Defunct West Virginia Amusement Parks

There is also a great book written by Jim Futrell called "Amusement parks of Pennsylvania". This book has a list of defunct parks in PA.

Back to WV, I think that a park in the Wheeling area would do very well for itself. There is definately a market, and it is easily accessible to many larger towns including Cleveland, Columbus, and Pittsburgh. And people still have faith in commerce in the area. Just look at the Cabelas on 79.

Trekker, you've got your parks mixed up. White Swan was the park that was razed for the new freeway out to PIT. Chester ,WV is across the river from East Liverpool, OH,on US Rte 30. It died due to the industrial picnics drying up in the mid to late 1970's, among other reasons.

No. I'm very familiar with White Swan, having been there many times. True, it was razed to make room for the new access to the airport. But it was already in financial trouble, and had begun selling off rides. In fact, the highway buyout bailed out the owners.

The road from the East Liverpool Bridge used to wind laboriously up that ravine and then set off across the Northern Panhandle toward Pittsburgh. There were big trucks and lots of cars navigating that highway, and especially in the winter it was a pain. True, W.Va. didn't make it a major interstate, but they did reduce the driving time between East Liverpool and Crafton to about an hour, from 90 minutes. *** Edited 8/26/2004 12:28:49 AM UTC by Trekker Park***

I was at a wedding reception last night at Wheeling Park. I went downstairs to the bar before the actual reception started and was looking at old pictures hanging on the wall. Sure enough, pictures on the wall of 2 coasters they had. I snagged a pic of them. I'll try to get a link to it as soon as the wife gets them developed.

Thanks.

Hi! I just joined. Someone asked a question about Terrapin Park and if it related to turtles. At one time there a indian mound in the shape of a turtle near the site of Terrapin Park.

Terripan Park as an amusement park was began in 1898 and lasted until 1917.

I would be very interested in learning of any information on carousels in any WV park. I'm working on a database project for the National Carousel Association.

I look forward to hearing from anyone on the group.

Patrick Wentzel National Carousel Association Director/Census Chairman - Parkersburg, WV

I know there used to be a nice four row model at Rock Springs. It was an all horse model. The sound and the woodworking was not as elaborate as the one at KW. But I don't remember any specifics.

Camden Park machine was a Spillman as I recall. Organ is long gone, the horses sold at auction about twenty years ago.

The Rock Springs machine had a Carl Mueller designed rim on it instead of the usual Jester Sheild style (KW) that Bill Dentzel designed some twenty five years previous. See http://carousel.com/antique/AntiqueDentzelCarousel.html

It had a later model Wurlitzer Style 153 organ on it, the same model as on the KW machine, just eleven years newer. *** Edited 9/4/2004 2:03:50 AM UTC by Dutchman*** *** Edited 9/4/2004 2:08:13 AM UTC by Dutchman***

Do we have any record of what happened to the old Rock Springs carousel ? Is it still operating at some other park?

Check out the link on my previous post. That's it, or what's left of it.

Dutchman, if I remember correctly the rollback has a date for when Camden auctioned their horses. I believe it was 1992, but I apologize if I'm wrong.

Hi! Some great discussions on WV defunct parks. I would be interested in learning more about each of you that have posted. What are your interests?

I live in Parkersburg. As mentioned in a previous post, I'm a NCA member serving on the Board of Directors and also as Carousel Census Chairman. I maintain the database of antique carousels in North America. I also have a great interest in carousels no longer in operating and defunct parks in general.

Another interest is carnival and circus history. I also do circus modeling and miniature carousel animal carving.

Contact me of the discussion board if you like.

Patrick Wentzel Parkersburg pwentzel@charter.net

Both Wheeling and Oglebay had at least one coaster. According to what I have read, Oglebay had seveal coasters(one at a time). Wheeling Park only had one coaster and according to my research, it went over part of a swamp. Maybe that is why it is no longer around. Maybe it sank...

Rock Springs Park...I often tried to find out what that mysterious roller coaster was that I saw once on the way home from the old Waterford Park race track (still there, now called Mountaineer) somewhere around 1970-71; all I remember was my uncle, who was driving, told me it was closed and we just kept going.

Here's as much help as I know about it... The highway interchange where the large teapot (yes, a pink teapot the size of a small house) still stands where a Oglebay festival of lights tour guide told me the park used to be. I don't think the teapot was ever part of the park.

I grew up (and still live) within walking distance of the old West View Park, in the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh. I am brand new to the site; hopefully that helps a little. And yes, I also remember White Swan... That too, was taken to build a highway on top of it, but from what I remember of it, it was nothing more than a permanent fairground. Nothing really worth noting about it.

This Zombie just won't die, will it?;)

"Course not,'cause it's about West (by God!) Virginia!

Dang Tootin!