by N ate W iggin
History Under Your Nose T he C arousel that C rossed the C ounty
For those of us that may be a bit more seasoned in terms of years on this earth, is there anything that brings back fond childhood memories quite like the remembrance of the local, small town carnivals, fairs, or amusement parks? The sounds of joy on a warm summer evening as people experience the sights, sounds, food, rides, games, or just catch up with friends they may not have seen all year. We are fortunate in the region of Northeast and Central Pennsylvania to still have many of these small town events that lock in all of the really great stuff from days gone by. You know, days when there were not as many distractions or life happenings to pull our attention and time in multiple directions at once. The days when a Saturday afternoon trip to a park for a picnic, or a trip to the local amusement park (of which there used to be so many that dotted the landscape. Thankfully, we still have Knoebels), or the local carnival put
on by different civic organizations would be something that we looked forward to all week. We were rarely disappointed when the time arrived for one of those scenes as memories were made at every turn. There was a time in the late 1800s and early 1900s when amusement parks and picnic groves were huge draws in terms of crowds. Entire families would gather to just spend a leisurely day of relaxation and fun seemingly without a care in the world. One such place was located in Columbia County along the Susquehanna River in Lime Ridge near the mid-point between the town of Bloomsburg and the Borough of Berwick. In its earliest days, this place was known as Shawnee Park. My research indicates that it opened around 1900 as more of a picnic park. The local trolley company known as The Columbia & Montour Electric Railway ran trolley excursions to the park. That aspect meant many
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