User:Hmich176/Island Park (Sunbury, Pennsylvania)
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| Location | Sunbury, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. |
|---|---|
| Status | Defunct |
| Opened | June 30, 1923 |
| Closed | 1934 |
| Owner | Weist Amusement Company (1923-1933) First National Bank of Sunbury (1933-1934) |
| Slogan | "Make Island Park Your Meeting Place" |
| Operating season | Year-round |
| Area | 18 acres (7.3 ha) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 3 |
| Roller coasters | 1 |
Island Park was an amusement park located in Sunbury, Pennsylvania on an island at the split of the north and west branches of the Susquehanna River. The park formally opened on June 30, 1923, and remained in operation through the end of the 1934 season. It was owned by the Weist Amusement Company from 1923 through 1933 when the company was forced to sell Island Park in a bankruptcy sale. First National Bank of Sunbury purchased the park, and then sold it to L.J. Chamberlain in October 1934. Chamberlain proceeded to remove the amusement park rides in April 1935, transitioning the park from an amusement park to a traditional style park. though the park continued to operate as a more traditional park through the 1970s.
History
[edit]The park was built by the Weist Amusement Company, Selin M. Weist of Shamokin, President.[1] The park included a baseball diamond and athletic field, a dancing pavilion, a boat house, a bath house, and a building for vaudeville and moving pictures. Amusements included a carousel, installed at the end of July 1923,[2] and a bumper cars ride in the park's opening season.[3] In 1931, Island Park management adopted its first slogan, Make Island Park Your Meeting Place.[4] Weist Amusement Company maintained control of the park until 1933; the company went into bankruptcy in September 1932 and the park was sold at a bankruptcy sale on June 24, 1933.[5][6] First National Bank of Sunbury purchased the park, and then sold the park to L.J. Chamberlain (Amusements, Incorporated, of Pennsylvania) in October 1934.[7]
Island Flyer roller coaster
[edit]In October 1924, Island Park management announced they contracted Philadelphia Toboggan Company to build an estimated $50,000 roller coaster.[8] The coaster was called Island Flyer and it had a first drop of 60 feet. It was designed by Herbert P. Schmeck. The roller coaster opened on May 30, 1925, and was owned by the Kerstetter Amusement Company. On May 24, 1929, a fire that started in a pile of leaves spread to the substructure of the roller coaster, and damage to Island Flyer was minimal.[9] For a number of years, the roller coaster was operated by Grant Houser, until June 17, 1931, when he suddenly passed away from complications of kidney failure at the age of 62.[10]
Transition to traditional style park
[edit]In April 1935, Mr. Chamberlain announced his plans for the upcoming season, which included razing the roller coaster. The park made a transition from being an amusement park to a traditional style park featuring a dance hall, skating rink and swimming pool.[7] The swimming pool closed during World War II and never reopened. The dance hall and skating rink remained in use into the 1970s. The park was purchased by a campground company and the park site has remained as a campground park.
References
[edit]- ^ "Plan Pleasure Park In River Near Sunbury". The Evening News. Harrisburg, PA. May 24, 1923. p. 3.
- ^ "Installing Carrousel At Island Park". The Shamokin Dispatch. July 23, 1923. p. 1.
- ^ "Shamokin Men Head Project For A Big Park Near Sunbury". The Shamokin Dispatch. May 24, 1923. pp. 1, 4.
- ^ "Island Park To Open Next Week". The Morning News. Danville, PA. May 11, 1931. p. 5.
Make Island Park Your Meeting Place has been adopted as the slogan for the popular resort.
- ^ "Weist Company In Bankruptcy; Last Minute Efforts to Save Amusement Company From Foreclosure Fall". The Shamokin Dispatch. September 15, 1932. p. 2.
- ^ "Island Park To Be Sold Today". The Shamokin Dispatch. June 24, 1933. p. 1.
- ^ a b "Island Park Is Sold By Bank". The Shamokin Dispatch. October 23, 1934. pp. 1, 12.
L.J. Chamberlain...yesterday purchased from the First National Bank, Sunbury, Island Park, the large pleasure resort located on the island between Sunbury and Northumberland.
- ^ "To Erect Big Roller Coaster At Island Park". The Shamokin Dispatch. October 25, 1924. p. 3.
- ^ "Fire Threatens Roller Coaster". The Shamokin Dispatch. May 24, 1929. p. 10.
- ^ "Island Park Concession Owner Dies; Grant Houser for Number of Years Operator of Roller Coaster at Sunbury Resort, Succumbs at Hospital". The Shamokin Dispatch. June 17, 1931. p. 1.