your fond memories of Paragon Park with the RetroRoadmap readers! I never liked to see animals who were unable to have some freedom from confinement. \r\rDo you remember hearing the clicking of the cars as they climb to the top? He was the manager and operator of the Green Streak roller coaster in Paragon Park located in Nantasket Beach, Massachusetts. During the 1930s, part of the Giant Coaster was rebuilt and a brightly colored Art Deco main entrance was erected in 1937. Romantic Totem Pole with sofas next to table lamps, and one time, the Spike Jones Band. It will be interesting to see if in time enough energy is generated that can bring this park back. I believe Lake Compounce still there. Paragon Park was an amusement park located on Nantasket Beach in Hull, Massachusetts. We were just in Hull last week and reliving fond memories of Paragon- totally remember the Himalaya! I had my first kiss on that ride, and a night Retro Roadmap creator, vintage road trip lover, photo taker, musician's wife and hostess with the mostess! Worked there for a while after graduation. I cant believe they didnt have Lincoln Park listedthat place was the best! Then we started aging and before we knew it Savin Rock as we knew it was gone, but not forgotten. Very interesting about the Amusement Parks/brings back childhood memories. and I will never forget the day July 2, 1952 when we (my brother and I and cousins) were getting ready to go on the kiddie roller coaster when we suddenly had to leave. This magazine should also research Savin Rock which was in West Haven, CT good history. Nothing like Paragon Park has ever before been seen near than Luna Park at New York, The Boston Globe enthused, referencing the world-famous amusement center at Coney Island.George A. I remember thinking that day that I would come back and photograph the place right, and get some good shots as there were rumors that the park would close after the next season. Im now in what you would call the elderly stage of my life (Im almost 77). Mountain Park in Holyoke, MA where I grew up. 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 had so many old photos of me so young with families and cousins srbthede park, Canobie is still open, far as I could tell, Canobie Lake Park is definitely not closed. In 1916, park owner George A. )And I grew up in Holden, so, yes Whalom Park. This was a Great deal $ ! Over the winter, Stone and Golden began working on how they would secure the continuation of Paragon. Within two seasons, however, Paragon was falling short of its financial projections, Eastern Parks investors wanted to abandon the concept. Married and lived there myself. As one of the most historic and popular highways in North America (and dare we say the world), Route 66 has gone through a series of changes since its inception in 1926, going from . A scenic railway was added in 1900. Many years back the classic shore dinners in a pavilion over the water made it famous. No one riding on the roller coaster was injured, Sheth said. Each week, it seemed, brought a new development proposal. If your birthday was in the summer (mine wasnt), a party there was something to anticipate all year. This post was first published in 2020 and has been updated. 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. We went with another family. 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. Photo: Rich Koppelman. Anybody know anything?!!! Ghosts of Paragon Park 1971. My Park in Holyoke, MA. Take a ride down Memory Lane! But, it was a nice park located conveniently on Route 6 between Fall River and New Bedford. Of the parks you describe, I visited Rocky Point and Bensons Wild Animal Farm as a child. Paragon Park opened to the public on Saturday, June 10, 1905, transforming Nantasket Beach for the better part of the 20th century. Kids ride tickets were only 15 cents . My wife and I had our first date there. Savin Rock Amusement Park in West Haven, CT, How about the old boardwalk at Revere Beach, Pleasure Island in Wakefield,Ma The Kiddie Ranch Rte 1 Saugus, Ma. 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). Contents. Roller skating, rides, swimming even a boat that gave rides around the lake. As a South Shore kid I really miss Paragon Park in Hull MA (Nantasket Beach). The doll has to be from the fiftys because my aunt died, and she was 81 when she died in 1992. 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. I also remember Bensons fondly . Who makes these lists? We lived in Rockland when I was very young and could see that often. SUMMER - Open six days a week during the summer (closed Tuesdays). The worst came in 1930, when a car on Omaha, Nebraska's Big Dipper roller coaster fell 35 feet to the ground, killing four and injuring 17. There was also a small park in or near Whitman, MA cant recall the name that we went to once. Among the amusement rides in operation during Paragon Park's history was a traditionalstyle Philadelphia Toboggan Company carousel (PTC 85) with handcrafted horses, a bumper cars ride known as . Here are 10 Disney movies that we think would make particularly great theme park rides, whether it be a dark ride, flume ride, or rollercoaster. Loved Kings Castle land as a fun place to take my grandson when he was young. An Ohio woman who passed out while riding a roller coaster at a southern Indiana theme park later died at a local hospital, a coroner said. Luckily they saved the merry go round and youre able to ride on it still in its new location. Dodge assembled a group of investors to form the Eastern Park Construction Company and leased several acres from the railroad company. At the very last minute, it would make a sharp turn to keep everyone dry. By the time the flames were extinguished, the Green Streak was a shambles, as was the signature front entrance and much of the park facing Nantasket Avenue. Very scary, but such an adventure. In addition to the amusement parks there were shows (I remember seeing Loretta Lynn and others) and they also had auto races on Saturday nights. White City was the bestthe whole family would go on a Sunday afternooncousins, aunts and uncleswhat a blast! I remember those rides at White City and that airplane ride over the lake scared the bejesus out of me ! Your story brought back many memories. Theres a Facebook page called Paragon Park Memories- maybe if you post it there someone else may remember it as well good luck! Billed as a miniature worlds fair, the 10-acre park built by the Eastern Park Construction Company was, in fact, fashioned in the image of an actual fair the Worlds Columbian Exposition of 1893. I remember Savin Rock with a fond passion. A roller coaster in Japan known for its "super death" acceleration to triple-digit speeds was reportedly shut down after riders suffered serious bone fractures. Ple 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. Many made the pilgrimage to photograph the park for the last time, and members of the American Coaster Enthusiasts visited to see the Giant, at one time the worlds tallest coaster, before it met its fate. Salisbury Beach was a once a year treat. All three suffered an electric shock, fatal to both Haithcoat and Robertson. It was dismantled and completely rebuilt down in Maryland. 2023 www.patriotledger.com. Part of its track bed would later be incorporated into the footprint of the amusement park. 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. The midway featured games of skill and chance and performances by Hugo Zacchini, aka the Human Projectile. My dad worked there. Great memories. If youre on Facebook you might enjoy this page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Paragon-Park-Memories/103289636409972?sk=wall, Or its sister website: http://www.paragonparkmemories.com/. When it closed a man I knew bought the huge statue of the steer they had and someone else got the elephant. It was designed and constructed by the Philadelphia Toboggan Co., which later built the park's carousel that remains in Hull. Never a fan of ferris wheels but I do recall riding the one at Nantasket on our eighth grade class trip. I remember Savin Rock very well. Mountain Park in Holyoke was my favorite, my cousins and I would go there when they visited from Acton. Googling Pleasure Island Massachusetts will yield many fan sites as well as old and new information, not the least of which is a Friends of Pleasure Island website. The first major fire at Paragon struck in 1911, leveling all of the buildings from the entrance south along Nantasket Avenue to what would become Park Avenue. Like Lincoln Park, the land on which Paragon Park was situated is now the site of condominiums. He loved the junior rollercoaster! Went there as a little kid driving Rt.2 all the way from Hartford. He is working on a book about the park's history. It put Paragon Park on the map as a must-visit for anyone coming to New England, and was beloved by locals as well. Me toonear 77, remember Bensons fondly==I was born and raised in Webster Mass.-I still have a scarf, pik with horse on it that says Bensons Wild animal park on it. Since the middle of the nineteenth century, Nantasket Beach has been a popular summer vacation destination for city dwellers. Wonderland itself was inspired by the massive Worlds Fair exhibits that had been an international sensation since the mid-19th century. Jankovic was riding "The Voyage" roller coaster on June 4 when she became "unresponsive," the theme park said in a Facebook post. Games manager Myron Klayman, the brother-in-law of owner Phyllis Stone, was a selectman in Hull at the time of the storm, and recalled serving dual roles in helping the town clean up from the disaster while also directing crews at his employer. David Goran is one of the authors writing for The Vintage News The Lynn Shore and Nahant Beach Reservations will be charged the same new fees. It was. Loved Whalom park took several girlfriends there. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Disneyland, 2003. Not only did I grow up in Hull, I worked at Paragon Park from 15 to 19 (1965 to 1969). In 1931, David and Rose Stone created the Paragon Park Operating Company to hold their ownership interest and shield it from creditors. My sons favorite memory is throwing up on the flying swings. I lived in Leominister and took the bus to whalom Park on Saturdays. Great place. It would be two years before Stone and Golden would be able to assume full control of the park, canceling the lease that had been signed in 1919 and making improvements to the fire-ravaged amusement center. I remember a vacation my family took in Misquamucut RI , in maybe 1957 . Paragon Park on Nantasket Beach in Hull, MA has to be the most beloved old amusement park in New England and one of the top 10 in the country. The amusement park closed in 1994 and sat abandoned for years before its remains were finally demolished out of concern for public safety. 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. Keep us posted on your book and have a great weekend! It was where the class went after graduation of Grammar School in 56 too we also would go to the speedway. When you were at the very top, you would head downhill so fast that it looked like you were going to end up in the water. He also would own the row of storefronts along Nantasket Avenue from the front entrance northward to Fascination, although to most observers, the separation was not noticeable. Canobie Lake was where out Sr HS class had an unofficial Senior Day. Wish I had more photos from back then, but had no idea the park would be closed. Im so glad I caught the Art Deco lines and colors, as well as a bit of the ski lift ride as well! I havent thought about that place in years! also Nantasket Beach. sadly lasted only about 10 years. Roller Coaster Death: Five amusement park deaths that will shock roller coaster fans 1. 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