Defunct Parks

Shady Grove Park was once a thriving amusement park located just outside of Uniontown, now all that remains is the shell of the concrete pool.

For almost 150 years, Chippewa Lake Park has occupied a place along Chippewa Lake in Ohio’s Medina County. However, after 100 years of operating, in 1978 the park closed its gates for the last time, never to open again. Now, all that remains are the ghostly remains of a one-thriving park.  Several months ago I …

The Tumble Bug was once a staple of the amusement park midway. A classic flat ride, there were two variations that many parks had. One featured a sort of stubby “face” that looked like a bug, hence the Tumble Bug name. The other variation looked like a turtle and that ride is often referred to …

Cascade Park in New Castle is probably one of my favorite defunct Western Pennsylvania amusement parks. Maybe its because of its fantastic history as an amusement park, but what I think is even more fascinating about the former park is how much of the old park remains — you just need to know where to …

Note: Storyland is located on posted, private property and trespassing is strictly forbidden. Enjoy the trumpeter and statues that can be seen from the road from exactly that — the road. I’ve visited a lot of amusement parks over the years. While I love the historic value and unique rides that can be found at …

It might surprise you that in the late 1800s and early 1900s, amusement parks were much more common in Western Pennsylvania than they are today. In fact, dozens of parks were operating all around the Pittsburgh area including Woodlawn’s Aliquippa Park located in Beaver County. I’ve written in the past about how I was shocked …

I’ll let you in on a little secret. When I was in college I was one of the students who would give campus tours to prospective students. One of my favorite stories to tell the families was the story of how a one-time amusement park, Ivyside Park, eventually became the branch campus of Penn State …

While I was working on my new book, Lost Amusement Parks of Western Pennsylvania I ran across a curious little park located in the Aspinwall section of Pittsburgh. The problem is that some of these parks were so small and lasted for such a short amount of time that they have been almost completely lost …

There is something about storybook parks that has always fascinated me. Maybe it has something to do with Storyland in Schellsburg being my first love along the Lincoln Highway, or maybe because they have all but disappeared. Regardless, when I found out about Conneaut Lake Park’s Fairyland Forest I was intrigued.  I saw some old …

If you know me and you know my blog you know that I love discovering the hidden history of locations that we know and love. Especially if those histories are hiding right under our noses. This is the case of Killarney Park which eventually became Camp Christian, a Christian summer camp.  I’ve been familiar with …

I’ve previously written about White Swan Park in Coraopolis, but for those on the eastern side of the city, Rainbow Gardens was the place to go. The Start of White Oak’s Rainbow Gardens Located in White Oak at the intersection of Lincoln Way and Route 48, Rainbow Gardens got its start as a roller rink …

There is something about amusement parks that bring out a sense of nostalgia. This is especially true for amusement parks that are no longer around. If you can believe it, at one time there were more than two dozen Pittsburgh amusement parks, many of them being trolley parks.  Trolley parks were an attempt by the …