"You can hear cars squeaking and the people screaming," Haraden said in an interview with The Patriot Ledger. 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. John- what great evocative memories you have of Hull! Fond memories! In late 1985, they canceled the development all together, and announced that they would sell the beloved carousel at auction 28 days later. They closed long time ago. but still good memories. )Danny Sordello. Shortly after railroad executives signed the paperwork the following March, fire broke out in a paint shop at the park. Roller skating, rides, swimming even a boat that gave rides around the lake. Crews worked around the clock to rebuild the Giant so that it could open that season. Long time ago. Happy Anniversary to you both. Paragon Park is where I spent almost every summer night. Like Lincoln Park, the land on which Paragon Park was situated is now the site of condominiums. The flume was a fun ride but scared the crap out of me. 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. Very interesting about the Amusement Parks/brings back childhood memories. Coney entrepreneur George C. Tilyou, one of the most prolific showmen at the turn of the 20th century rivaling P.T. Then there was the Normandy Room (dancing for the younger crowd) but the definite highlight was the Totem Pole Ballroom if your date invited you to go there, you were on top of the world!! With the dragon that breathed real fire that you could see from the main Route. Thanks so much for sharing your memories here! "It has stood the test of time." I grew up in The Berkshires and looked forward every summer to making a trip to Mountain Park and stopping at the nearby dinosaur tracks along with way. As the story goes, were it not for the limited number of months in the year it could be open, Disney would have been more involved. We used to go there every year for my birthday which is in June! Golden. Contents 1 History 1.1 Sale and move In addition to the amusement parks there were shows (I remember seeing Loretta Lynn and others) and they also had auto races on Saturday nights. But they would find that recovering from a flood was entirely different. I remember riding the elephant at Bensons. My cousin owned the pizza shop across the street from the parking lot and lived there. This incident. I have a 24 doll won by my aunt at the Nantasket beach, the doll has no markings, but has the tag still stapled on the voil dress she has on, the tag said won at Luckys Nantasket beach park . 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. Ive cross posted your request for a photo of this ride on the Paragon Park Memories page on Facebook hope it helps! This was perfect! Here's a list of 13 of the deadliest roller coaster accidents in the last two decades. You can definitely make out a number of landmark features like the Witch Castle, Toboggan roller coaster, Coaster Dodgem, and Midway Flying Horses. I took my children there every Wednesday . On a dark winter evening homeward-bound in the front passenger seat in our 53 Chevy after Christmas shopping at the Paragon Parks Arcade Bazaar a warehouse-like fluorescent-lit discount toy store in Nantasket Beach my mom told me the heartbreaking truth about Santa Claus. After the first fire, it was partially redesigned by Herbert Paul Schmeck who worked on its original construction. Pleasure Beach Ballroom had big bands like The Dorseys (before my time) , but being a product of the 50s I remember seeing Fats Domino and Patsy Cline there. We had some good times there. About a month later, a huge blaze destroyed much of the roller coaster, the front entrance, and concessions along the front. good memories. Loved Kings Castle land as a fun place to take my grandson when he was young. Whalom Park! On June 9, 1991, death stalked the grounds of Kings Island amusement park. different name. It was 1971. Perhaps the most famous attraction at Whalom Park was its 1940 Flying Comet wooden roller coaster, built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, the same outfit responsible for the wooden coasters at Coney Island. I did not know that, thanks Larry! Of cause my mother loved to play Bingo . There was one that you didnt mention it was between Fall River and New Bedford, along the highway then. Yes ! I thought it was pretty cool that the Paragon Giant Coaster was on the list of the Smithsonians Top Ten Coasters list. Cyndinow living in South Jersey but always a New Englander. Master carousel artisan Charles I.D. Boy, do the pictures bring back memories, coldest water you ever swam in but Pargon Park was so much fun on a hot summer day. 2023 www.patriotledger.com. Launched as a trolley park (parks at the terminus of trolley lines were all the rage at the time), the property soon evolved from a series of serene walking paths to a bustling destination filled with midway games and rides like Ferris wheels and carousels. The park reopens for the season April 6. The rest of the site is devoted to condominiumdevelopment. Thanks so much for adding them to the thread here on Retro Roadmap. I was a lonely kid wandering the park every night, until I Waves are just as likely to come from local windswells as distant groundswells, and the best swell direction comes from the northeast. I would add Norumbega Park in auburndale Mass, and pleasure Island. Items in the Price Guide are obtained exclusively from licensors and partners solely for our members' research needs. The rest of the site is devoted to condominium development. Wonderful memories! I still visit Nantasket when I can, thumbing my nose at the condos and visiting the carousel (PTC #85) that they saved and moved down the street. He is working on a book about the park's history. It still is the best! 10 Kings IslandMason, Ohio. Yes. Its amazing how fast people forget. During the next several months, the town of Hull was in turmoil. My Aunt bought a house near back entrance. The parks next transformation would not come from fire, but from Mother Natures wrath. We used to park before we got to the park, because there were so many pretty girls we couldnt keep our eyes on the road. Not sure what the weather is like where you are, but weve got snow-a-fallin here outside of Retro Roadmap HQ, so instead of going out on the roads, Im looking backward down memory lane via my own photo collection.I figured Id go back as far as I could in my own collection and start with Paragon Park, circa 1984. Most definitely Riverside in Agawam. Chuck Lawrence. It opened in 1917, closed in 1984. I remember Whalom Park and Bensons Animal Farm fondly. The amount of time the blackberry has been allowed to ripen has an impact on how bitter, Because of its shape, farfalle means butterflies and is commonly referred to as bow tie pasta. Paragon fans rejoiced that incredibly, two of the signature pieces of Paragon Park would survive its imminent death. In the photo at right, from June 2, 1942, mechanics who had just finished the annual inspection and repairs to the Paragon Park roller coaster gave it the first ride of the 1942 season. day. Multiple news agencies reported four cases of fractures in the back or neck linked to the Do-Dodonpa coaster at Fuji-Q Highland Park. Jim- thanks so much for sharing your fond memories of Paragon Park with the RetroRoadmap readers! (A fun bit of trivia: The first words ever spoken into a telephone by a U.S. president were uttered at Rocky Point, during an 1877 visit by Rutherford Hayes. Romantic Totem Pole with sofas next to table lamps, and one time, the Spike Jones Band. Paragon Park opened to the public on Saturday, June 10, 1905, transforming Nantasket Beach for the better part of the 20th century. My favorite ride was the music express but not too soon after eating. 1950s. Paragon Park was an amusement park located on Nantasket Beach in Hull, Massachusetts. Facing massive cost overruns, the parks owners started selling off assets following the 1910 season, which would be Wonderlands last. At the very last minute, it would make a sharp turn to keep everyone dry. Buick Riviera. 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. Paragon had its own saltwater lagoon, which surrounded a central electric tower that rose 110 feet into the sky, by far the largest structure at Nantasket Beach. My question exactly! Owner / Operator I had so many old photos of me so young with families and cousins srbthede park, Canobie is still open, far as I could tell, Canobie Lake Park is definitely not closed. My parents met at the roller rink at Canobie when young. Jankovic was riding "The Voyage" roller coaster on June 4 when she became "unresponsive," the theme park said in a Facebook post. 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. A 20-year-old man also fell when he attempted to stand up on the coaster in 1934, and a maintenance worker was killed in 1946 after he was struck while working on scaffolding on the coaster. Never a fan of ferris wheels but I do recall riding the one at Nantasket on our eighth grade class trip. It remained so until 1925, when it was topped by two feet by the Revere Beach Cyclone just down the road. 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). Roller Coaster Death: Five amusement park deaths that will shock roller coaster fans 1. A wood coaster was just what the park needed for its 10th anniversary, and Predator delivered. Im now a Hull year-round resident, 1/4 mile from where the park once stood. Anybody know anything?!!! Where is the Paragon Park roller coaster now, given this? I showed off my roller skating expertise to my junior high classmates back in the Six Flags Over Georgia, Batman: The Ride Was 14-Year-Old Who Died at Orlando Amusement Park Too Heavy. White City on the shores of Lake Quinsigamond between the Worcester and Shrewsbury linesa wonderful memory. well, all was fine till halfway home and my brother starts getting sick I was on top of my step sister out the window most of the ride home Still great times and I miss when we used to have no cares but having fun.. Dad saw Mom and went over and told her he was going to marry her. Thanks for the article which sent me many, many years back in time. Storyland was good as well. And I can still hear the excited screams of the daring roller coaster riders now. Great memories and was able to take my kids to a couple of these growing up. Format: Dry plate negatives. One of the best. The place I remember having the coldest water and almost cramping my toes is Old Orchard Beach in Maine. 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. My late Mom loved the arcade area, especially. Today, the only surviving remnant of Paragon Park on the boardwalk is the historic Paragon Park Carousel, which was moved from its original site. Memories, thanks. I use to go to Lincoln Park in Dartmouth, Ma. Loved the elephant ride at Benson Animal Farm. Became engaged watching the submarine races there in 1961. Very scary, but such an adventure. We would start pressuring Mom and Dad to take us to Rocky Point as soon as the last of the snow melted. Great memories. And in the early 1960s, there was Pleasure Island in Wakefield, MA, with a pirate theme. The coaster is now called \"The Wild One\". We had so much fun. A great little park! Thank you for the wonderful memories.