My best memories of my being a teenager is my time being at Paragon Park. East Bridgewater High School. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. We were bused to school at Hingham. The most visible prize at the June auction didnt attract the highest bid, but garnered the most attention. I know it was small compared to others mentioned, Salem Willows was always a blast! 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. If youre on Facebook theres a Paragon Park Memories page you might enjoy too: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Paragon-Park-Memories/103289636409972. AFAICT Canobie Lake is still open? Photo, Print, Drawing Roller coaster, [Paragon Park], Nantasket Beach, Mass. There were daily parades and a scenic railroad, too. I never liked to see animals who were unable to have some freedom from confinement. Cut fresh pasta into small rectangles and pinch the, Copyright 2023 TipsFolder.com | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme. The coaster shut down when Paragon Park closed in 1984. These old beach attractions are truly an endangered species. they actually replaced a section that burned in the 1960s so the coaster is the way it was originally designed. By the time the flames were extinguished, the Green Streak was a shambles, as was the signature front entrance and much of the park facing Nantasket Avenue. Thanks for the memories. I just found out that the Giant Coaster was relocated to Six Flags in Maryland and is now the Wild One. Still saw remnants of the park in the area. John- what great evocative memories you have of Hull! Kings Castle, Whitman, great amusements for kids to age 10 maybe 12. Many years back the classic shore dinners in a pavilion over the water made it famous. But another group of preservationists began to think about how memories of the park could be saved, and fixed its gaze upon the antique carousel. Romantic Totem Pole with sofas next to table lamps, and one time, the Spike Jones Band. 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.). In fact, a penny would get you a lot in those days, especially in the penny arcade. I used to love Paragon Park! The doll has to be from the fiftys because my aunt died, and she was 81 when she died in 1992. Fortunately, there were no deaths involved in Valravn's 2019 crash at Cedar Point. Paragon Park opened to the public on Saturday, June 10, 1905, transforming Nantasket Beach for the better part of the 20th century. Not much mention of Revere Beach, it may very well b the 1st given that Revere beach is the 1st public beach in America, it had everything u could or would want in an Amusement park NOW its just a bunch of CONDOS. We took our children there when there were young. Today, the only surviving remnant of Paragon Park on the boardwalk is the historic Paragon Park Carousel, which was moved from its original site. I too have fond memories of the place, and even though its a shell of its former self, I cant help but hope it returns to its former glory. Silver-colored flagpoles stretched across the entrance, now enclosed by chain-link gates that would swing inward. The coaster was 1,400 feet long and featured an 88-foot drop. It opened in 1905 and closed in 1985. 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. 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. A small miniature golf course is located on one of the smaller sites that once housed a water slide and, previously, a few rides. day. 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. 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. In late 1985, they canceled the development all together, and announced that they would sell the beloved carousel at auction 28 days later. Shore dinners especially the clamcakes. Paragon Park was an amusement park located on Nantasket Beach in Hull, Massachusetts. One year I went to Rocky Point Amusement part, this would have to be about 1984-1985 and my Dad at the time worked for Sealtest Ice Cream and they would have a big summer thing down there and we would spend the day first doing carnival activities hosted by the company, then spend the rest of the day at the park. This brings back memories. With the dragon that breathed real fire that you could see from the main Route. I cant believe they didnt have Lincoln Park listedthat place was the best! In late 1915, he had leased parts of the park to fruit peddler David Stone and fellow hotelier Albert A. Thank you for putting these wonderful pictures together. We moved to Gulf Breeze, FL and several years later they started . . I think you put money in and got some kind of fortune on a card. Within two seasons, however, Paragon was falling short of its financial projections, Eastern Parks investors wanted to abandon the concept. 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. Loved Whalom park took several girlfriends there. For the younger crowd, there was the Normandy Room. Debts incurred in the purchase of the park from the Dodge estate were extended; banks and creditors alike were leaning heavily on the owners of the park. A postcard view of Rocky Point Amusement Park in Warwick, Rhode Island, c. 1930-1945. It ended in the 70s after a series of fires destroyed it. Yet, in 14 years (1990-2004), there were only 54 amusement park fatalities. Oh, Paragon Park at Nantasket Beach in Massachuetts! Keep us posted on your book and have a great weekend! Mountain Park in Holyoke MA. 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. From late June to early September, lifeguards are on duty. Many made the pilgrimage to photograph the park for the last time, and members of the American Coaster Enthusiasts visited to see the Giant, at one time the worlds tallest coaster, before it met its fate. Paragon Park opened in 1905 and lasted for just under 80 years, closing in 1984. Now folks who have never been there will get an inkling of how important the park was to so many people! I would show up at the ride with a girl and they would give me a boat all to ourselves. I remember going to Paragon Park during those same years. Dad took us there at least once every summer???????? 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. For Christopher Haraden, who grew up just beyond a curve in the coaster's tracks on Rockview Road, the ride and its riders were the sounds of summer. 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. Shortly after railroad executives signed the paperwork the following March, fire broke out in a paint shop at the park. White City Amusement Park on Lake Quinsig in Worcester, MA. Among the amusement rides in operation during Paragon Park's history was a traditionalstyle Philadelphia Toboggan Company carousel (PTC 85) with handcrafted horses, a bumper cars ride known as . Over the winter, Stone and Golden began working on how they would secure the continuation of Paragon. I do remember Whalom Park and Bensons Wild Animal farm as well, we took our own children there a few times as well! Davids son, Joseph, entered into negotiations with the Old Colony Railroad to purchase the land under Paragon. Next, And as young teens roller skating. What fun memories at all of these places! There were dances, performances, and exhibitions at the Alhambra Ballroom; the dinner hall on a bluff overlooking the bay was famed for its Rhode Island shore dinners (steamed clams, clam chowder, lobster, clam cakes, fish, corn on the cob, and watermelon). 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. Now that Im a vegan and animal rights activist, Id hate it. Of the parks you describe, I visited Rocky Point and Bensons Wild Animal Farm as a child. Does anyone remember Funland Park worked there too. i lived in hull for 7 yrs between 1971 and 1978 best years of my life were spent there at paragon park and was sorry when the big developers came in and tore it down what a shame. A. Schiff & Associates steel wild mouse roller coaster located at Paragon Park in Hull, Massachusetts, USA. This is an unused Paragon Park t-shirt from the long defunct amusement park that was located in Nantasket Beach, Hull Ma. I recall a Western theme park in Northeast CT, named Cowboy Village. Most fun ever as I grew up in Fitchburg. Many in Hull remained unconvinced. 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. We would make sure to hit every ride and try our luck at the various games of chance as well. I remember that well, and the Diary Ice Cream place up the road on the other side. The ride's top speed is 50 mph, according to the park's Web site. I hope that whatever parks are now available to families offer todays kids memories that they will carry with them into their 70s too. 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. Newton High Schools Senior Proms were held in the Totem Pole Ballroom ~ what a special memory!! A trip to Rocky Point was the highlight of our summers in the 1950s. Loved Kings Castle land as a fun place to take my grandson when he was young. They had a great time. 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. At its opening, Trailblazer was the first major coaster to be added to Hersheypark in 18 years. Lincoln Park had an awesome roller coaster. The Likelihood of Dying on a Roller Coaster. 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 . Mountain Park in Holyoke MA. The west is the best wind direction. Willard's Whizzer, Marriott's Great America Amusement Park, 1980. Yes, Mountain Park in Holyoke, MA! All Rights Reserved. United States--Massachusetts--Nantasket Beach. I found this video in my archives! They married in 1935. Great memories. The Batman roller. The Giant Coaster opened at Paragon Park in 1917; at 98 feet tall, it was the tallest roller coaster in the world at the time. It was often referred to as Disneyland of the Northeast. There are at least two books published reminiscing about Pleasure Island. He contracted with the Philadelphia Toboggan Company to build the tallest roller coaster in the world, Paragons 98-foot Giant Coaster. 2023 www.patriotledger.com. The Lynn Shore and Nahant Beach Reservations will be charged the same new fees. I remember barely being able to wait until the park opened at 12?1? 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. saw this little blond girl my age (10) all alone. Lots and lots of great memories. Location: Massachusetts, United States. 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. Wildcat, Bell's Amusement Park, 1997. About This Item; Obtaining Copies; Access to Original; . My favorite ride was the wooden roller coaster and enjoyed being an usher at the playhouse. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. It would be two years before Stone and Golden would be able to assume full control of the park, canceling the lease that had been signed in 1919 and making improvements to the fire-ravaged amusement center. This post was first published in 2020 and has been updated. Summing lessons in Lake Whalom, wonderful memories. The site is now home to condominiums. Chris Haraden lecture - The History of Paragon Park, Official Site of the Paragon Park Carousel, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paragon_Park&oldid=1135406011, Buildings and structures in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Defunct amusement parks in the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 24 January 2023, at 13:40. Sundays: 11am-9pm (9:30pm for Creamery) To have some freedom from confinement, Salem Willows was always a blast coaster me. Kings Castle, Whitman, great amusements for kids to age 10 maybe 12 been.! Was falling short of its financial projections, Eastern parks investors wanted to abandon the concept Park Bensons. 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