Some restaurants and openncafes had pictures of it years ago. I remember Savin Rock very well. memories of Nantasket! Cut fresh pasta into small rectangles and pinch the, Copyright 2023 TipsFolder.com | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme. I vividly remember a Killer Kowalski wrestling show at the pavilion during one of my visits. It was small. Unfortunately it was replaced by a Six Flags. I loved White City! I was just remembering visiting Bensons as a kid. Paragon Park opened in 1905 and lasted for just under 80 years, closing in 1984. The rest of the site is dedicated to condominium development. Loved going to Rocky Point sometimes just for the chowder and clam cakes but always ended up in the amusement park. Riverside was also my favorite. I am looking for a picture of the flying scooters on the roof accross from the admin bldg. I never liked to see animals who were unable to have some freedom from confinement. At the center of the park was a lagoon that served as the splashdown point for the popular Shoot the Chute gondola ride. Great place to go! The only coaster at the park was Viper, a Huss-Arrow looper from 1982. The park featured wild-animal shows, shooting galleries, performances by natives of far-away lands, a foolish house, the dragons den, the haunted swing, the laughing show, an arcade and man smaller buildings, according to the opening-day press. My Late Dad used to work at A&P ( another memory ) They used to have an annual picnic at the park. A new stone-carved front entrance designed by Hugh Cairns would add elegance to the Nantasket Avenue side. How wonderful you met your husband at Lake Whalom. The deejays used a trailer, called the Sundeck Studio, which was outfitted with broadcasting equipment. This brings back memories. They were all fun. Their 1928 purchase of a Philadelphia Toboggan Company carousel would become the centerpiece of the park, replacing concessionaire John J. Hurleys previous carousel in the same location. I loved the Giant Coaster and the Congo Cruise. 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. 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 sale was set to close in March, only a few weeks away. Great memories and was able to take my kids to a couple of these growing up. The Chicago event introduced the concept of the midway of attractions now common at amusement parks and carnivals (known then as the Midway Plaisance), and inspired the construction of hundreds of enclosed parks across the country, many of which took their names from the White City nickname of the whitewashed buildings that surrounded the Columbian Expositions central lagoon. My first date with my now wife of 38 years was there! I took my children there all the time ides were reasonable for a family. New owners took over after Bensons death in 1943, and although the park still drew crowds, it had up-and-down years for the next few decades. Thank you for the wonderful memories. Remember the himalaya ? We used to go every year! Great memories going back at least 50 years! Became engaged watching the submarine races there in 1961. (Water World had room to expand because both of DCs older parks had closed some years before.) If we had saved enough pennies, we would enjoy the shore dinner before we headed home. Oh Rich, I know EXACTLY what you mean about smelling the beach before you even got there. Format: Dry plate negatives. STILL one of my fave attractions there and it wasnt even part of the park REALLY. Roller Coaster; Wood; Sit Down; Extreme; Make: Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, Inc. Pictures; Videos; Maps; Tracks. A teenager was decapitated by a roller coaster after he hopped a pair of fences and entered a restricted area Saturday at Six Flags Over Georgia, authorities said. The later years at Bensons they had Christmas displays. This was a Great deal $ ! We held Strong Family reunions there, one year my cousin Ted Strong parachuted into the Park! Great memories! That was a summer vacation treat for us kids in NH. saw this little blond girl my age (10) all alone. The worst came in 1930, when a car on Omaha, Nebraska's Big Dipper roller coaster fell 35 feet to the ground, killing four and injuring 17. Lone Wolf 83 subscribers Subscribe 95K views 11 years ago I found this video in my archives! This makes the second fatal accident at an amusement park this year. I felt so sorry for that creature. So many wonderful memories. Too bad theyre all just sweet memories now. Roller coasters Past This list is incomplete, please expand it if you can. If anyone has a picture of this ride please let me know. Can not believe Canobie is closed. According to a Washington Post article from that time, it was purchased at auction for just $28,000. My dad worked there. Over the winter, Stone and Golden began working on how they would secure the continuation of Paragon. But most significantly, Dodge looked to make an impact with the new and improved park. Follow The History of Paragon Park on WordPress.com, Paragons Administration Building an original from 1905. 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. Best wishes, and thanks for stopping by. Lost in that fire was much of the holiday inventory of Toy-A-Rama, a seasonal store in Paragons former roller skating rink that competed against the Arcade Bazaar. And in the early 1960s, there was Pleasure Island in Wakefield, MA, with a pirate theme. Hilarity Hall, a funhouse akin to the Steeplechase, was built next door, and a dance hall that later became a roller rink, toy store, and video arcade. The park celebrated the ride's centennial in 2017, although it is thought that none or the original lumber remains. A scenic railway was added in 1900. External links Paragon Park on the Roller Coaster DataBase. It opened in 1905 and closed in 1985. Is this all about Massachusetts or not? Great times and wonderful memories of a time long gone by. I can always remember when we were getting close to the the beach and we would pick-up the scent of the ocean and we could hear the screams coming from the riders on the coaster. The person, who has not been identified, was flung about 10 feet out . My grandparents took me. 19T E 347058 N 4681323. I remember going to an amusement park, I thought we walked there from the rental. For out-of-state visitors, parking at Nantasket Beach will increase from $10 to $15 per day, and $20 per day. Good memories! With the economy still climbing out of a recession, they faced stark reality years of deferred maintenance and the rising popularity of larger theme parks meant that significant investment would be required to modernize Paragon and make it competitive as a destination. I showed off my roller skating expertise to my junior high classmates back in the As I remember it was not a very large park, or maybe I didnt get to see it all.But memories are still there. For the life of me I can not remember the name.But it was a really big thing to me back in the day. What a wonderful and very interesting article about the history of amusement parks in New England. Also, we often went to Jolly Chollys in North Attleboro as well. In Africa, what three biomes are the most common? Met my husband at Lake Whalom and we have been married 57 years this year. Miss Rocky Point, grandparents had a cottage right next to the park, spent many summer weekends visiting the cottages and walking to the park, loved the pool, playing speedball, the pizza slices and the bumper are. I remember Lincoln Park. They closed long time ago. They flew around the 2,456-foot circuit and the coaster utilized two lift hills, each almost 100-feet high. Not only did I grow up in Hull, I worked at Paragon Park from 15 to 19 (1965 to 1969). Within two years, however, the friend needed financial help, and turned to Dodge, who invested in the venture and then launched grander vision of a larger, self-contained amusement park on the vacant land surrounding the Nantasket Steeplechase and the adjacent Old Mill attraction. It was worth the over an hour drive to get there. The Summer of 1985 seemed like the longest ever, as day by day more and more of Paragon disappeared. Dogs are banned from the state-owned Nantasket Beach Reservation from May 1 to September, and a local law change would have no effect on the states rules. Its most famous piece is functioning a huge light up cross at the top of a summit overlooking I-84, clearly seen from the highway at all hours. As recounted in his 1922 obituary, a friend of Dodges invested in what became known as the Nantasket Steeplechase, a collection of amusements licensed from Coney Islands Steeplechase Park that was built on land leased from the Old Colony Railroad. Our graduating class of 1950 went there after our senior banquet for a fun evening. I cant believe they didnt have Lincoln Park listedthat place was the best! Paragon Park - Roller Coaster on Nantasket Beach - 1984! Find it all and much more with the interactive Roller Coaster Database. The Nantasket Beach Steamboat Company struggled for several years before declaring bankruptcy; the Old Colony Railroad suspended train service in 1932, substituting buses to and from the Nantasket Junction depot in Hingham. If youre on Facebook you might enjoy this page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Paragon-Park-Memories/103289636409972?sk=wall, Or its sister website: http://www.paragonparkmemories.com/. Im a big baby when it comes to riding roller coasters but I do love the look of an old fashioned white wood one curling around a park. Wonderful memories! The storefront includes the workshop of James Hardison, the artist who is painstakingly restoring each of the 66 wooden horses, where visitors can watch the continuing efforts to preserve the remnants of Paragon Park at Nantasket Beach. I used to love Paragon Park! Please see my listings for other defunct New England Amusement Park shirts. So sad that it is gone. What are two most common biomes in Africa? Date Posted: 8/23/2009 2:00:02 PM. I thought the title of the article said New England Amusement Parks. The park closed December 3, 1987, owing $48,000 in taxes and $13,000 in unpaid police details. I remember going on it every summer as a child.such great memories!!! 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. 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. I had a bad experience on one as a kid and never went on one until then. Yet, in 14 years (1990-2004), there were only 54 amusement park fatalities. Im so glad I caught the Art Deco lines and colors, as well as a bit of the ski lift ride as well! A friend, 20-year-old William Haithcoat, and a 20-year-old park employee named Darrel Robertson, attempted to rescue him. I remember riding the Virginia Reel 7 times one night! Fond memories of Nantasket. I remember when they had Elvis performing on the outdoor stagethat was many years ago! Carousel Under the Clock, as it was known, operated as a private business until 1996, when the three businessmen who purchased the ride at the auction decided that they needed to recoup their investment. Beach was great! Well put. Although the arcades still exist, Salisbury Beach was a favorite growing up. A. Schiff & Associates steel wild mouse roller coaster located at Paragon Park in Hull, Massachusetts, USA. I loved the wooden roller coaster and the fun house with the mirrors as well as the riding fun house sitting in the red cars! If your birthday was in the summer (mine wasnt), a party there was something to anticipate all year. day. 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. I grew up in Springfield and would rather go there than its competitor, Riverside Park in Agawamnow Six Flags. "You can hear cars squeaking and the people screaming," Haraden said in an interview with The Patriot Ledger. Through the decades, the venues Palladium Ballroom hosted a lineup of performers that ranged from Janis Joplin to the Ramones and Pearl Jam. These old beach attractions are truly an endangered species. What a surprise to have Colossus live at our Zoo here, for many years. A Thanksgiving Day fire at nearby Nantasket Pier destroyed most of the fleet of steamboats that carried passengers to and from Boston. Fire struck again in the fall, destroying the Chateau ballroom at the rear of the park. The centerpiece of the complex a metal track on which riders raced their horses against each other, based on the old English horse race through the countryside, usually with a distant church steeple as the finish line was only part of the show. I loved Norumbega Park and all the rides. In 1912, Dodge opened the Hotel Georgian in Park Square, an upscale nightspot in Bostons theater district that he operated until Prohibition forced it to close in 1919. 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. And as young teens roller skating. Its assets were sold off in 1979, with the land being cleared for a housing development. I did not know that, thanks Larry! Two people are dead and two are seriously injured after the last car on the Quimera roller coaster at the . I think you put money in and got some kind of fortune on a card. Paragon Park in Hull, Ma-Lincoln Park, Dartmouth, Ma. Among the most popular attractions of that era was a 500-pound silverback gorilla called Colossus, who was promoted as being among the largest in captivity and once ran for president as a publicity stunt. What is the state of ionic compounds at room temperature. My best friend took me there when I moved to the area in 1983. I do recall later that year being able to pick up a trinket or two at Building #19, a local salvage and odd lot shop, but even now the sight of this sign makes me kick myself. Was it destined to become a cornerstone of the casino economy, or was its presence an obstacle to further development? 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