Trolley Parks

Amusement Parks for The Masses
 While Tilyou and his peers were operating the wild rides and attractions at Coney Island, the rest of the nation were introduced to amusement machines in the quiet groves outside town. The rise of trolley parks began when Charles J. Van Depoele created an under-running trolley pole which could power an electric trolley. This new invention replaced the horse-drawn streetcar across the nation at the turn of the century.

At this point in history, trolley companies were charged a flat rate for their electricity, regardless of how much they actually used. With most transportation occurring during the work week, the trolley companies wanted to induce people to travel on the weekends to generate extra revenue with little added cost. Their solution was to build picnic groves at the end of the trolley line. For a typical fee of 25 cents for the trolley ride and 10 cents for admission, riders could travel to these scenic spaces for picnics and relaxation. These parks were a great success and the trolley companies looked to the popularity of Coney Island to add amusements to entice even more ridership.

These parks were tame by Coney Island standards due to two reasons. First, most of the park's visitors were church-going and family-oriented city dwellers who would be turned off by the rough-and-tumble sexuality of the Coney parks. Second, the trolley companies had to rely on themselves or local architectural talent in building their interpretations of Coney. One man, Frederick Ingersoll, would succeed in creating wonderful copies of the original Luna Park in Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Many other parks would use the popular names of Luna Park, Dreamland, and White City even though they hardly resembled these famous places.

Whatever their efforts, the trolley parks became so popular that by the early 1900s, every major US city had at least one. These attractions at these parks began as just picnic groves with a band pavilion and perhaps a boat ride. By 1910, the parks had expanded its amusements to include a carousel, a Ferris wheel, a roller coaster, a penny arcade, or fireworks displays. Other attractions included dance halls and events such as band concerts and balloon ascensions.

Seaside Amusement Piers
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Trolley parks reached their peak in popularity shortly after World War I. However, the invention of automobile mass production in 1914 would soon lead to the closure of most of these parks.

Decline and Destruction
 Trolley parks reached their peak in popularity shortly after World War I. Unfortunately, a series of events would put an end to the most of America's trolley parks. The Great Depression, Prohibition, and a railroad strike put a financial strain on trolley companies. The private individuals who had purchased many of the trolley parks could no longer afford to maintain them. With the invention of automobile mass production in 1914, the public abandoned the trolley lines for this private form of transportation. The trolley companies could not compete with this new invention and quickly went bankrupt. Without these trolley lines providing a strong stream of visitors and not enough parking for automobiles, the trolley parks did not have enough ticket sales to keep parks operating and were forced to close.

The automobile also had a secondary impact which helped to destroy the trolley parks. With the increased individual mobility the auto offered, those who could afford the vehicles left the city for the quiet solitude of the suburbs. This left the poor and the relatively nearby trolley parks alone in the cities. It was not long before vandalism and crime destroyed the remaining parks. The land was soon sold off to real estate developers for alternative uses.

It is ironic that although the invention of mechanized labor created more leisure time, it destroyed the local amusement park and ended the first golden age of the industry. Driving for pleasure and another new invention, the television, topped the list of leisure activities of Americans. It would not be until a television program called Disneyland appeared on the tube that the amusement park would emerge from the backwaters of popular culture.

A Brief History of Ingersoll's Luna Parks
Ingersoll is considered one of the inventors of the amusement park. In fact, he even mployed the Edison of roller coaster designers, John Miller. He opened his Pittsburgh park in 1905 near the intersection of Craig and Center Avenues. The entrance was a large archway decorated with large crescent moon. It far outshone its rival trolley parks by being the first amusement park to be covered with electric lighting. It featured the Shoot-the-Chutes water ride as well as a midway, shooting range, dance pavilion, and even baby incubators. The park struggled with attendance after a lion escaped from its pavilion and killed a woman. In 1909, Pittsburgh's Luna Park burned down and was not rebuilt.

Cleveland, Ohio's Luna Park was also built in 1905. Like its Pittsburgh sister, Cleveland's park had an Oriental style and was covered in electric lights. The 35 acre site was located near the intersection of Woodland and Woodhill. It featured a Shoot-the-Chutes, a Jack Rabbit roller coaster, a Pippin roller coaster, carousel, Ferris wheel, dance hall, and sports stadium. The park was longer lived than Pittsburgh's. However, by the 1920s, its popularity dropped and only the skating rink remained opened by the 1930s. A fire destroyed the rink and Luna Park faded into history.

Living History
 Despite all the adversity, some of these trolley parks still exist today. Please help to preserve these last remaining trolley parks by visiting them regularly!

  • Sea Breeze Park, Rochester, NY (1879)
  • Dorney Park, Allentown, PA (1884)
  • Whalom Park, Fitchburg, MA (1893)
  • Lakemont Park, Altoona, PA (1894)
  • Waldameer Park, Erie, PA (1896)
  • Kennywood, West Mifflin, PA (1898)
  • Midway Park, Maple Springs, NY (1898)
  • Camden Park, Huntington, WV (1902)
  • Canobie Lake Park, Salem, NH (1902)
  • Bushkill Park, Easton, PA (1903)
  • Oaks Amusement Park, Portland, OR (1905)
  • Quassy Amusement Park, Middlebury, CT (1908)

Other traditional amusement parks still in operation include:

  • Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio)
  • Dorney Park (Allentown, Pennsylvania)
  • Elitch Gardens (Denver, Colorado)
  • Hersheypark (Hershey, Pennsylvania)
  • Playland (Rye, New York)
  • Rocky Glen Park (Scranton, Pennsylvania)