During the late Forties and early Fifties my father had a car Number 87 in those races. I also remember the Revere Beach Amusements alomng Revere Beach in the 50s and 60s. What a wonderful and very interesting article about the history of amusement parks in New England. Many years back the classic shore dinners in a pavilion over the water made it famous. It was where the class went after graduation of Grammar School in 56 too we also would go to the speedway. Zoom in Zoom out Rotate right Fit screen Full expand. This is an unused Paragon Park t-shirt from the long defunct amusement park that was located in Nantasket Beach, Hull Ma. Some restaurants and openncafes had pictures of it years ago. I thought it was pretty cool that the Paragon Giant Coaster was on the list of the Smithsonians Top Ten Coasters list. Yet seeing these places thrill and entertain todays families also makes us nostalgic for the now-closed New England amusement parks that paved the way. A 14-year-old girl has died after a roller coaster car came off the track at an amusement park in Denmark. New England offers plenty of memorable amusement park experiences, from Six Flags New England and Canobie Lake Park to Story Land and Lake Compounce. 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 woman has died after passing out on a roller coaster. I remember Whalom Park and Bensons Animal Farm fondly. different name. Still learning how to compose a photograph, I think back and realize that my penchant for photos without people in them was in force then, and I went as far as to scribble out the lady who was in the foreground of this photo of the Snack-a-rama. 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. That is the first one for me about 1952. The $6 million roller coaster replaced the Inverter, a ride that was discontinued in 2017 off the main boulevard. At 98 feet high with an 88-foot drop, the park's giant wooden roller coaster used to be the world's tallest before the park closed in 1984. The Nantasket Beach Steamboat Company struggled for several years before declaring bankruptcy; the Old Colony Railroad suspended train service in 1932, substituting buses to and from the Nantasket Junction depot in Hingham. I grew up right near norunbeger park me and my friends would take a row boat across the Charles river to get into the park, we would go almost every day in the summer, we didnt have much money but could go to the park by crossing the Charles river and just walking in. They open for the 2022 season on May 28. https://www.canobie.com/. Such fond memories. Does anyone remember the amusement park in Medway, MA that was destroyed in a fire back in the 70s? 2022 Dennis Connors Photography. 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. That was wicked cool when you were a kid. In Africa, what three biomes are the most common? Carousel Under the Clock, as it was known, operated as a private business until 1996, when the three businessmen who purchased the ride at the auction decided that they needed to recoup their investment. 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. Space Journey, Ecoventure Valley, 2010. Pleasure Island & Bensons were family favorites. Oh, Paragon Park at Nantasket Beach in Massachuetts! The roller coaster hit speeds of up to 53 miles per hour during a ride of less than 2 minutes. Went there when I was a small child with my father and loved the flying horses. I loved the carousel. In 2019, there were 1,299 injuries in US amusement parks. A scenic railway was added in 1900. The Likelihood of Dying on a Roller Coaster. So many times I think of the times spent there and tell my children and grandchildren about this magical place!! Elvis came there back in the 50s. Remember Revere Beach and Canobie Lake when I was a kid growing up in Somerville, Ma. It officially became an amusement park in 1980 and featured a number of flat rides mostly from HUSS Maschinenfabrik as it served as a U.S. showcase for new Huss rides during the 1980s. Is Nantasket Beach also open? Remember the himalaya ? Can not believe Canobie is closed. Kids ride tickets were only 15 cents . Now its a shopping center. Keansburg, N.J., March 14, 2013 -- Workers at Keansburg Amusements Park dismantle a roller coaster rendered useless by Hurricane Sandy. The Aftermath: Roller Coaster. \r\rThe coaster was built in 1917 and operated till the amusement park closed for good at the end of 1984. Items in the Price Guide are obtained exclusively from licensors and partners solely for our members' research needs. Doesnt anyone remember two of the most popular parks in CT Savin Rock in New Haven, CT and Pleasure Beach in Bridgeport, Ct that was a lot smaller than the Rock but had one of the best ballrooms in the country with constant top named performing bands in attendance. At about the same time, Dodge decided to scale back from running Paragon on a day-to-day basis. 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. As a teenager I remember sitting on Santas lap during the Christmas celebration. The Chicago event introduced the concept of the midway of attractions now common at amusement parks and carnivals (known then as the Midway Plaisance), and inspired the construction of hundreds of enclosed parks across the country, many of which took their names from the White City nickname of the whitewashed buildings that surrounded the Columbian Expositions central lagoon. In addition to a massive saltwater swimming pool and a Ferris wheel with an ocean view, popular rides included the Corkscrew Loop Roller Coaster, the 13-story Freefall, the Log Flume, and the Castle of Terror. Even though that was in 1984, every time he tells the story he apologises to the poor kid sitting behind him all over again. The carousel was always a favorite ride no matter how young or old I was. The park celebrated the ride's centennial in 2017, although it is thought that none or the original lumber remains. 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. Only a few years later, another fire would wreak havoc at Paragon. Everytime I drive into town via George Washington Blvd I think back on when me and my siblings would try to be the first to see the roller coaster. i miss those days i was took by the state for i was a foster child and never got to say goodbye to my friends schoolmates in hull high or even katie averill my girlfriend at the time, a sad moment for me but as a kid a great way to spend a childhood, delivering the newspapers and even raised the flag at the monument by cumberland farms every morn for the veterans , i was a boy scout in troop 21. oh so many fond memories . Bemsons was my other favorite with animals and rides. It was similar to another of its kind in the Adirondacks north of Schroon Lake, Frontiertown. It must have been about 1956 when we went to Cowboy Village. We lived in Hamden and Dad thought it was fairly close by in Killingworth. In the aftermath of the fire, a new dance hall and roller coaster were constructed in the front of the park. A Visit To The Retro Roadmap Photo Archives Photos from the American Roadside. Sorry when it closed. You can definitely make out a number of landmark features like the Witch Castle, Toboggan roller coaster, Coaster Dodgem, and Midway Flying Horses. Loved going to Rocky Point sometimes just for the chowder and clam cakes but always ended up in the amusement park. All Rights Reserved. I loved White City! This incident. Ghosts of Paragon Park 1971. 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. A wood coaster was just what the park needed for its 10th anniversary, and Predator delivered. Shortly after railroad executives signed the paperwork the following March, fire broke out in a paint shop at the park. The same unwritten rule applied to the Jungle Safari ride (tunnel of love). Within five years, the rail line was abandoned forever. I was in 5th grade so spent much of the summer watching the fishing boats come and leave from Pemberton Pier. For one that could never do twirly rides I loved the roller coaster the best. Dodge threw himself into making the park a success, changing exhibits each year and adding to the mix of rides and attractions. I remember that was my choice Pleasure Island or a birthday party, and I always picked going to that park! Oh my those clam cakes. I have fond memories of the Gay Dolphin Gift Cove, and asked her to check it out when shes in the area. A 14-year-old boy died after he fell Thursday night from a drop tower amusement ride that recently opened at the Orlando area's ICON Park entertainment complex, authorities said. They married in 1935. I use to go to Lincoln Park in Dartmouth, Ma. I really loved Lincoln Park.If youre not you made my morning just for letting me remember Lincoln Park!!! 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. 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. It closed in 1984. It was one of the first landmarks you would spot when driving into Hull on George Washington Boulevard: The Giant Roller Coaster of Paragon Park. Contents. The 25.9-acre amusement park the nations 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. Paragon Park in Hull, Ma-Lincoln Park, Dartmouth, Ma. Roller coaster, [Paragon Park], Nantasket Beach, Mass. When older went with my friends. Lots and lots of great memories. Glad when it finally close and that gorilla was sent to a sanctuary down south and CNN showed the gorilla touching grass for the first time in over 25 years. Whalom Park was my go to place, the rides, the roller skating rink and the summer stock Playhouse. I was a lonely kid wandering the park every night, until I Trailblazer (1974). I also remember Bensons fondly . A park worker's fatal joyride Raymond Boyd/Getty Images The site is now home to condominiums. 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