Ponce de Leon amusement park
Encyclopedia
The Ponce de Leon amusement park was built on the site of Ponce de Leon Springs
. Omnibus service from Atlanta to the springs started in 1872, and in 1874 horsecar service started. It developed in the late 1880s and 1890s with the addition of attractions for children, a dance hall and theater, and picnic grounds. In 1903 construction of the full-fledged amusement park began. By then the park was served by the Nine-Mile Circle
electric streetcar line.
A four-acre lake on the north side of Ponce de Leon Avenue was filled in in 1907 to make way for the Ponce de Leon ballpark
, now the Midtown Place strip mall.
The amusement park was whites-only - a sign at the entrance made clear, "colored persons admitted as servants only".
The amusement park closed in the early 1920s. The Sears Roebuck southeastern headquarters was built on the site, opening in 1926, the building now known as Ponce City Market (former Sears building/City Hall East).
Ponce de Leon Springs (Atlanta)
Ponce de Leon Springs were natural springs located on the site of the future Ponce City Market in Atlanta, where Ponce de Leon Avenue crosses the BeltLine, and where the Old Fourth Ward, Virginia Highland, Midtown and Poncey-Highland neighborhoods of Atlanta meet.In the 1860s, trips to the springs...
. Omnibus service from Atlanta to the springs started in 1872, and in 1874 horsecar service started. It developed in the late 1880s and 1890s with the addition of attractions for children, a dance hall and theater, and picnic grounds. In 1903 construction of the full-fledged amusement park began. By then the park was served by the Nine-Mile Circle
Nine-Mile Circle
The Nine-Mile Circle was a streetcar line of the Atlanta Street Railway, later the Atlanta Consolidated Street Railway which went from downtown Atlanta to today's Virginia Highland neighborhood as follows:...
electric streetcar line.
A four-acre lake on the north side of Ponce de Leon Avenue was filled in in 1907 to make way for the Ponce de Leon ballpark
Ponce de Leon Park
Ponce de Leon Park, also known as Spiller Park or Spiller Field during 1924-1932, was the primary home field for the minor league baseball team called the Atlanta Crackers for nearly six decades. The Crackers played here in the Southern Association and the International League...
, now the Midtown Place strip mall.
The amusement park was whites-only - a sign at the entrance made clear, "colored persons admitted as servants only".
The amusement park closed in the early 1920s. The Sears Roebuck southeastern headquarters was built on the site, opening in 1926, the building now known as Ponce City Market (former Sears building/City Hall East).