The original entrance to Columbia Park in 1919. The park was located along the Susquehanna River in Lime Ridge. [2}
carousel. Columbia Park had a carousel. It was privately owned and operated by a man named Jerome Pifer. [1] The details of how long that carousel operated at Columbia Park are in question, at least from what I can see. An article on treasurenet.com states the Pifer carousel was taken out around 1910. However, according to Commonwealth University Archivist and Historian, Robert Dunkelberger, there was a private outside entrepreneur who operated a carousel there until 1919. I am not sure if maybe there was another privately owned carousel in between, or if the 1910 date is incorrect. For the purpose of this article, it really doesn’t matter because 1919 is the important date for us. After the 1919 season, the trolley company purchased its own carousel for the park. It was a portable Allen Herschell 1920, three row carousel. The Herschell Company produced over 3,000 carved wooden carousels in its North Tonawanda, NY factory specializing in portable carousels that could be moved from town to town. The carousel featured 36 jumping horses, 2 chariots, and a 146A Wurlitzer organ. It was a grand piece of equipment to be experienced at Columbia Park. However, like most trolley parks
people could go for a day at Shawnee Park very easily just by catching the trolley. “In 1902, the park underwent several substantial upgrades. These upgrades included: a swimming pool, croquet grounds, a shooting gallery, a bowling alley, a dancing pavilion, and a restaurant. There was a report in THE COLUMBIAN newspaper on July 31, 1902 that over 3,000 people attended a company picnic at the park put on for employees of the local silk mill. Then in 1905, the trolley company took over the park altogether. They added lighting to really enhance the experience and expand the hours with the goal of making it one of the finest attractions in the region. They also added a platform sixty feet in length near the tracks, but they kept the park as having free admission.” [1] The park had some amusement rides such as swings, and according to one report there may have even been a small roller coaster added to the park around 1915. The trolley company even had summer cottages located here that were available to rent. [3] Of course, the star attraction of any amusement park is often the carousel. If any one item or attraction was going to evoke feelings of nostalgia, it would definitely be an old time
15
Powered by FlippingBook