Glad to know that the Giant Coaster is still around and can be enjoyed by those who have the stomach for it . Great place to go! They open for the 2022 season on May 28. https://www.canobie.com/. I remember going to Paragon Park during those same years. I also remember Mountain Park; the way to get to the site is still named Mountain Park Road, according to the sign on the bridge where it crosses I-91. they actually replaced a section that burned in the 1960s so the coaster is the way it was originally designed. Was it destined to become a cornerstone of the casino economy, or was its presence an obstacle to further development? About a dozen years later I . It was often referred to as Disneyland of the Northeast. There are at least two books published reminiscing about Pleasure Island. My family lived in Agawam at the time , and on Sat .nights we could hear the cars racing at the track. 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. I loved White City! I had my first kiss on that ride, and a night This makes the second fatal accident at an amusement park this year. So glad you shared yours here too . Mountain Park in Holyoke MA. Jankovic was riding "The Voyage" roller coaster on June 4 when she became "unresponsive," the theme park said in a Facebook post. Savin Rock was an outstanding amusement park, with roller coasters over the water, the Virginia Reel, a fabulous carousel with brass rings to catch, fun houses and top name hamburger/hotdog drive ins to feed the appetite you worked up walking the miles of rides, races and arcades. I still have pictures. Which now-closed New England amusement parks do you miss the most? As I remember it was not a very large park, or maybe I didnt get to see it all.But memories are still there. Dodge commissioned the Philadelphia Toboggan Company (PTC) to create a new coaster. 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. Its assets were sold off in 1979, with the land being cleared for a housing development. Dont forget Adventureland in Newbury, MA which operated for several years from 1957 into the early 60s. Facing massive cost overruns, the parks owners started selling off assets following the 1910 season, which would be Wonderlands last. I remember watching Bea Lillie and Robert Emhardt among others. Maybe 5 years old. (Water World had room to expand because both of DCs older parks had closed some years before.) 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. Ditto. But my most vivid, and fond memory was Misquamucut, and this mystery park! 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. 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. Till I was twelve, lived in Naugatuck CT and lived to ride I lived in Leominister and took the bus to whalom Park on Saturdays. No more races. Yes, Riverside Park was memorable as was Mountain Park. Michael Jaramillo, 11, died Sunday after he and three others were injured on the Raging River water ride at . What a surprise to have Colossus live at our Zoo here, for many years. Loved the Merry Go Round. Great memories ???? What wouldnt be kept in town, however, were the rides and equipment that now stood in the way of the Plaza at Paragon Park. News of the developers interest appeared in December 1984 in a place that was unlikely to attract attention a column in the pages of The New England Real Estate Journal, a trade publication generally seen only by those in the real estate industry. For one that could never do twirly rides I loved the roller coaster the best. Went there as a little kid driving Rt.2 all the way from Hartford. Take a ride down Memory. 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 . It is 1984! He operated the coaster until it's demise in 1916 when it was destroyed by a fire. All rights reserved. Around the same time, the town and the state began buying the property in stages. Of cause my mother loved to play Bingo . 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. memories of Nantasket! I have fond memories of an amusement park called Mountain Park that Isnt mentioned. Norumbega Park loved going there when I was young! I also went to Lincoln Park & Kings Castle. Even though that was in 1984, every time he tells the story he apologises to the poor kid sitting behind him all over again. In its 96 years, 1985 was the only season of operation the roller coaster has missed. We moved to Gulf Breeze, FL and several years later they started . What a wonderful and very interesting article about the history of amusement parks in New England. What about Treasure Island in Wakefield Massachusetts? Thank you for the flashbacks! 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. Dad saw Mom and went over and told her he was going to marry her. We went with another family. During the next several months, the town of Hull was in turmoil. The midway featured games of skill and chance and performances by Hugo Zacchini, aka the Human Projectile. Multiple news agencies reported four cases of fractures in the back or neck linked to the Do-Dodonpa coaster at Fuji-Q Highland Park. Rebecca thanks for visiting Retro Roadmap, and best of luck with your novel. How wonderful you met your husband at Lake Whalom. When it closed a man I knew bought the huge statue of the steer they had and someone else got the elephant. The remains of the "Turnpike Cars" roadway ride are hidden in overgrowth beside the parking lot, although are very much visible via Google Maps. United States--Massachusetts--Nantasket Beach. Also visited Crescent Park, Rocky Point ,Bensons ,Pleasure Island,Kings Castle land Whitman,Ma Whalom and Canobie Lake. Movie Stars came from California The Three Stooges often preformed on stage I believe it closed in the late 60s. 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. 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. Skeeball and pinball machines were favorite games at Paragon Park's penny arcade. Mark Mason, the manager of the Wild World amusement park near Baltimore, paid $28,000 to buy the Giant Coaster, and promptly announced plans to dismantle the ride piece-by-piece and have it rebuilt in time for the next season. It was a fun, reasonably priced park and like other parks in New England was probably not profitable enough to keep running. Hi Joanne, I skated most every week end at the roller rink, Lil and her husband were great. A scaled down replica of a tour around the Holy Land, the premise certainly has promise. The Stones took control of the main Paragon property, as well as its rear parking lots and warehouse, while Golden retained the section of former railroad bed that would later house the Turnpike Cars ride and the Magic Mine Train. He contracted with the Philadelphia Toboggan Company to build the tallest roller coaster in the world, Paragons 98-foot Giant Coaster. My question exactly! I remember that well, and the Diary Ice Cream place up the road on the other side. Format: Dry plate negatives. About This Item; Obtaining Copies; Access to Original; . That was wicked cool when you were a kid. My best friend took me there when I moved to the area in 1983. The Massachusetts real estate market blossomed in the mid-1980s, and the factors that in the past had limited Paragons ability to expand now gave it extra value it was sandwiched between two bodies of water and the views that came with them. Back before we moved to Connecticut in the. Early 50s. Its amazing how fast people forget. Keep us posted on your book and have a great weekend! White City Amusement Park on Lake Quinsig in Worcester, MA. 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. Without even knowing it, wed had our last ride at Paragon Park. savin rock amusement park in west haven ct. should definitely be added to this list. Wonderful memories! We would make sure to hit every ride and try our luck at the various games of chance as well. Wild Mouse was a B. Roller Coaster; Wood; Sit Down; Extreme; Make: Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, Inc. Pictures; Videos; Maps; Tracks. See it here at. Where is the Paragon Park roller coaster now, given this? Makes me a bit homesick for Mass, summer, the beach and childhood. I felt so sorry for that creature. 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. Newton High Schools Senior Proms were held in the Totem Pole Ballroom ~ what a special memory!! mod i remeber the blizzard of 78 that was freezing and 27ft snow drift i know i shoveled them to make money as a kid froze my butt of lmao, and delivering newspapers in the winter took its toll on me as well , i agree i foze my arse off. Hands down, Mountain Park in Holyoke (Western Massachusetts). A trip to Rocky Point was the highlight of our summers in the 1950s. 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. Maurer Rides, a company from Germany,. Neither of their two children expressed an interest in carrying on the family business. If anyone has a picture of this ride please let me know. Most fun ever as I grew up in Fitchburg. I grew up in the 80s and 90s in rhode island and Rocky Point was an amazing amusement park. A Visit To The Retro Roadmap Photo Archives Photos from the American Roadside. All of that changed in 1984. In late 1985, they canceled the development all together, and announced that they would sell the beloved carousel at auction 28 days later. Giant Coaster Paragon Park (Hull, Massachusetts, United States) Removed, Operated from 1917 to 1985. I took my children there every Wednesday . Lizzie- Myrtle Beach is definitely in the air today as a pal just asked about retro roadmap worthy places to go around that area. Selling the 18-story development to the public was a harder task than the developers had imagined, however, and by fall, even with a compromise reduction to 12 stories, Kahn and Quinn faced stiff opposition. My favorite ride was the merry go round and, when I got older the race track where you could drive cars around a track. Luckily they saved the merry go round and youre able to ride on it still in its new location. A rider suffered head, wrist and ankle injuries on Monday after being ejected from a roller coaster in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Jim- thanks so much for sharing your fond memories of Paragon Park with the RetroRoadmap readers! The Great Blizzard of 1978 put the park under six feet of water as the Atlantic Ocean and Hull Bay converged on the Hull peninsula and left a wake of destruction. The most visible prize at the June auction didnt attract the highest bid, but garnered the most attention. Not only did I grow up in Hull, I worked at Paragon Park from 15 to 19 (1965 to 1969). So sad that it is gone. Rumors occasionally surfaced of a potential buyer showing interest, but as each winters gossip gave way to springs warmer temperatures, Paragons gates swung open to welcome the crowds. Those were the days! At the center of the park was a lagoon that served as the splashdown point for the popular Shoot the Chute gondola ride. 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. While sad, the news contained one ray of hope a final season for nostalgia-filled fans to say goodbye. The park opened to rave reviews. Im so glad that these cool old places- even when theyre unfortunately gone, hold a special place in folks lives. \rIt is 1984! Hopefully at a family get together that poor kid is now telling his children (or grandchildren), You ARE NOT going to believe what happened to me in 1984 at Whalom Park, it sure wasnt funny then but looking back, Back in 1973, a guy made a sci-fi home film that had several filming locations, one of them being the Fun-o-Rama park at Salisbury Beach, MA. I never saw that girl again. I went for a visit recently and got inspired for a novel Im working on, but I was looking for some photographic inspiration. 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