Yes. The actors included many stars on their way up including Hal (and his then wife, Ruby). Yes ! With the Stones out of town on vacation, disaster duty fell to Klayman. 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. I lived in Leominister and took the bus to whalom Park on Saturdays. Good memories! I remember riding the elephant at Bensons. The Aftermath: Roller Coaster. I worked for Paragon Park as a ride operator for three consecitives summers from the age 14-17. Great place. Great memories. Turns out my very pregnant mother had started to have labor pains. I remember going to an amusement park, I thought we walked there from the rental. By then, the Stone family found itself in an unfamiliar position: unsure of how long the park could survive. But my most vivid, and fond memory was Misquamucut, and this mystery park! )And I grew up in Holden, so, yes Whalom Park. Its assets were sold off in 1979, with the land being cleared for a housing development. It was moved from Nantasket Beach and opened as The Wild One at Six Flags America outside Washington, D.C. back in 1986. Almost all of the rides were dismantled and auctioned off. Im so glad I caught the Art Deco lines and colors, as well as a bit of the ski lift ride as well! My Park in Holyoke, MA. Even met my husband. we went on the Congo Cruise, which I think briefly had a The Bat, the world's first suspended roller coaster, failed because of design problems. Also had my first date with my future husband at Riverside!! Now, it's. The rest of the site is devoted to condominium development. Sorry when it closed. He is working on a book about the park's history. savin rock amusement park in west haven ct. should definitely be added to this list. A 14-year-old boy died after he fell Thursday night from a drop tower amusement ride that recently opened at the Orlando area's ICON Park entertainment complex, authorities said. My mom told me about going to Whalom Park as a child (she grew up in Fitchburg) but I didnt get there until I had my own family and we returned to Massachusetts after a tour of duty in Europe. I remember going to Paragon Park during those same years. Paragon Park was an amusement park located on Nantasket Beach in Hull, Massachusetts. It was known as Disneyland of the East. Share. Long time ago. I thought the title of the article said New England Amusement Parks. 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. (Water World had room to expand because both of DCs older parks had closed some years before.) The sale was set to close in March, only a few weeks away. So many wonderful memories. A Save the Carousel effort began in earnest in February, with local residents lobbying Larry and Phyllis Stone to keep the merry-go-round intact, and keep it in Hull. They loved it . (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. i miss those days i was took by the state for i was a foster child and never got to say goodbye to my friends schoolmates in hull high or even katie averill my girlfriend at the time, a sad moment for me but as a kid a great way to spend a childhood, delivering the newspapers and even raised the flag at the monument by cumberland farms every morn for the veterans , i was a boy scout in troop 21. oh so many fond memories . We could ride the rides all day. He says he and his son boarded . 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. Oh Rich, I know EXACTLY what you mean about smelling the beach before you even got there. In late 1985, they canceled the development all together, and announced that they would sell the beloved carousel at auction 28 days later. The two men would face their first challenges early in their tenure. 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. Within two seasons, however, Paragon was falling short of its financial projections, Eastern Parks investors wanted to abandon the concept. Who makes these lists? Maybe 5 years old. At the time, it was considered the deadliest. 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. It was designed and constructed by the Philadelphia Toboggan Co., which later built the park's carousel that remains in Hull. The west is the best wind direction. The site is now home to condominiums. Salisbury Beach was a once a year treat. After the first fire, it was partially redesigned by Herbert Paul Schmeck who worked on its original construction. A nice man left money to the town I lived in and every year the town would set up the trip to Whalom Park! Your story brought back many memories. My parents had season tickets on Tuesday nights for years. I can almost picture it. I remember going on it every summer as a child.such great memories!!! I thought it was pretty cool that the Paragon Giant Coaster was on the list of the Smithsonians Top Ten Coasters list. In the aftermath of the fire, a new dance hall and roller coaster were constructed in the front of the park. Yet, in 14 years (1990-2004), there were only 54 amusement park fatalities. Mom would always say well have to start saving our pennies, and we did. Please see my listings for other defunct New England Amusement Park shirts. I still have pictures. So folks, remember tomorrow never knows if theres someplace or something you like go there now, enjoy it, take photos, and do what you can to make sure it sticks around, because some day it might not be there anymore! Hi Joanne, I skated most every week end at the roller rink, Lil and her husband were great. "It has stood the test of time." Our school also had our senior prom there. Paragon Park on Nantasket Beach in Hull, MA has to be the most beloved old amusement park in New England and one of the top 10 in the country. Dodge, a Boston businessman who had made a fortune selling whalebone, a substance that was used for so many products that it has been called the plastic of its day, was the prime mover behind the construction of Paragon. Still saw remnants of the park in the area. I know the Congo Cruise was called the Red Mill at one point but I think that was in my mothers generation, I always remember it as the Congo Cruise. Ron what a great time you mustve had there! Built into the side of Mount Tom it now sits in ruins, closed many years ago. What is the state of ionic compounds at room temperature. Real estate interests were inspired both by the removal of what some considered the honky tonk amusements and by the zoning loophole Kahns plans had exposed. Mountain Park in Holyoke MA has left wonderful memories of class trips and later bringing my children. Canobie Lake was where out Sr HS class had an unofficial Senior Day. 19T E 347058 N 4681323. 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. Everytime I drive into town via George Washington Blvd I think back on when me and my siblings would try to be the first to see the roller coaster. Park. Yes, Mountain Park in Holyoke, MA! Games manager Myron Klayman, the brother-in-law of owner Phyllis Stone, was a selectman in Hull at the time of the storm, and recalled serving dual roles in helping the town clean up from the disaster while also directing crews at his employer. peter; 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!! Us and some of our neighbors would take advantage of $5 after 5 nights to take the kids to Whalom Park a few times a summer. It was in Holyoke, MA, I believe. Im so glad that these cool old places- even when theyre unfortunately gone, hold a special place in folks lives. Dogs will not be allowed on Nantasket Beach in the summer, regardless of whether the law passes. I took my children there every Wednesday . It was where the class went after graduation of Grammar School in 56 too we also would go to the speedway. This incident. As each season ended, friends and family recall the Stones saying privately that it would be the last; they no longer had the energy to devote to such a draining enterprise. Police said the ride was going full-speed when the Ferguson was struck. Lincoln Park in Dartmouth, MA, just part of New Bedford, MA! It was safe and so much fun. 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. also Nantasket Beach. Dodge commissioned the Philadelphia Toboggan Company (PTC) to create a new coaster. 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. Back before we moved to Connecticut in the. During the late Forties and early Fifties my father had a car Number 87 in those races. Aw, I remember going to Bensons Wild Animal Farm! 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. Believed by many to have helped inspire the future Magic Kingdom, this amusement park flashed briefly across the New England entertainment scene, opening in 1906 and closing at the end of summer in 1910. I vividly remember a Killer Kowalski wrestling show at the pavilion during one of my visits. Now that Im a vegan and animal rights activist, Id hate it. Thank you for putting these wonderful pictures together. It was dismantled and completely rebuilt down in Maryland. One of the most intriguing to me is Holy Land, USA in Waterbury, CT. Its one of those in-between places that some might say doesnt belong on the list because its being, well, you might say resurrected. When I drive around that corner approaching Paragon park I am still a little startled when I see a bunch of condos instead of the roller coaster. Theres a Facebook page called Paragon Park Memories- maybe if you post it there someone else may remember it as well good luck! 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. It officially became an amusement park in 1980 and featured a number of flat rides mostly from HUSS Maschinenfabrik as it served as a U.S. showcase for new Huss rides during the 1980s. spent hours running around the park and laughing! Also, we often went to Jolly Chollys in North Attleboro as well. \r\rDo you remember hearing the clicking of the cars as they climb to the top? 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. It was in Killingly, many miles north and east, and my parents had a cranky little boy on their hands. 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. 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.. United States--Massachusetts--Nantasket Beach. I am 88 and many classmates are gone. I recall going to Storytown in Lake George area now a Six Flags. How Id love to take one more slide ride. Such wonderful memories of a different time!???? Roller skating was a big thing for me. As one of the most historic and popular highways in North America (and dare we say the world), Route 66 has gone through a series of changes since its inception in 1926, going from . About a dozen years later I . When young my parents would take me tomthe Wonderland Park in Revere MA. The Stones took control of the main Paragon property, as well as its rear parking lots and warehouse, while Golden retained the section of former railroad bed that would later house the Turnpike Cars ride and the Magic Mine Train. You can help Coasterpedia by expanding it. Did you hold on tight or tempt fate and ride with your hands stretched toward the sky? Take a ride down Memory Lane! Sundays: 11am-9pm (9:30pm for Creamery) White City on the shores of Lake Quinsigamond between the Worcester and Shrewsbury linesa wonderful memory. Kelley McLaughlin, 13, and Ann Nigro, 14, of Hull, rode past the Giant Coaster at Paragon Park in Hull on their way home from school on March 24, 1984. Statistics are an important factor to take into consideration when you begin riding an ample amount of roller coasters. It is 1984! 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. Whalom Park!! Many in Hull remained unconvinced. 10 Kings IslandMason, Ohio. There were daily parades and a scenic railroad, too. Youd once drive into Hull on George Washington Boulevard and watch the horizon for the rising coaster in the distance; now, its a monstrous condo building. David Stone lost two houses on Rockland House Road in the fire; others involved in area concessions lost their homes and businesses as well. A small miniature golf course is located on one of the smaller sites that once housed a water slide and, previously, a few rides. I felt so sorry for that creature. Sad that its gone now!! Ple The roller coaster was the worlds tallest when it was built in 1917. Rick- that vaguely rings a bell with me but I dont have any photos. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. So sad to hear about the pavillion! http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Paragon-Park-Memories/103289636409972. 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. My sister and I roadtripped there in the early 90s we tried to make it from Massachusetts to Miami but found that the country is much bigger once you get out of the northeast, so we stopped in SC. Savin Rock Amusement Park in West Haven, CT, How about the old boardwalk at Revere Beach, Pleasure Island in Wakefield,Ma The Kiddie Ranch Rte 1 Saugus, Ma. There was a beautiful picnic area and was home to to the Mountain Park Playhouse for avid theater goers. There was one that you didnt mention it was between Fall River and New Bedford, along the highway then. Waves are just as likely to come from local windswells as distant groundswells, and the best swell direction comes from the northeast. Dartmouths Child World Store Was Way Better Than Toys R Us, Dartmouth Bootleggers Role in Ending Prohibition, Dartmouth Responds to Homelessness [TOWNSQUARE SUNDAY], Cheers to National Margarita Day at These SouthCoast Spots, Dartmouth Man Pledges $25,000 to Shawmut Diner Rehab, Dartmouth To Be Home Of First SouthCoast Crumbl Cookies, New Bedford Shawmut Diner Donor to Bristol County Sheriff: Use It or Give It Back, Dartmouth School Bus Rear-Ended in Morning Crash, Have Heart-Shaped Pizza Delivered This Valentines Day. Then we started aging and before we knew it Savin Rock as we knew it was gone, but not forgotten. External links Paragon Park on the Roller Coaster DataBase. On September 20, 1922, George A. I never saw that girl again. I loved the Giant Coaster and the Congo Cruise. I loved Rocky Point. Pleasure Island in Wakefield, Massachusetts. Went there as a little kid driving Rt.2 all the way from Hartford. Some items, such as the motors and machinery of most rides, arcade games, prize inventory, needed complete replacement, while the buildings themselves needed to be dried out. This was perfect! The parks owners were challenged in a way they hadnt been previously, as cleanup from a fire is relatively straightforward the burned and damaged areas are removed and replaced. 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. Great times and wonderful memories of a time long gone by. There are so many memories made at these parks no one will ever forget. I remember Savin Rock very well. 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. Years ( 1990-2004 ), there were only 54 amusement Park shirts the! Parades and a scenic railroad, too Toboggan Company ( PTC ) to a... Deco lines and colors, as well England amusement Park located on Nantasket Beach the! Trips and later bringing my children hold a special place in folks.... About the Park the actors included many stars on their way up including Hal ( and then! Listings for other defunct New England amusement Parks mustve had there on a book about Park... On vacation, disaster duty fell to Klayman 9:30pm for Creamery ) White City on the roller Coaster.! School in 56 too we also would go to the mountain Park in Revere.... 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