Trolley park

Coney Island One such location was Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York City, where in 1829 a horse-drawn streetcar line began to bring pleasure seekers to the beach. In 1875, a million passengers rode the railroad to Coney Island; the next year doubled that. Hotels and amusements were built to accommodate the upper classes and the working class. The first carousel was installed in the 1870s, the first Switchback Railway roller coaster in 1881. In 1895, the first permanent amusement park in North America opened in Coney Island: Sea Lion Park, which was also one of the first parks to charge admission for entrance, not just tickets for individual rides. In 1897, it was joined by Steeplechase Park, the first of three major amusement parks that would open in the area. George Tilyou designed the park to provide thrills and sweep away the restraints of the Victorian crowds. The combination of the nearby population center of New York City and the ease of access to the area made Coney Island the embodiment of the American amusement park. It was later joined by Luna Park in 1903 and Dreamland in 1904. Coney Island was a huge success, and by 1910 attendance on a Sunday could reach a million people. Heyday . The park closed in 1955. The "golden era" of trolley parks began in the early 20th century, by which time there were hundreds of amusement parks, many of them starting as trolley parks, in operation around the United States. Every major city boasted one or more parks, often based on (or named after) Coney Island, Luna Park, or Dreamland. The era saw the typical workweek shrink and the amount of disposable income rose. The amusement parks reflected the mechanization and efficiency of industrialization, while serving as a source of fantasy and escape from real life. Decline Attendance at urban trolley parks generally declined in the 1920s. Changing demographics in the urban areas also played a role. So did the rise of the automobile in American life. Although the automobile provided people with more options for satisfying their entertainment needs, amusement parks that were accessible by car continued to be successful and new parks were developed. changing demographics in the urban areas also played a role. By the end of the 1920s, amusement parks had suffered steep declines for various reasons, particularly the Great Depression. ==Extant trolley parks==

are visible atop the Palisades, as seen from the trolley terminal in Edgewater, New Jersey, in the early 20th century • Al Fresco Amusement Park, Peoria, Illinois • Bay Shore Park, Edgemere, Maryland (Baltimore County), Maryland (near Baltimore, Maryland, 1906–1947; some structures remain in North Point State Park.) • Big Island Amusement Park, Minneapolis, Minnesota (1906–1911) • Bonnie Brae Park, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania • Braddock Heights Park, Braddock Heights, Maryland (1893-1964) • Brandywine Springs Amusement Park, Newport, Delaware (1886–1923) • Burnham Park, Burnham, Pennsylvania (ca 1903 to 1916, relocated to Kishacoquillas Park) • Cascade Park, New Castle, Pennsylvania. (Originally opened as Brinton Park in 1891. Cascade Park opened in 1897. While the rides are gone, the park remains as a site for community events.) • Chevy Chase Lake, Chevy Chase, Maryland • C&ST Trolley Park Blue Island, IL (1911–1914) The site is now owned by the Cook County (IL) Forest Preserve District in use as a picnic grove. • Chutes Park, Los Angeles, California (1887–1914) • Contoocook River Amusement Park, Penacook, New Hampshire (1893–1925) • Council Crest Amusement Park, Portland, Oregon (1907–1929) • Crescent Park, Riverside, Rhode Island • Dellwood Park, Lockport, Illinois, founded by the Chicago and Joliet Electric Railway • Dixieland Amusement Park, South Jacksonville (Jacksonville), Florida. (South Jacksonville Municipal Railways; destroyed in a hail storm.) • Dominion Park, Montreal, Canada (1906–1937; Montreal Suburban Tramway and Power company, precursor to today's publicly owned transit commission.) • Eldora Park, Eldora, Pennsylvania, (Carroll Township, Washington County), (1901–mid-1940s) • Electric Park, Detroit (1906–1928) • Electric Park, Kansas City (1899-1925) • Electric Park, Niverville, New York (1901–1917; Albany and Hudson Railroad; “largest amusement park on the east coast between Manhattan and Montreal”) • Euclid Beach Park, Euclid, Ohio, then Cleveland, Ohio (1895—1969): When first opened, visitors came to the park on two steamers from downtown Cleveland. When the Humphrey Family took over direction of the park they agreed to discontinue boat service in return for one street car fare charge to the park from the provider. Initially a street car stop was built inside the park. (Euclid Beach Park, is Closed for the Season, 1977) • Excelsior Amusement Park, Excelsior, Minnesota (1925–1973) • Fleishhacker Pool and Zoo, San Francisco, California (1925–1971) • Fontaine Ferry Park, Louisville, Kentucky (1905–1975) • Forest Hill Park, Richmond, Virginia (1889–1932) • Forest Park, Ballston Lake, New York (1902–1927; operated by the Saratoga and Schenectady Railroad) • Forest Park, Genoa, Ohio • Fort George Amusement Park, Manhattan, New York • Glen Park, west of Watertown, New York, Glen Park, New York • Glen Echo Park, Glen Echo, Maryland (early 1900s–1968) • Golden Spur Amusement Park, Niantic, Connecticut (operated by New London and East Lyme Street Railway) • Great Falls Park, Great Falls, Virginia (operated by Washington and Old Dominion Railway) • Highland Park, York, Pennsylvania (1891–1921) • Idora Park, Oakland, California (1904–1929) • Idora Park, Youngstown, Ohio (1899–1984) • Indian Park, Montoursville, Pennsylvania (The park remains as a site for community events.) • Indianola Park, Columbus, Ohio (1905–1937) • Jantzen Beach Amusement Park, Portland, Oregon (1928–1970) • Kaydeross Park, Saratoga Springs, New York, (operated by the Delaware and Hudson Railway) • Kishacoquillas Park, between Burnham, Pennsylvania and Lewistown, Pennsylvania (relocated from Burnham Park in 1916; property and some structures survive as community park.) • Lake Lansing Amusement Park, Haslett, Michigan (demolished 1972) • Lake View Park, Sheboygan, Wisconsin • Lakeview Park (Lake Nipmuc Amusement Park), Mendon, Massachusetts • Lakewood Amusement, Atlanta, Georgia (1906–1985) • Lexington Park, Lexington, Massachusetts (1902–1920) • Lincoln Park, Dartmouth, Massachusetts (1894–1987) • Lincoln Park, Hallville, Connecticut (operated by Norwich and Westerly Railway) • Luna Park, Alexandria County (now Arlington County), Virginia (near Washington, D.C., 1906–1915) • Luna Park, Charleston, West Virginia (1912–1923) • Luna Park, Cleveland, Ohio (1905–1929) • Luna Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1905–1909) • Luna Park, Scranton, Pennsylvania (1906–1916) • Manawa Park, Council Bluffs, Iowa (closed in 1928) • Merrimack Park, Methuen, Massachusetts (1921–1938) • Minerva Park, Minerva Park, Ohio (1895–1902) • Mountain Park, Holyoke, Massachusetts (1897–1987) • Mount Holly Park, Mount Holly Springs, Pennsylvania (1901–1930) • Neptune Beach, Alameda, California (1917–1939) • Norumbega Park, Newton, Massachusetts (1897–1963) • Oakland Park, Rockport, Maine (1902–?) • Ocean View Park, Norfolk, Virginia (1879–1979) • Olentangy Park, Columbus, Ohio (1896–1937) • Olympic Park, Irvington/Maplewood, New Jersey • Ondawa Park Greenwich, New York (operated by the Delaware and Hudson Railway). • Piney Ridge Park, Broad Brook, Connecticut (located on a branch of the Hartford & Springfield Street Railway, now along the line of the Connecticut Trolley Museum) • Playland (also known as Playland at the Beach), San Francisco, California (1927–1972) • Ponce de Leon amusement park, Atlanta, Georgia • Puritas Springs Park, Cleveland, Ohio • Riverhurst Park, Weston Mills, New York • Riverside Amusement Park, Indianapolis, Indiana (1903–1970) • Rock City Park, Allegany, New York • Rock Springs Park, Chester, West Virginia • Rocky Glen Park, near Moosic, Pennsylvania (later became Ghost Town at the Glen before becoming New Rocky Glen) • Ramona Park, East Grand Rapids, Michigan • Rorick’s Glen, Elmira, New York (1901–1917) • Savin Rock Amusement Park, West Haven, Connecticut (1870s–1966) • Scarboro Beach Amusement Park, Toronto, Ontario (1907—1925) • Shady Grove Park, Uniontown, Pennsylvania • Shellpot Park, near Wilmington, Delaware • Suburban Gardens, Washington, D.C. • Sutro Baths, San Francisco, California (1896–1966) • Terrapin Park, Parkersburg, West Virginia • Vanity Fair, East Providence, Rhode Island • West View Park, West View, Pennsylvania • Whalom Park, Lunenburg, Massachusetts • White City, Atlanta, Georgia (1910–1925) • White City, Indianapolis, Indiana (1906–1908) • White City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1898–1912) • White City, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts • Wildwood Amusement Park, Mahtomedi, Minnesota • Willow Grove Park, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania (1896–1976; now the Willow Grove Park Mall, but still has a carousel inside the shopping mall.) • Woodside Amusement Park, Philadelphia, PA (1897-1955) • Wonderland Amusement Park, Indianapolis, Indiana (1906–1911) • Wonderland Amusement Park, Revere, Massachusetts (1906–1910) • Wonderland Amusement Park, Minneapolis, Minnesota (1905–1911) ==See also==