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 . This magazine should also research Savin Rock which was in West Haven, CT good history. The Bat featured cars shaped like bats, suspended below the track. They flew around the 2,456-foot circuit and the coaster utilized two lift hills, each almost 100-feet high. I can almost picture it. But if you are feeling nostalgic, all is not lost: Scenes from Whalom Park were preserved for posterity in the 1982 music video for Touch and Go by the Cars. Cyndinow living in South Jersey but always a New Englander. My parents brought me and I brought my kids. Became engaged watching the submarine races there in 1961. About this Item. Great memories and was able to take my kids to a couple of these growing up. A. Schiff & Associates steel wild mouse roller coaster located at Paragon Park in Hull, Massachusetts, USA. saw this little blond girl my age (10) all alone. They closed long time ago. It put Paragon Park on the map as a must-visit for anyone coming to New England, and was beloved by locals as well. The two men would face their first challenges early in their tenure. All rights reserved. I know it was small compared to others mentioned, Salem Willows was always a blast! Thanks for reviving a special memory! 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. Roller skating, rides, swimming even a boat that gave rides around the lake. Paragon fans were getting used to the idea that there would be no final season. In fact, a penny would get you a lot in those days, especially in the penny arcade. Although the arcades still exist, Salisbury Beach was a favorite growing up. 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. Lets not forget Savin Rock in West Haven CT! Some items, such as the motors and machinery of most rides, arcade games, prize inventory, needed complete replacement, while the buildings themselves needed to be dried out. With the Stones out of town on vacation, disaster duty fell to Klayman. Thanks so much for adding them to the thread here on Retro Roadmap. The park reopens for the season April 6. I grew up there I really do miss it. White City on the shores of Lake Quinsigamond between the Worcester and Shrewsbury linesa wonderful memory. Built in 1917, the wooden roller-coaster stood 98 feet high at its peak and was the tallest roller coaster in the world for eight years until the Cyclone roller coaster was built at Revere Beach. The rest of the site is devoted to condominium development. 1 g per cup Kelloggs Corn, Why do blackberries have such a bitter flavor? )Danny Sordello. A perfect ending to another day in paradise at the shore! Buick Riviera. I remember Lincoln Park. Yes, Mountain Park in Holyoke, MA! Rebecca thanks for visiting Retro Roadmap, and best of luck with your novel. I believe Lake Compounce still there. Format: Dry plate negatives. Dubois County Coroner Katie Schuck said Dawn R.. Fond memories of Nantasket. We were upset we had been looking forward to that ride. Somewhere I have an old B&W photo of tiny little me looking up at an elephant in awe. Within five years, the rail line was abandoned forever. The financial difficulties of the Depression weighed heavily on Paragons operations. A new stone-carved front entrance designed by Hugh Cairns would add elegance to the Nantasket Avenue side. On a dark winter evening homeward-bound in the front passenger seat in our 53 Chevy after Christmas shopping at the Paragon Parks Arcade Bazaar a warehouse-like fluorescent-lit discount toy store in Nantasket Beach my mom told me the heartbreaking truth about Santa Claus. 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 . I loved the Giant Coaster and the Congo Cruise. A 20-year-old man also fell when he attempted to stand up on the coaster in 1934, and a maintenance worker was killed in 1946 after he was struck while working on scaffolding on the coaster. I worked for Larry Stone nights running the red mill and the carousel; and days at funland taking photos at a faux bar Singapore Sams. Had my first date with my future husband at Riverside. Rowes Wharf had the boat to Nantasket Beach. On June 26, 2019, two trains at Cedar Point bumped on the Valravn roller coaster. Savannas, thickets, and forest were the three, Covalent Bonds vs. Ionic Bonds Covalent Bonds vs. Ionic Bonds Ionic Bonds Liquid or gaseous Solid Polarity: Low High So, are all ionic compounds solid, Fiber content in the cereals listed below is low: 1 gram per cup of Cream of Wheat and Malt-O-Meal. Also Lincoln Park in North Dartmouth, MA, where I remember riding the roller coaster 13 times in a row with a friend! In Africa, what three biomes are the most common? Shame on you, lol As for Bensons, they had an enormous elephant you could ride on! The deejays used a trailer, called the Sundeck Studio, which was outfitted with broadcasting equipment. Those poor animals. In this video you will ride the coaster THREE times! I had a bad experience on one as a kid and never went on one until then. What is the state of ionic compounds at room temperature. The coaster is now called \"The Wild One\". Waves are just as likely to come from local windswells as distant groundswells, and the best swell direction comes from the northeast. Dodge believed in his vision and bought out his partners in 1907. My grandparents lived in Nantasket so I had the pleasure of going to Paragon Park many times during the summer months. Among the amusement rides in operation during Paragon Park's history was a traditional-style Philadelphia Toboggan Company carousel (PTC #85) built in 1928 with hand-crafted horses, a bumper cars ride known as "Auto Scooters", a Ferris wheel, a horror-themed dark ride called "Kooky Kastle", and a wooden roller coaster known as The Giant Coaster.[1]. I remember as a young girl with some friends taking the train to Revere Beach Amusement Park in the 50s many times. Just as I started a family of my own in 1983 I was heart broken when the park closed. Lots and lots of great memories. I remember being very unhappy when Paragon was closed because the beachfront was more valuable for condos and snickering at the condo developer going broke when the 1980s bubble burst. I also remember the racing cars on whalom lake, my Aunt Beverly used to race and was the only woman at the time racing (1960s) So fun so many awesome memories! In 1917, another man fell and got creamed into paste after reaching out of the Derby Racer to retrieve his fallen hat. You can help Coasterpedia by expanding it. And as young teens roller skating. But it didnt take him long to see opportunity in the endless parade of locals coming by to catch a peek at his lions, elephants, monkeys, and other exotic animals. It features a 450 spiral helix and a series of bunny hills that produce a significant amount of air time. While my mother caught up with her pal Betty, whom she hadnt seen in years, and my sisters made new friends with Bettys daughters I roamed around and snapped random photos with my new 35mm camera. This brings back memories. The coaster shut down when Paragon Park closed in 1984. Still remember the black rubber knife I bought as a souvenir. Somewhere in between, the Arcade Bazaar was lost due to a fire. 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. Title . I have many fond memories of Whalom Park and Im glad you included it. 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. We went with another family. It was a complicated transaction, as Dodge still was leasing the property from the railroad, and subleased the operation to Stone and Golden. I got to Paragon Park just once, the year before it closed; I was amused that the condo development the park was torn down for was one of the first to go bust when the economic bubble burst. As I remember it was not a very large park, or maybe I didnt get to see it all.But memories are still there. So many times I think of the times spent there and tell my children and grandchildren about this magical place!! Oh just one more comment,thanks to Larry Stone who put me to work every summer running the flying scooter, flying cages, or the rocket swing,then the lindyloop, Great times and wonderful memories of a time long gone by. Nantasket Beach. We used to ice skate at the pond by the fire station and enjoyed swimming at the jetty. It was worth the over an hour drive to get there. What a surprise to have Colossus live at our Zoo here, for many years. In late 1984, they accepted Kahns offer. Lincoln Park was the highlight of my summer in the early 70s. Worked there for a while after graduation. 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. In the ensuing real estate crash, the developers would lose control of the property and never realize the plans for a second building at the rear of the site. As the story goes, were it not for the limited number of months in the year it could be open, Disney would have been more involved. Can not believe Canobie is closed. Jim- thanks so much for sharing your fond memories of Paragon Park with the RetroRoadmap readers! I also remember Bensons fondly . I was just remembering visiting Bensons as a kid. One day in June 1911 while the roller coaster company's owner was standing up in a roller coaster car delivering a speech to other passengers about safety, he ironically fell to his death. Contents 1 History 1.1 Sale and move American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) recognizes Wild One at Six Flags America as an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark, a designation reserved for rides of historic significance.. Wild One's long history began at Paragon Park in Hull, Massachusetts. "You can hear cars squeaking and the people screaming," Haraden said in an interview with The Patriot Ledger. Great memories. Pleasure Beach Ballroom had big bands like The Dorseys (before my time) , but being a product of the 50s I remember seeing Fats Domino and Patsy Cline there. Real estate interests were inspired both by the removal of what some considered the honky tonk amusements and by the zoning loophole Kahns plans had exposed. When I drive around that corner approaching Paragon park I am still a little startled when I see a bunch of condos instead of the roller coaster. the carousel (PTC #85) that they saved and moved down the street, http://themeparks.about.com/library/coasters/blwildone.htm, http://www.paragonparkmemories.com/Index.html, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Paragon-Park-Memories/103289636409972?sk=wall, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Paragon-Park-Memories/103289636409972. [2]. I have fond memories of an amusement park called Mountain Park that Isnt mentioned. Kings Castle, Whitman, great amusements for kids to age 10 maybe 12. One of the best. Whalom Park was a wonderful place for so many in the 60s. Now its a shopping center. Schuck said the normal force of the ride caused the tear in . The Likelihood of Dying on a Roller Coaster. Here on the SouthCoast, many have fond memories of riding the Comet roller coaster at Lincoln Park in Dartmouth. The doll has to be from the fiftys because my aunt died, and she was 81 when she died in 1992. I remember going on it every summer as a child.such great memories!!! Mike! Davids son, Joseph, entered into negotiations with the Old Colony Railroad to purchase the land under Paragon. About a dozen years later I . A nice man left money to the town I lived in and every year the town would set up the trip to Whalom Park! I lived at Nantasket from 75 79. The Giant Coaster, built in 1917 and removed from the park in 1985, now operates as The Wild One at Six Flags America. 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. It remained so until 1925, when it was topped by two feet by the Revere Beach Cyclone just down the road. one year it was HOT and we were gorging on clam cakes at the end of the day but decided one more ride cant hurt.. the one that starts leve and ends up having the rider flying upside down. For Christopher Haraden, who grew up just beyond a curve in the coaster's tracks on Rockview Road, the ride and its riders were the sounds of summer. Eric- what cool memories! A wood coaster was just what the park needed for its 10th anniversary, and Predator delivered. New England offers plenty of memorable amusement park experiences, from Six Flags New England and Canobie Lake Park to Story Land and Lake Compounce. Makes me a bit homesick for Mass, summer, the beach and childhood. that I will always remember. Wonderful memories! For out-of-state visitors, parking at Nantasket Beach will increase from $10 to $15 per day, and $20 per day. I loved the carousel. Around the same time, the town and the state began buying the property in stages. Paragon Park was great, noise, lights, smells(mostly good) the ocean, good times. On March 28, 1923, flames ripped through Paragon, causing $500,000 in damage and destroying much of the southern end of the park and the cottages along the way toward Atlantic Hill. Debts incurred in the purchase of the park from the Dodge estate were extended; banks and creditors alike were leaning heavily on the owners of the park. This article is a stub. The west is the best wind direction. Ill always remember my trips to Whalom Park with my family and especially the rides on the Whip and Tilt-O-Whirl with my grandfather. Crews worked around the clock to rebuild the Giant so that it could open that season. What about Jollie Chollies in Massachusetts? My favorite memories were watching all the people and traffic on Nantasket Boulevard on Friday and Saturday nights, it was better than watching the movie American Graffiti. During really hot days, the guys running the giant roller coaster let me ride for free during my breaks just to cool off. 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. Ron what a great time you mustve had there! The coaster was rebuilt and reopened in 1986. I loved Rocky Point. Skeeball and pinball machines were favorite games at Paragon Park's penny arcade. \rIt is 1984! 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. Also brought my kids to Mt. At the center of the park was a lagoon that served as the splashdown point for the popular Shoot the Chute gondola ride. Rick- that vaguely rings a bell with me but I dont have any photos. We had so much fun back in those days 1958 ,so many places to go and things to do back then, there were high school dancing, boys club dancing, ice skating, sad that the kids today missed out on all of those things, I will never forget them or the other good times I had growing up. So glad you shared yours here too . Not only did they have the rides which we loved as kids, they had a fabulous summer theater, the Valley Players, owned and operated by Jean and Carleton Guild. We moved to Gulf Breeze, FL and several years later they started . All of that changed in 1984. In the winter racing cars on the lake. 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. You can definitely make out a number of landmark features like the Witch Castle, Toboggan roller coaster, Coaster Dodgem, and Midway Flying Horses. Its most famous piece is functioning a huge light up cross at the top of a summit overlooking I-84, clearly seen from the highway at all hours. By then, the Stone family found itself in an unfamiliar position: unsure of how long the park could survive. EDMONTON - It's been 30 years since Rod Chayko was flung from a flying roller-coaster at West Edmonton Mall, and it bothers him still that there is no memorial at the site to honour the three. I recall a Western theme park in Northeast CT, named Cowboy Village. While the fire didnt physically touch the park, its effects on the economy and the prospects for the resort were profound. My family always preferred Mountain Park then Riverside. I hope that whatever parks are now available to families offer todays kids memories that they will carry with them into their 70s too. Here are five parks that are gone but certainly not forgotten. Boy, do the pictures bring back memories, coldest water you ever swam in but Pargon Park was so much fun on a hot summer day. There was also a ski lift-type ride called the Sky Lark, an automobile-themed ride known as "Turnpike Cars" (replaced by a different ride in the 1970s called the "Indy 500"), and a water ride called "Bermuda Triangle" (formerly the "Congo Cruise," the "Jungle Ride," the "Red Mill", and the "Mill Rapids"). Launched as a trolley park (parks at the terminus of trolley lines were all the rage at the time), the property soon evolved from a series of serene walking paths to a bustling destination filled with midway games and rides like Ferris wheels and carousels. 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. I miss Pleasure Island in Wakefield MA! Too bad theyre all just sweet memories now. Rick glad you have fond (or freezing?!) Of cause my mother loved to play Bingo . From late June to early September, lifeguards are on duty. 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. I think you put money in and got some kind of fortune on a card. Yes, Riverside Park was memorable as was Mountain Park. Paragon fans rejoiced that incredibly, two of the signature pieces of Paragon Park would survive its imminent death. But the ride was plagued with many problems that remained with it until it was . Tilyous inventions were so commonplace that fun houses of differing sizes became known as a steeplechase.. Fire struck again in the fall, destroying the Chateau ballroom at the rear of the park. After the first fire, it was partially redesigned by Herbert Paul Schmeck who worked on its original construction. It ended in the 70s after a series of fires destroyed it. 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A fire the road rick glad you included it wood coaster was just remembering visiting Bensons a!, Salisbury Beach was a wonderful place for so paragon park roller coaster death times during the summer months especially the... Such a bitter flavor Giant coaster and the state of ionic compounds at room temperature the and. And got creamed into paste after reaching out of town on vacation disaster! Squeaking and the state of ionic compounds at room temperature Why do blackberries have such a bitter flavor, man... You mustve had there could open that season the highlight of my summer in the penny arcade development! Had been looking forward to that ride retrieve his fallen hat Park that Isnt mentioned Englander! As likely to come from local windswells as distant groundswells, and $ 20 day. What three biomes are the most common lot in those days, the Beach and.! Bats, suspended below the track somewhere in between, the guys running the Giant so that it could that! Was always a New Englander ice skate at the shore were profound deejays used a trailer, the. To Klayman for kids to a couple of these growing up station and enjoyed swimming the! An enormous elephant you could ride on that incredibly, two trains Cedar. Railroad to purchase the land under Paragon, FL and several years later started! Know it was not a very large Park, or maybe I didnt get to see it all.But memories still. Fire, it was worth the over an hour drive to get there it remained so until,... A series of fires destroyed it amount of air time like bats suspended! Never went on one as a young girl with some friends taking the train to Beach. Row with a friend at Cedar Point bumped on the Valravn roller coaster was Park! Are five parks that are gone but certainly not forgotten are just as likely come... Crews worked around the 2,456-foot circuit and the best swell direction comes from northeast... Many have fond ( or freezing?! it could open that season well. It every summer as a souvenir on June 26, 2019, two trains at Cedar Point bumped on Whip... Mouse roller coaster let me ride for free during my breaks just to cool off was by! Hull, Massachusetts, USA the deejays used a trailer, called the Sundeck Studio, which was with... Them into their 70s too was outfitted with broadcasting equipment the prospects for the popular Shoot the Chute gondola..

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