Williams grove amusement park
Encyclopedia
The Williams family began hosting picnics in 1850 in a small grove located in the village of Williams Grove
outside Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
. The grove would within a few years grow into a park. Within two decades the park had grown into the Mechanicsburg Fairgrounds. After World War I, the park's ownership changed hands several times. In 1928, the first rides appeared at the park. The adjacent Williams Grove Speedway
half-mile track opened in 1938.
Morgan Hughes purchased the park in 1972 for $1.2 million. Many of the rides were relocated to Williams Grove from the defunct New Jersey's Palisades Amusement Park
, which closed in 1972. Williams Grove Park was nearly destroyed in the summer of the same year due to Hurricane Agnes
and the subsequent flooding from nearby Yellow Breeches Creek
. The park was rebuilt and operated until the end of the 2005 season, when the Hughes family decided to focus all of their energies on Williams Grove Speedway. Morgan Hughes, who was in his mid-80s when the park closed, attempted to sell the property in 2006 to a prospective owner who would keep the park intact and operational, but was unable to find a buyer. The rides were auctioned off the same year. Hughes died in his sleep at his Pennsylvania home on April 12, 2008 at age 88.
-style roller coaster. Upon the park's closing, the Wildcat was relocated to Adventure Park USA in New Market, Maryland
.
The park's other coaster was The Cyclone, a wooden roller coaster erected in 1933, a revolutionary coaster of its time, reaching speeds of 65 mph. The fate of the Cyclone is unclear as of November 2007.
As of August 2010, The Cyclone remains at the park in disrepair with the train parked at the loading station.
The cars of the Cyclone are recycled from the Palisades Amusement Park
.
The park had two other coasters, Kiddie Coaster, 1992 until closing, and the Little Dipper, 1950 until 1963.
Williams Grove, Pennsylvania
Williams Grove is an unincorporated community in Monroe Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Williams Grove is located off of and is home to the Williams Grove Speedway and defunct Williams Grove Amusement Park.-References:...
outside Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Mechanicsburg is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, USA, eight miles west of Harrisburg. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. Mechanicsburg was settled in 1806 and incorporated as a borough on April 12, 1828...
. The grove would within a few years grow into a park. Within two decades the park had grown into the Mechanicsburg Fairgrounds. After World War I, the park's ownership changed hands several times. In 1928, the first rides appeared at the park. The adjacent Williams Grove Speedway
Williams Grove Speedway
Williams Grove Speedway is a half-mile automobile race track located in Williams Grove, between Mechanicsburg and Dillsburg in Pennsylvania, USA. It opened in 1939, and hosted Championship Car races from 1949 to 1959 named the "Indianapolis Sweepstakes", contested by a small field of the best Champ...
half-mile track opened in 1938.
Morgan Hughes purchased the park in 1972 for $1.2 million. Many of the rides were relocated to Williams Grove from the defunct New Jersey's Palisades Amusement Park
Palisades Amusement Park
Palisades Amusement Park was an amusement park located in Bergen County, New Jersey, across the Hudson River from New York City. It was situated atop the New Jersey Palisades lying partly in Cliffside Park and partly in Fort Lee. The park operated from 1898 until 1971, remaining one of the most...
, which closed in 1972. Williams Grove Park was nearly destroyed in the summer of the same year due to 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...
and the subsequent flooding from nearby Yellow Breeches Creek
Yellow Breeches Creek
Yellow Breeches Creek, also known as Minnimingo Creek, is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in central Pennsylvania in the United States....
. The park was rebuilt and operated until the end of the 2005 season, when the Hughes family decided to focus all of their energies on Williams Grove Speedway. Morgan Hughes, who was in his mid-80s when the park closed, attempted to sell the property in 2006 to a prospective owner who would keep the park intact and operational, but was unable to find a buyer. The rides were auctioned off the same year. Hughes died in his sleep at his Pennsylvania home on April 12, 2008 at age 88.
Rides
In the early 1980s the park erected The Wildcat, a steel WildcatWildcat
Wildcat is a small felid native to Europe, the western part of Asia, and Africa.-Animals:Wildcat may also refer to members of the genus Lynx:...
-style roller coaster. Upon the park's closing, the Wildcat was relocated to Adventure Park USA in New Market, Maryland
New Market, Maryland
New Market is a town in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The population was 427 at the 2000 census. The town bills itself as the "Antiques capital of Maryland".-Geography:New Market is located at ....
.
The park's other coaster was The Cyclone, a wooden roller coaster erected in 1933, a revolutionary coaster of its time, reaching speeds of 65 mph. The fate of the Cyclone is unclear as of November 2007.
As of August 2010, The Cyclone remains at the park in disrepair with the train parked at the loading station.
The cars of the Cyclone are recycled from the Palisades Amusement Park
Palisades Amusement Park
Palisades Amusement Park was an amusement park located in Bergen County, New Jersey, across the Hudson River from New York City. It was situated atop the New Jersey Palisades lying partly in Cliffside Park and partly in Fort Lee. The park operated from 1898 until 1971, remaining one of the most...
.
The park had two other coasters, Kiddie Coaster, 1992 until closing, and the Little Dipper, 1950 until 1963.