Lincoln Beach amusement park
Encyclopedia
Lincoln Beach was an amusement park
in New Orleans, Louisiana
, functioning from 1939 through 1965. The park was for the area's African American
population during the Jim Crow
era of racial segregation
.
Lincoln Beach was located along the shore of Lake Pontchartrain
near Little Woods, in a portion of the Eastern New Orleans
section of the Ninth Ward of New Orleans
that was little developed in the 1930s. The land where Lincoln Beach was located was deeded to the city by Samuel Zemurray in 1938 and purchased within a year by the Orleans Levee Board
. The Levee Board first designated this section as a swimming area in the lake for "colored
" New Orleanians, then built out additional land in the lake for the amusement park to be built on. The park was similar to the then "whites only" Pontchartrain Beach
amusement park, only on a smaller scale. It featured various rides, games, restaurants, a swimming pool
in addition to lake swimming, and frequent live music performances. In the last decade, Fats Domino
was repeatedly a featured musical act.
Pontchartrain Beach was desegregated
in 1964, and business declined rapidly at Lincoln Beach, which, having been rendered obsolete, closed soon afterward. Although there have been various proposals to redevelop the Lincoln Beach site, the decaying ruins of the park have remained vacant for decades.
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...
in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, functioning from 1939 through 1965. The park was for the area's African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
population during the Jim Crow
Jim Crow laws
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly "separate but equal" status for black Americans...
era of racial segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
.
Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain is a brackish estuary located in southeastern Louisiana. It is the second-largest inland saltwater body of water in the United States, after the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and the largest lake in Louisiana. As an estuary, Pontchartrain is not a true lake.It covers an area of with...
near Little Woods, in a portion of the Eastern New Orleans
Eastern New Orleans
Eastern New Orleans is a large section of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. Developed extensively from the 1960s onwards, it was originally marketed as "suburban-style living within the city limits", and has much in common with the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans...
section of the Ninth Ward of New Orleans
Ninth Ward of New Orleans
The Ninth Ward or 9th Ward is a distinctive region of New Orleans, Louisiana that is located in the easternmost downriver portion of the city. It is geographically the largest of the 17 Wards of New Orleans....
that was little developed in the 1930s. The land where Lincoln Beach was located was deeded to the city by Samuel Zemurray in 1938 and purchased within a year by the Orleans Levee Board
Orleans Levee Board
From 1890 through 2006, the Orleans Levee Board was the body in charge of supervising the levee and floodwall system in Orleans Parish, Louisiana, which is intended to protect the city of New Orleans from flooding. The role included requirements definition prior to construction, operation, and...
. The Levee Board first designated this section as a swimming area in the lake for "colored
Colored
Colored is a term once widely used in the United States to describe black people and Native Americans...
" New Orleanians, then built out additional land in the lake for the amusement park to be built on. The park was similar to the then "whites only" Pontchartrain Beach
Pontchartrain Beach
Pontchartrain Beach was an amusement park located in New Orleans, Louisiana, on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain. It was founded by Harry J. Batt Sr. and later mananged by his son, Harry J. Batt Jr. It opened in 1928, across Bayou St. John from an existing amusement resort at Old Spanish Fort...
amusement park, only on a smaller scale. It featured various rides, games, restaurants, a swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
in addition to lake swimming, and frequent live music performances. In the last decade, Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino, Jr. is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Creole was his first language....
was repeatedly a featured musical act.
Pontchartrain Beach was desegregated
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
in 1964, and business declined rapidly at Lincoln Beach, which, having been rendered obsolete, closed soon afterward. Although there have been various proposals to redevelop the Lincoln Beach site, the decaying ruins of the park have remained vacant for decades.