Download or read book Western Pennsylvania s Lost Amusement Parks written by Rachel E. Smith and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2020-04-13 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At one time, Western Pennsylvania was home to dozens of small amusement parks, many of them trolley parks. These parks, originally designed to bolster streetcar business, were a way for workers to seek respite from the crowded, dirty cities. While some of these parks never developed into much more than a dance hall and a merry-go-round, others became full-scale amusement parks with rides, entertainment, and other amusements. After years of battling floods, changing economies, the decline of streetcars, and competition from other amusement parks, many of these amusement parks ended up closing their gates for good, the thrills they once provided now relegated to memories. With many of these parks all but lost to time, it is time to take a look back and remember some of the most prominent lost amusement parks of Western Pennsylvania.
Download or read book Western Pennsylvania s Lost Amusement Parks written by Rachel E. Smith and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2020 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At one time, Western Pennsylvania was home to dozens of small amusement parks, many of them trolley parks. These parks, originally designed to bolster streetcar business, were a way for workers to seek respite from the crowded, dirty cities. While some of these parks never developed into much more than a dance hall and a merry-go-round, others became full-scale amusement parks with rides, entertainment, and other amusements. After years of battling floods, changing economies, the decline of streetcars, and competition from other amusement parks, many of these amusement parks ended up closing their gates for good, the thrills they once provided now relegated to memories. With many of these parks all but lost to time, it is time to take a look back and remember some of the most prominent lost amusement parks of Western Pennsylvania.
Download or read book Idlewild History and Memories of Pennsylvania s Oldest Amusement Park written by Jennifer Sopko and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2018 with total page 1 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Idlewild and SoakZone has charmed people across Western Pennsylvania and beyond since the late 1800s. The park was developed by Pittsburgh's Mellon family as a picnic grove to boost traffic on the Ligonier Valley Rail Road. When C.C. Macdonald took the helm in 1931, rides, entertainment and other attractions came to Idlewild over the next half century, along with the adjacent Story Book Forest. After joining the Kennywood family of amusement parks, Idlewild added a Wild West town, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood of Make-Believe and a water slide complex. Author Jennifer Sopko tells the heartwarming history of a Pennsylvania amusement park that continues to delight generations of families.
Download or read book Idlewild written by Jeffrey S. Croushore and published by Arcadia Library Editions. This book was released on 2004-05 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Located in the scenic Laurel Highlands of western Pennsylvania, America's third oldest amusement park, Idlewild, was founded in 1878 as a picnic ground along the Ligonier Valley Rail Road. Its tranquil setting quickly established Idlewild as the premier place for church, school, and corporate picnics, as well as a recreational getaway for families. Idlewild added new amusements and facilities as its crowds continued to grow, but it always strove to maintain the picturesque landscape of the site. Soon a full-fledged amusement park was in operation, with throngs of visitors disembarking the trains from such places as Latrobe, Greensburg, and Pittsburgh. Home to unique attractions like Story Book Forest, the Rollo Coaster, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood of Make-Believe, and the SoakZone, Idlewild has been the backdrop for generations of fond memories. Idlewild's proximity to the Lincoln Highway helped the park survive the abandonment of the railroad, and careful development by the Mellon and Macdonald families and the Kennywood Entertainment Company continue to help it thrive. This collection of photographs tells the story of how one of America's most beautiful theme parks has grown throughout the years.
Download or read book Abandoned Amusement Parks written by Dinah Williams and published by Bearport Publishing. This book was released on 2013-08-01 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is something both sad and creepy about an abandoned amusement park. Perhaps it’s because a place that was once packed with fun seekers has become slowly choked with weeds. Or maybe it’s because the sound of kids’ excited laughter has been replaced with the quiet creaking of rusted rides. When the only visitors are the spirits of those who died there long ago, an amusement park can be a scary place to visit. Among the 11 amusement parks in this book, children will discover a roller coaster left to rot after nearly killing its passengers, a theme park that is now home to alligators and snakes, and the ghost of a man who is still trying to take a ride on a Ferris wheel that stopped working years ago. The haunting photographs and chilling nonfiction text will keep children turning the pages to discover more spooky stories.
Download or read book Idlewild written by Jeffrey S. Croushore and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2004 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Located in the scenic Laurel Highlands of western Pennsylvania, America's third oldest amusement park, Idlewild, was founded in 1878 as a picnic ground along the Ligonier Valley Rail Road. Its tranquil setting quickly established Idlewild as the premier place for church, school, and corporate picnics, as well as a recreational getaway for families. Idlewild added new amusements and facilities as its crowds continued to grow, but it always strove to maintain the picturesque landscape of the site. Soon a full-fledged amusement park was in operation, with throngs of visitors disembarking the trains from such places as Latrobe, Greensburg, and Pittsburgh. Home to unique attractions like Story Book Forest, the Rollo Coaster, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood of Make-Believe, and the SoakZone, Idlewild has been the backdrop for generations of fond memories. Idlewild's proximity to the Lincoln Highway helped the park survive the abandonment of the railroad, and careful development by the Mellon and Macdonald families and the Kennywood Entertainment Company continue to help it thrive. This collection of photographs tells the story of how one of America's most beautiful theme parks has grown throughout the years.
Download or read book Ligonier Valley Vignettes written by Jennifer Sopko and published by American Chronicles. This book was released on 2013 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Secluded between Laurel Mountain and Chestnut Ridge, the Ligonier Valley has been the mountain playground of western Pennsylvania since the nineteenth century. Yet this picturesque retreat was at the tumultuous center of history--during the French and Indian War, Fort Ligonier was key to the British strategy, and in the late nineteenth century, the Ligonier Valley Rail Road helped transform the industry of the region. Author Jennifer Sopko traces the story of the valley and its residents through a series of fascinating vignettes. From the earliest histories to nostalgic reminiscences of the Ligonier Opera House, socials at the Valley Dairy ice cream parlor and bygone days at Idlewild Park, Sopko captures the history and spirit of the Ligonier Valley and its communities.
Download or read book The Incredible Scream Machine written by Robert Cartmell and published by Popular Press. This book was released on 1987 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1984 America celebrated the one hundredth anniversary of the first successful roller coaster device: La Marcus A. Thompson’s switchback railway, erected at Coney Island. Robert Cartmell examines every phase of roller coaster history, from the use of the roller coaster by Albert Einstein to demonstrate his theory of physics, to John Allen’s use of psychology in designing one.
Download or read book Amusement Parks of Pennsylvania written by Jim Futrell and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2002 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive guide to 13 parks in the state, complete with information on rides and attractions. Packed with vintage postcard images and photos.
Download or read book Lost Amusement Parks of Kentuckiana written by Carrie Cooke Ketterman and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2019-03-25 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Once upon a time, the banks of the Ohio River provided an ideal location where amusement parks thrived - the area simply known as "Kentuckiana!" Picnic grounds flourished and steamboat travel was abundant at the coast the Ohio River known as "Kentuckiana." Popular amusement parks such as Glenwood Park, Rose Island, White City, Fontaine Ferry, and Kiddieland welcomed visitors as early as 1902, and the more successful parks continued to operate well into the 1960s. Visitors to these parks enjoyed steamboat excursions, live music, rides, games, picnics, sporting events, and more. These parks were not only for amusement seekers but also for keen businessmen like David Rose, who purchased Fern Grove in 1923 and renamed the park Rose Island. Transportation businesses thrived, with steamboats like the Idlewild (now the Belle of Louisville) providing regular transportation to the parks along the Ohio River. In addition to an increase in river traffic, companies like the New Albany Traction Company purchased the area that would become Glenwood Park from the well-known Beharrel family, of New Albany, Indiana, and provided rail transportation to their park.
Download or read book Latrobe and the Ligonier Valley written by Rachel E. Smith and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2008 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nestled in the foothills of the Laurel Mountains, the Ligonier Valley is recognized across the nation for its contribution to the country's heritage. Ligonier was incorporated as a borough in 1834, and Latrobe followed soon after in 1854. Over the years the Ligonier Valley has made its mark on American culture, being the birthplace of Rolling Rock beer, golf legend Arnold Palmer, the banana split, and television personality Fred Rogers and home to the five-time Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers' training camp at St. Vincent College. Latrobe and the Ligonier Valley features over 200 vintage postcards detailing the area's homes, churches, schools, industry, and daily life and representing over 100 years of rich local history.
Download or read book Amusement Parks of Pennsylvania written by Jim Futrell and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2002-05-01 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Good Bye Billy Radish written by Gloria Skurzynski and published by Turtleback Books. This book was released on 1996 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the poignant story of the friendship between two boys, Hank Kerner and Bazyli Radichevych, called Billy Radish, set in the steel town of Canaan, Pennsylvania, in 1917. Thge boys are very different, for while Hank considers himself all-American, Billy is a Ukrainian immigrant straddling two cultures. As World War I rages overseas, both boys are faced with some difficult questions.
Download or read book Steubenville written by Sandra Hudnall Day and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2005 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bibliography: p. 128.
Download or read book Race Riots and Roller Coasters written by Victoria W. Wolcott and published by University of Pennsylvania Press. This book was released on 2012-08-16 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Throughout the twentieth century, African Americans challenged segregation at amusement parks, swimming pools, and skating rinks not only in pursuit of pleasure but as part of a wider struggle for racial equality. Well before the Montgomery bus boycott, mothers led their children into segregated amusement parks, teenagers congregated at forbidden swimming pools, and church groups picnicked at white-only parks. But too often white mobs attacked those who dared to transgress racial norms. In Race, Riots, and Roller Coasters, Victoria W. Wolcott tells the story of this battle for access to leisure space in cities all over the United States. Contradicting the nostalgic image of urban leisure venues as democratic spaces, Wolcott reveals that racial segregation was crucial to their appeal. Parks, pools, and playgrounds offered city dwellers room to exercise, relax, and escape urban cares. These gathering spots also gave young people the opportunity to mingle, flirt, and dance. As cities grew more diverse, these social forms of fun prompted white insistence on racially exclusive recreation. Wolcott shows how black activists and ordinary people fought such infringements on their right to access public leisure. In the face of violence and intimidation, they swam at white-only beaches, boycotted discriminatory roller rinks, and picketed Jim Crow amusement parks. When African Americans demanded inclusive public recreational facilities, white consumers abandoned those places. Many parks closed or privatized within a decade of desegregation. Wolcott's book tracks the decline of the urban amusement park and the simultaneous rise of the suburban theme park, reframing these shifts within the civil rights context. Filled with detailed accounts and powerful insights, Race, Riots, and Roller Coasters brings to light overlooked aspects of conflicts over public accommodations. This eloquent history demonstrates the significance of leisure in American race relations.
Download or read book Abandoned written by Seph Lawless and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2017-10-10 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Huffington Post called him “a master of the abandoned”—and for good reason. The “artivist” known only as Seph Lawless has spent the last ten years photo-documenting the America that was left behind in the throes of economic instability and overall decline—decrepit shopping malls, houses, factories, even amusement parks. Through nearly two hundred gorgeous and elegiac photographs, Abandoned details Lawless’s journey into what was once the very heart of American entertainment: the amusement park. Lawless visits deserted parks across the country, capturing in stark detail their dilapidated state, natural overgrowth, and obvious duality of sad and playful symbolism. Previously self-published as Bizarro, this updated edition of Lawless’s photographic tribute to decaying American amusement parks contains new content and a new foreword. For the first time, the famed photojournalist Seph Lawless makes his moving work available in a stunning trade edition.
Download or read book Great Pennsylvania Amusement Parks Road Trip a Photographic Road Trip Highlighting Pennsylvania s Historic Amusement Parks written by David Witoslawski and published by . This book was released on 2013-12-10 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book focuses on those great memories and experiences you can only get in an amusement park. Our attention will be on Pennsylvania parks and rides that have pleased riders for generations, along with covering some newer rides in those parks. Also included are some interesting state landmarks within a close vicinity of the covered amusement parks to give you a good blueprint for a getaway. Included are interviews with some very important people in the amusement park industry and many photos. Featured parks include Dorney Park, Hersheypark, Kennywood, Waldameer, Lakemont Park, Conneaut Lake Park and DelGrosso's.
