day. they actually replaced a section that burned in the 1960s so the coaster is the way it was originally designed. Think classic American road trip and the name Route 66 will undoubtedly come up sooner rather than later, and for good reason. Most interesting, I went to Bensons as a child,. 2022 Dennis Connors Photography. Here on the SouthCoast, many have fond memories of riding the Comet roller coaster at Lincoln Park in Dartmouth. I remember as a young girl with some friends taking the train to Revere Beach Amusement Park in the 50s many times. About a month later, a huge blaze destroyed much of the roller coaster, the front entrance, and concessions along the front. What wouldnt be kept in town, however, were the rides and equipment that now stood in the way of the Plaza at Paragon Park. This post was first published in 2020 and has been updated. Also remembr White City Park near Worcester fondly. As Paragon lumbered along, relatively little changed during the following two decades except the names and locations of some of the rides. Lincoln Park in Dartmouth, MA, just part of New Bedford, MA! . Dad took us there at least once every summer???????? Now its a shopping center. Other favorites: the roller coaster that sat right on the edge of the water. You forgot my favorite, Paragon Park on Nantasket Beach in Hull Ma. I havent thought about that place in years! The question would never be fully answered, however, as the 1982 election of gambling opponent Michael Dukakis as Massachusetts governor sealed the fate of any casino dreams. Newton High Schools Senior Proms were held in the Totem Pole Ballroom ~ what a special memory!! Theyve got a Facebook page too a great place for everyone to gather and share their memories of the park and fun times there. In fact, a penny would get you a lot in those days, especially in the penny arcade. 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. [1] More rides that Paragon hosted over the years were the Trabant, the Tilt-A-Whirl, Galaxy Coaster, the Skydiver, Paratrooper, Matterhorn, Himalaya, Round Up, Scrambler, Crazy Tea Cups, Twister Kiddie Coaster, Caterpillar, the Whip, Batman-slide, Super-slide, Salt and Pepper Shakers, Swing ride, Rotor, along with many rides that were smaller versions of these, geared towards children. Norumbega Park loved going there when I was young! It features a 450 spiral helix and a series of bunny hills that produce a significant amount of air time. Larry and Phyllis Stone decided to divorce, and Klayman, caught in the middle of a dispute between the owners, found himself looking for a new job after 30 years. Not only did I grow up in Hull, I worked at Paragon Park from 15 to 19 (1965 to 1969). 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. I spend my life in that park. I remember barely being able to wait until the park opened at 12?1? Dodge died from Brights Disease at a hospital in New Hampshire. Sad that its gone now!! Maybe 5 +. Kahn already knew that the towns zoning rules for the park property lacked a key ingredient: a height limit. "It was the noise. And as young teens roller skating. If youre on Facebook theres a Paragon Park Memories page you might enjoy too: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Paragon-Park-Memories/103289636409972. (A fun bit of trivia: The first words ever spoken into a telephone by a U.S. president were uttered at Rocky Point, during an 1877 visit by Rutherford Hayes. 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. I took my children there all the time ides were reasonable for a 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. you do know the Giant Coaster exists, right? 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. We would make sure to hit every ride and try our luck at the various games of chance as well. He says he and his son boarded . 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. "They preserved the spirit of the ride," amusement park aficionado B. Derek Shaw told USA Today. Tilyous inventions were so commonplace that fun houses of differing sizes became known as a steeplechase.. I would add Norumbega Park in auburndale Mass, and pleasure Island. I grew up about miles from Pine Island Park. I loved the wooden roller coaster and the fun house with the mirrors as well as the riding fun house sitting in the red cars! congrats on 57 yrs. Very scary, but such an adventure. The parks next transformation would not come from fire, but from Mother Natures wrath. A Save the Carousel effort began in earnest in February, with local residents lobbying Larry and Phyllis Stone to keep the merry-go-round intact, and keep it in Hull. I lived at Nantasket from 75 79. Bemsons was my other favorite with animals and rides. 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! A park worker's fatal joyride Raymond Boyd/Getty Images Fortunately, there were no deaths involved in Valravn's 2019 crash at Cedar Point. https://vimeo.com/382437881, Paragon PkSo MUCH fun My Family would go into Boston and take the boat I cant remember what pier but it took about 1/2hr 2 get 2 Nantasket BeachIt was a LIFE time ago the Memorys last FOREVER. The park closed December 3, 1987, owing $48,000 in taxes and $13,000 in unpaid police details. Growing up in Everett,MA I know several of these parks. While the Lincoln Park Comet may have rotted away until it was finally removed, The Giant Coaster from Paragon Park lives on at another park. Makes me a bit homesick for Mass, summer, the beach and childhood. Grew up going to Lincoln Park many times,roller rink, bowling alley , battle of the bands on weekends as a teenager and the rides,Kiddieland and famous for wooden rollercoaster then went to McCrays for fried clams on RT 6 . Preservationists swung into action, mounting a publicity and fundraising campaign that drew awareness but far less than the nearly $1 million valuation that had been suggested for the 57-year-old carousel. HOURS: Open Saturdays and Sundays through October 30, 2022, 11am-4pm. We rented a big house, across the street from the beach. On May 28, 1985, a 29-year-old man stood up while riding the Cyclone, and his head hit a crossbeam. Long before there was Disneyland, there was Wonderland. Although the Stone and Golden partnership to operate the park had dissolved around 1925, ownership of the land remained divided until 1951. I remember going to an amusement park, I thought we walked there from the rental. memories of Nantasket! We would start pressuring Mom and Dad to take us to Rocky Point as soon as the last of the snow melted. growing up in Nashua, it was an exciting and exotic school field trip in the early 70s. Early 50s. The last roller coaster-related death in the country was reported in 2007, when an axle on a car broke during a ride in Expoland in Osaka and sent the roller coaster crashing into a guardrail. Multiple news agencies reported four cases of fractures in the back or neck linked to the Do-Dodonpa coaster at Fuji-Q Highland Park. How about the screech of the wheels or the screams of the riders? The $6 million roller coaster replaced the Inverter, a ride that was discontinued in 2017 off the main boulevard. 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. Facing massive cost overruns, the parks owners started selling off assets following the 1910 season, which would be Wonderlands last. Today, the only surviving remnant of Paragon Park on the boardwalk is the historic Paragon Park Carousel, which was moved from its original site. 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. The Giant Roller Coaster of Paragon Park was one of the first sights youd notice as you drove into Hull on George Washington Boulevard. Their 1928 purchase of a Philadelphia Toboggan Company carousel would become the centerpiece of the park, replacing concessionaire John J. Hurleys previous carousel in the same location. Rosanna Arias/FEMA Tmmertransport med hest langs elva Lera ved Dalseng, som renner ut i Brumunda i Veldre, Ringsaker. I had a bad experience on one as a kid and never went on one until then. Remember Revere Beach and Canobie Lake when I was a kid growing up in Somerville, Ma. Went there as a little kid driving Rt.2 all the way from Hartford. I wonder if anyone remembers the Pine Island Park in NH. 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. Great memories going back at least 50 years! Paragon Park was great, noise, lights, smells(mostly good) the ocean, good times. We were just in Hull last week and reliving fond memories of Paragon- totally remember the Himalaya! Rick glad you have fond (or freezing?!) I am looking for a picture of the flying scooters on the roof accross from the admin bldg. On that trip my Dad and I and the oldest boy from the other family went to Mystic Seaport. The financial difficulties of the Depression weighed heavily on Paragons operations. Loved Kings Castle land as a fun place to take my grandson when he was young. [2]. Traveled from CT many times in my childhood. 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. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. I would show up at the ride with a girl and they would give me a boat all to ourselves. about three woopdie doos If I remember it correctly and about 10 lanes wide. The deejays used a trailer, called the Sundeck Studio, which was outfitted with broadcasting equipment. Lone Wolf 83 subscribers Subscribe 95K views 11 years ago I found this video in my archives! My girlfriends father operated the roller coaster. The Palm Garden restaurant, function facility, and performance hall at the base of the hill drew guests of the surrounding hotels and larger parties of conventioneers, corporate dinners, and class reunions. Roller skating, rides, swimming even a boat that gave rides around the lake. Part of its track bed would later be incorporated into the footprint of the amusement park. I really did enjoy Paragon Park. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. 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 ended in the 70s after a series of fires destroyed it. Park. I found this video in my archives! I remember that well, and the Diary Ice Cream place up the road on the other side. So sad that it is gone. At the time, the park was called Wild World; hence its new name. Many in Hull remained unconvinced. Paragon Park opened to the public on Saturday, June 10, 1905, transforming Nantasket Beach for the better part of the 20th century. Condominiums already were under way on Atlantic Hill and Telegraph Hill, as well as at Spinnaker Island, but in the months following the Paragon announcement, new plans were floated Nantascot Place, River Crossing, and the former Showboat Mayflower property on George Washington Boulevard, Ocean Place, SeaWatch, and Murray Plaza along the beach, the Hall Estate, Damon Place, and the former Worrick Mansion (which would burn to the ground in 1986) on Atlantic Hill, Milford Street, Marina Beach, and One A Street at Waveland, Mariners Landing, Sunset Arms, and the Boathouse at Allerton. I know it was small compared to others mentioned, Salem Willows was always a blast! Great memories ???? 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. Dartmouths Child World Store Was Way Better Than Toys R Us, Dartmouth Bootleggers Role in Ending Prohibition, Dartmouth Responds to Homelessness [TOWNSQUARE SUNDAY], Cheers to National Margarita Day at These SouthCoast Spots, Dartmouth Man Pledges $25,000 to Shawmut Diner Rehab, Dartmouth To Be Home Of First SouthCoast Crumbl Cookies, New Bedford Shawmut Diner Donor to Bristol County Sheriff: Use It or Give It Back, Dartmouth School Bus Rear-Ended in Morning Crash, Have Heart-Shaped Pizza Delivered This Valentines Day. It closed in 1984. And you can still ride the Wild One wooden roller coaster at Six Flags America in Maryland. But its now been 7 years since the efforts began to try to restore and reopen the park and nothing has been fully accomplished to date. I hope that whatever parks are now available to families offer todays kids memories that they will carry with them into their 70s too. Cyndinow living in South Jersey but always a New Englander. The actors included many stars on their way up including Hal (and his then wife, Ruby). My cousin owned the pizza shop across the street from the parking lot and lived there. . How wonderful you met your husband at Lake Whalom. Cause of death was categorized as a result of either external trauma or a medical condition based on available information. I recall going to Storytown in Lake George area now a Six Flags. In talking to Alexander Graham Bell, 13 miles away in Providence, Hayes opened with the not-so-memorable quote, Please speak a little more slowly.). While sad, the news contained one ray of hope a final season for nostalgia-filled fans to say goodbye. The site is now home to condominiums. 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"). I remember Savin Rock with a fond passion. 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. 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 know the Congo Cruise was called the Red Mill at one point but I think that was in my mothers generation, I always remember it as the Congo Cruise. I think he is still alive but at a Zoo in another state. Too bad theyre all just sweet memories now. 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. Fond memories of Nantasket. Now, it's. Have you seen the website http://www.paragonparkmemories.com/Index.html ? 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. The rest of the site is devoted to condominiumdevelopment. See it here at. 2023 www.patriotledger.com. After all, when did Paragon Park first open? I had my first kiss on that ride, and a night Yet some may have taken a day trip away from the New Bedford and Fall River areas to visit another of New Englands great amusement parks of old the seaside gem Paragon Park on Nantasket Beach in Hull, Massachusetts. That magic of entering the Nantasket Beach area is gone, but at least the magic of The Giant Coaster excuse me, The Wild One lives on. Wonderland itself was inspired by the massive Worlds Fair exhibits that had been an international sensation since the mid-19th century. The coaster was 1,400 feet long and featured an 88-foot drop. As a teenager I remember sitting on Santas lap during the Christmas celebration. The first, termed a roaring inferno by the Hull fire chief, ripped through the Arcade Bazaar and Funland, a toy store and group of attractions just up Nantasket Avenue from Paragon. Neither one mentioned. You can definitely make out a number of landmark features like the Witch Castle, Toboggan roller coaster, Coaster Dodgem, and Midway Flying Horses. Revere Beach was the closest, and we visited often. The parks owners were challenged in a way they hadnt been previously, as cleanup from a fire is relatively straightforward the burned and damaged areas are removed and replaced. Jack! we went on the Congo Cruise, which I think briefly had a )Danny Sordello. Jankovic was riding "The Voyage" roller coaster on June 4 when she became "unresponsive," the theme park said in a Facebook post. I still have pictures. 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. This makes the second fatal accident at an amusement park this year. And in the mid-1960s, local radio station WBZ would sometimes have live broadcasts from Paragon Park. The Friends operate the carousel next door to the former railroad station, and in 2013 opened a small museum of Paragon memorabilia. Is this all about Massachusetts or not? digital file from original About this Item. Mountain Park in Holyoke, MA where I grew up. Theres a Facebook page called Paragon Park Memories- maybe if you post it there someone else may remember it as well good luck! Also, not far from the park was the original (and still is) Frank Pepes pizzeria. Following the show, wed watch the fireworks from the parking lot. Subsequent owners added various entertainments, including a baseball field on which Babe Ruth once played. 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. There was also a small park in or near Whitman, MA cant recall the name that we went to once. At its opening, Trailblazer was the first major coaster to be added to Hersheypark in 18 years. I also remember Bensons fondly . Just as I started a family of my own in 1983 I was heart broken when the park closed. I never saw that girl again. A nice man left money to the town I lived in and every year the town would set up the trip to Whalom Park! As recounted in his 1922 obituary, a friend of Dodges invested in what became known as the Nantasket Steeplechase, a collection of amusements licensed from Coney Islands Steeplechase Park that was built on land leased from the Old Colony Railroad. sadly lasted only about 10 years. Which now-closed New England amusement parks do you miss the most? I also recall a booth with a figure inside dressed like a gypsy woman. Dont forget Adventureland in Newbury, MA which operated for several years from 1957 into the early 60s. Like Lincoln Park, the land on which Paragon Park was situated is now the site of condominiums. Thank you so much for this page! Most of the time, news of an injury or death at a theme park involves a roller coaster. 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. Davids son, Joseph, entered into negotiations with the Old Colony Railroad to purchase the land under Paragon. My family lived at Hulll At about the same time, Dodge decided to scale back from running Paragon on a day-to-day basis. 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. Magnificent as it was, Wonderland may have grown too quickly to support itself. Find it all and much more with the interactive Roller Coaster Database. Best wishes, and thanks for stopping by. Many of these are gone without a trace, but I still see a bridge identified as Mountain Park Road whenever I drive past Holyoke on I-91. 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. I lived and graduated from Lunenburg High School in 70. But most significantly, Dodge looked to make an impact with the new and improved park. 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. WHAT IS IT? I miss them both! Contents. How Id love to take one more slide ride. I also went to Lincoln Park & Kings Castle. Nantasket Beach, Massachusetts, is an exposed beach break with consistent surf that can be used at any time of year. I have always been a fraidy cat about going on roller coasters, and I remember my mother telling me that when she was a kid she made my grandfather take her on the giant coaster, and it was the first and last coaster ride shes been on! That was wicked cool when you were a kid. peter; 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. 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. 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. A Thanksgiving Day fire at nearby Nantasket Pier destroyed most of the fleet of steamboats that carried passengers to and from Boston. Superman: Tower of Power in Louisville, Kentucky I loved Rocky Point. I grew up in Springfield and would rather go there than its competitor, Riverside Park in Agawamnow Six Flags. Now that Im a vegan and animal rights activist, Id hate it. About this Item. Lincoln Park, N. Dartmouth, MA We went there all the time as children. The developers interest prompted the Stones to agree on something they both were tired of running the business and the $5.5 million purchase price would give them enough money to comfortably retire. My Late Dad used to work at A&P ( another memory ) They used to have an annual picnic at the park. Paragon fans were getting used to the idea that there would be no final season. I am 88 and many classmates are gone. Golden. 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. With the Stones out of town on vacation, disaster duty fell to Klayman. 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. I think fondly of Whalom Park also. Neither of their two children expressed an interest in carrying on the family business. I thought the title of the article said New England Amusement Parks. So sad to hear about the pavillion! The town of Hudson subsequently acquired the property and turned it into a recreation park. In late 1984, they accepted Kahns offer. The person, who has not been identified, was flung about 10 feet out . I graduated from Hull High School and lived at the very end of Sunset Point. The Super Screamer was there until 1999. You forgot Pleasure Island. Loved the elephant ride at Benson Animal Farm. Next, 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 . Does anyone remember Funland Park worked there too. I loved the carousel. Ive cross posted your request for a photo of this ride on the Paragon Park Memories page on Facebook hope it helps! Unfortunately Im to old these days. Very interesting about the Amusement Parks/brings back childhood memories. 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. Eric- what cool memories! One witness who was in line at the time of the crash reported, "I felt a huge vibration and crash, people were screaming, and people running out of line.". 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. This magazine should also research Savin Rock which was in West Haven, CT good history. It is now located next to the old train station and clock tower. In the aftermath of the April fire, Paragon reopened without its signature front entrance. 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