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. Police said the ride was going full-speed when the Ferguson was struck. "They preserved the spirit of the ride," amusement park aficionado B. Derek Shaw told USA Today. Is this all about Massachusetts or not? If anyone has a picture of this ride please let me know. Remember the himalaya ? Roller skating was a big thing for me. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. I went for a visit recently and got inspired for a novel Im working on, but I was looking for some photographic inspiration. 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. Crowds dwindled in the 1970s, and the park finally closed following the 1977 season. NORUMBEGA AND TOTEM POLE BALLROOM, AUBURNDALE, MA. Willard's Whizzer, Marriott's Great America Amusement Park, 1980. I miss them both! More for little ones and still open are Storyland and Santas Village in NH a place families still can enjoy. It opened in 1905 and closed in 1985. 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. I hope that whatever parks are now available to families offer todays kids memories that they will carry with them into their 70s too. My grandparents took me. 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. In late 1985, they canceled the development all together, and announced that they would sell the beloved carousel at auction 28 days later. 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. About a dozen years later I visited Paragon Park while on spring break from RIT and took a few pictures. Thanks for the great memories! All three suffered an electric shock, fatal to both Haithcoat and Robertson. However, the showpiece 1895 carousel complete with its original band organ and hand-carved figures including 61 horses, a camel, and four chariots was designated as a National Historic Landmark and fully restored, and today it continues to delight kids of all ages. Storyland was good as well. Paragon Park was an amusement park located on Nantasket Beach in Hull, Massachusetts. So sad to hear about the pavillion! Silver-colored flagpoles stretched across the entrance, now enclosed by chain-link gates that would swing inward. . No one riding on the roller coaster was injured, Sheth said. Contents 1 History 1.1 Sale and move Us and some of our neighbors would take advantage of $5 after 5 nights to take the kids to Whalom Park a few times a summer. "It was the noise. There was one that you didnt mention it was between Fall River and New Bedford, along the highway then. Paragon Park opened in 1905 and lasted for just under 80 years, closing in 1984. "It has stood the test of time." Rollercoaster, FunHouse, Clambakes at the Pavillion, roller skating rink, Dancing ( with name bands, my Aunt sang there with a band for a while! Most of the time, news of an injury or death at a theme park involves a roller coaster. Ive nothing but great memories of how it used to be around here (sounds of the park were like music to my ears. We used to ice skate at the pond by the fire station and enjoyed swimming at the jetty. 2023 www.patriotledger.com. I recall a Western theme park in Northeast CT, named Cowboy Village. For the life of me I can not remember the name.But it was a really big thing to me back in the day. 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 was in 5th grade so spent much of the summer watching the fishing boats come and leave from Pemberton Pier. We went there many times. In late 1984, they accepted Kahns offer. The rest of the site is dedicated to condominium development. Wonderful memories! 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. Wildcat, Bell's Amusement Park, 1997. 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. Not only was the band funny, but exceptional musicians . Oh Rich, I know EXACTLY what you mean about smelling the beach before you even got there. 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 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. Fires twice damaged the coaster, in 1932 and 1962. Golden. Back before we moved to Connecticut in the. Paragon fans were getting used to the idea that there would be no final season. 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. Maybe 5 years old. Our school also had our senior prom there. remember the steamboat that was just before the park coming into hull?? I had a bad experience on one as a kid and never went on one until then. Most fun ever as I grew up in Fitchburg. Very scary, but such an adventure. What about Pine Island Park, In Manchester, NH? David Stone lost two houses on Rockland House Road in the fire; others involved in area concessions lost their homes and businesses as well. 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. 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. The parks next transformation would not come from fire, but from Mother Natures wrath. Lincoln Park, North Dartmouth, Ma. Pleasure Island, Wakefield, Mass. At about this time, a movement within the town of Hull to legalize casino gambling complicated Paragons status within the town vision for the future. Fond memories of Nantasket. Paragon had its own saltwater lagoon, which surrounded a central electric tower that rose 110 feet into the sky, by far the largest structure at Nantasket Beach. Worked there for a while after graduation. Whalom Park had it all, Playhouse Theatre where many big names came to preform in summer stock. Till I was twelve, lived in Naugatuck CT and lived to ride My mom told me about going to Whalom Park as a child (she grew up in Fitchburg) but I didnt get there until I had my own family and we returned to Massachusetts after a tour of duty in Europe. On that trip my Dad and I and the oldest boy from the other family went to Mystic Seaport. 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. We did just one stop at Bensons when I was a child and didnt like it. In 1931, David and Rose Stone created the Paragon Park Operating Company to hold their ownership interest and shield it from creditors. My parents had season tickets on Tuesday nights for years. 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. It was moved from Nantasket Beach and opened as The Wild One at Six Flags America outside Washington, D.C. back in 1986. It was a fun, reasonably priced park and like other parks in New England was probably not profitable enough to keep running. This is one of the smaller "camel humps" of the Giant Coaster being disassembled so that it could be reborn as The Wild One in Maryland. The Dream Machine arcade is still in operation. Quick Description: Paragon Park, which operated from 1905 to 1984 by Nantasket Beach in Hull, MA, was a local amusement park that had many rides including a well known roller coaster, which today is operated in a Six Flags amusement park in Maryland. Best wishes, and thanks for stopping by. Kids ride tickets were only 15 cents . The park's Ferris wheel was moved to the New Bedford waterfront and the Comet roller coaster was torn down on July 11, 2012. Keansburg, N.J., March 14, 2013 -- Workers at Keansburg Amusements Park dismantle a roller coaster rendered useless by Hurricane Sandy. Each week, it seemed, brought a new development proposal. Jankovic was riding "The Voyage" roller coaster on June 4 when she became "unresponsive," the theme park said in a Facebook post. Now that Im a vegan and animal rights activist, Id hate it. Thanks for the memories. So glad you shared yours here too . Great memories! 6-year-old girl's death at Colorado amusement park due to seat belt issues and inadequate staff training, government agency says A 2020 IAAPA North American Ride Safety Report - in which it. My Mom and Dad went dancing there when they were dating! He was the manager and operator of the Green Streak roller coaster in Paragon Park located in Nantasket Beach, Massachusetts. This magazine should also research Savin Rock which was in West Haven, CT good history. Yes, Riverside Park was memorable as was Mountain Park. This thing was the greatest. I cant believe they didnt have Lincoln Park listedthat place was the best! He grew up on Lake Quinsigamond, so Im familiar with White City as well , as the wild animal farm, Nantasket, ( I eventually settled in nearby Cohasset, the carousel is still there. In 1916, park owner George A. Schuck said the normal force of the ride caused the tear in . What is the state of ionic compounds at room temperature. Two things come to mind.I will bet all of us have family photo and slide albums, perhaps converted now to disc,of our good old days attending these venuestime waits for no one,but we have our memories..and second; it has always baffled me why Cape Cod,of all places,never seems to have boasted a world class amusement parkit would seem like a natural,but . You forgot Pleasure Island. 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. You say Wonderland may have helped inspire Disneyland, but Disney employees were actually involved with Pleasure Island in Wakefield, Massachusetts. Memories, thanks. Dodge believed in his vision and bought out his partners in 1907. Thanks so much for sharing your memories here! Sad that its gone now!! It is now located next to the old train station and clock tower. They open for the 2022 season on May 28. https://www.canobie.com/. The Hurricane in Aug of 1954 finally put an end to it. When it closed a man I knew bought the huge statue of the steer they had and someone else got the elephant. 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. Paddle boats ! I worked for Paragon Park as a ride operator for three consecitives summers from the age 14-17. Unfortunately it was replaced by a Six Flags. On Wednesday, June 12, 1985, hundreds of former employees, nostalgic patrons, and park operators from around the country braved a rainstorm to watch as bids were placed on each part of the park, from ticket booths and ride equipment to signs bearing the Paragon name. Shame on you, lol As for Bensons, they had an enormous elephant you could ride on! Only a few years later, another fire would wreak havoc at Paragon. He says he and his son boarded . Those poor animals. In Africa, what are the two most common biomes? (Water World had room to expand because both of DCs older parks had closed some years before.) What wouldnt be kept in town, however, were the rides and equipment that now stood in the way of the Plaza at Paragon Park. From late June to early September, lifeguards are on duty. My favorite ride was the music express but not too soon after eating. 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. 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. Thank you so much for posting these pictures, I have been looking for photos of the last year of Paragon for years now and I am so happy to finally have found them!!! Since the middle of the nineteenth century, Nantasket Beach has been a popular summer vacation destination for city dwellers. 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