Gwynn Oak Amusement Park
Encyclopedia
Gwynn Oak Park is a park that was a privately owned amusement park
located just outside the northwest corner of Baltimore, Maryland, about ¼ mile off of Liberty Heights Avenue
. At the corner of Gwynn Oak and Gwyndale Avenues, it was situated on 64 acres (258,999 m²) of land currently owned by the Baltimore County Government, in the town of Gwynn Oak
, utilized as open space picnic ground. The Gwynn Falls Creek runs through the former amusement park. The creek supplies the lake which remains still today. In the winter, it is common to see ice skaters on the park's frozen lake, as it was decades past.
In its heyday, the park featured three roller coaster
s, The Big Dipper, The Little Dipper and The Wild Mouse. It also had a trolley, a carousel
and the dance hall known as the "Dixie Ballroom". WFBR
, a local AM Baltimore radio station did live broadcasts from the ballroom on weekends. The park closed its gates in 1972 after Hurricane Agnes
drenched the Baltimore area with over 10 inches (254 mm) of rain causing the Gwynn Falls to over flow its banks flooding the park. In 1974 its rides were auctioned off, but the carousel was moved and is still in operation on the National Mall
in Washington DC.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s Gwynn Oak Park was the subject of picketing for integration as it remained segregated until August 28, 1963. In 1955 Baltimore City clergy along with local chapters of the civil rights groups, Congress of Racial Equality
(CORE) with assistance from the NAACP
, demonstrated for integration at Gwynn Oak Park. These protests were held at various times over the years but one huge demonstration occurred at Gwynn Oak Park on July 4, 1963. Demonstrators gathered at Metropolitan Methodist Church in West Baltimore to load buses to Gwynn Oak Park. On that July 4, racially charged "fireworks" flew as 283 people were arrested and charged with trespassing outside the park. The demonstration remained peaceful as many arrested were clerics from all over the east coast. For Michael Schwerner
, a CORE worker, this was his first protest and one of his last. Michael was killed by the Ku Klux Klan
in Mississippi just one year later. Two members of the Episcopal Church's National Council staff, Bishop Daniel Corrigan and Father Daisuke Kitagawa, Executive Secretary of the Division of Domestic Missions, were also among the group arrested.
In John Water's movie Hairspray, the "Tilted Acres" scene is based on Gwynn Oak Amusement Park in 1962.
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
located just outside the northwest corner of Baltimore, Maryland, about ¼ mile off of Liberty Heights Avenue
Maryland Route 26
Maryland Route 26 is an east–west state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Outside of the Baltimore city limits, it is known as Liberty Road; inside the city limits it is known as Liberty Heights Avenue....
. At the corner of Gwynn Oak and Gwyndale Avenues, it was situated on 64 acres (258,999 m²) of land currently owned by the Baltimore County Government, in the town of Gwynn Oak
Gwynn Oak, Maryland
Gwynn Oak is an unincorporated community in the northwestern part of Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is near the Baltimore city line. Gwynn Oak is mostly in the areas of Liberty Road and Windsor Mill Road paralleling until city limits. It is similar to Woodlawn, Milford Mill, Windsor...
, utilized as open space picnic ground. The Gwynn Falls Creek runs through the former amusement park. The creek supplies the lake which remains still today. In the winter, it is common to see ice skaters on the park's frozen lake, as it was decades past.
In its heyday, the park featured three roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
s, The Big Dipper, The Little Dipper and The Wild Mouse. It also had a trolley, a carousel
Carousel
A carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...
and the dance hall known as the "Dixie Ballroom". WFBR
WFBR (AM)
WFBR is a radio station broadcasting a Talk/Personality format. It is licensed for Glen Burnie, Maryland. The station is currently owned by Way Broadcasting Licensee, LLC....
, a local AM Baltimore radio station did live broadcasts from the ballroom on weekends. The park closed its gates in 1972 after Hurricane Agnes
Hurricane Agnes
Hurricane Agnes was the first tropical storm and first hurricane of the 1972 Atlantic hurricane season. A rare June hurricane, it made landfall on the Florida Panhandle before moving northeastward and ravaging the Mid-Atlantic region as a tropical storm...
drenched the Baltimore area with over 10 inches (254 mm) of rain causing the Gwynn Falls to over flow its banks flooding the park. In 1974 its rides were auctioned off, but the carousel was moved and is still in operation on the National Mall
National Mall
The National Mall is an open-area national park in downtown Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The National Mall is a unit of the National Park Service , and is administered by the National Mall and Memorial Parks unit...
in Washington DC.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s Gwynn Oak Park was the subject of picketing for integration as it remained segregated until August 28, 1963. In 1955 Baltimore City clergy along with local chapters of the civil rights groups, Congress of Racial Equality
Congress of Racial Equality
The Congress of Racial Equality or CORE was a U.S. civil rights organization that originally played a pivotal role for African-Americans in the Civil Rights Movement...
(CORE) with assistance from the NAACP
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
, demonstrated for integration at Gwynn Oak Park. These protests were held at various times over the years but one huge demonstration occurred at Gwynn Oak Park on July 4, 1963. Demonstrators gathered at Metropolitan Methodist Church in West Baltimore to load buses to Gwynn Oak Park. On that July 4, racially charged "fireworks" flew as 283 people were arrested and charged with trespassing outside the park. The demonstration remained peaceful as many arrested were clerics from all over the east coast. For Michael Schwerner
Michael Schwerner
Michael Henry Schwerner , was one of three Congress of Racial Equality field workers killed in Philadelphia, Mississippi, by the Ku Klux Klan in response to their civil rights work, which included promoting voting registration among Mississippi African Americans...
, a CORE worker, this was his first protest and one of his last. Michael was killed by the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
in Mississippi just one year later. Two members of the Episcopal Church's National Council staff, Bishop Daniel Corrigan and Father Daisuke Kitagawa, Executive Secretary of the Division of Domestic Missions, were also among the group arrested.
In John Water's movie Hairspray, the "Tilted Acres" scene is based on Gwynn Oak Amusement Park in 1962.