Deadly Fun, Part 2: Pennsylvania Amusement Park Fatalities

One of the few surviving pictures of National Amusement Park in Blawnox, showing the mill chute ride.

Last week we explored some forgotten tragedies at Pennsylvania amusement parks. This week, we look at ten more amusement parks where a day of fun turned into an unforgettable horror, including one amusement park which experienced five fatalities in just sixty-five years, and a Philadelphia park that was the scene of a cold-blooded murder.

National Amusement Park (Allegheny County)

Located in the steel town of Blawnox, the National Amusement Park (originally known as Harmarville Park) was opened in 1926 and featured the standard assortment of rides and attractions for the era. The park, operated by the Harmarville Amusement Company, had an impressive dance pavilion, a dog racing track, bowling alley, a large Ferris wheel, an mill chute ride, a scrambler, bumper cars and a roller coaster named the Thunderbolt.

The Thunderbolt, designed by John A. Miller, "The Father of the Modern Roller Coasters", was said to be one of the fastest in existence at the time of its construction. Undoubtedly, speed played a role in fatal accident that occurred on the Thunderbolt in 1929. On July 27, 33-year-old Charles Deemer was riding the roller coaster with his girlfriend, Edna Wingrove, who began to faint when the cars traversed the coaster's high dip. In a panic, she tried to stand up, only to fall against the rail, fracturing her skull. Demmer attempted to save Edna by leaning over the side of the car. At the time same time the car swerved around a bend, hurling Deemer from the ride and sending him to his death. Like Edna, he also suffered a fractured skull. It's unclear what became of Miss Wingrove.

Disaster struck the National Amusement Park in 1930 when major fire, originating from the bingo parlor, gutted fifteen stands and buildings on the midway. The roller coaster, along with several rides, was either partially or completely destroyed. For many years, rumor had it that Deemer's family had intentionally set the fire out of revenge, though this has never been proven. The park would never recover; in 1932 it was demolished by the R.J. Omslaer Wrecking Company, its components sold as scrap.

Lakeside Park (Schuylkill County)

Opened in 1880, this park in Barnesville began its life as a picnic ground with a large swimming lake. Under the proprietorship of Marlon Lutz the park grew to include a hotel, cottages and lakefront bath houses. Late 19th century attractions included baseball games, band concerts, boat racing and an excursion steamship, the Albany. A carousel was added in 1903. After WW1, new owner Harry Hart continued to expand the park's offerings, installing a bathing beach and, in 1923, a roller coaster. Hart also purchased several rides from Philadelphia, including a bigger and better grand carousel, the Whip and the Caterpillar. But the park's crowning glory was the Lakeside Ballroom, which opened around 1924. The ballroom, with its 11,500-square-foot dance floor, attracted top talent over the years, hosting big names such as Benny Goodman, the Dorseys, and Sammy Kaye.

With the coal region being as rough-and-tumble as it was at the time, there were several unfortunate incidents that occurred at Lakeside Park, but accidents on the rides were few and far between. One such accident took place on June 15, 1940, when 21-year-old James Englert of Tamaqua was catapulted out of a car on the third dip of the roller coaster. He fell fifteen feet, struck his head, fractured his skull and died on his way to Coaldale State Hospital. It was a freak accident, as Englert's friends and other witnesses stated that he was sitting in the middle seat of the car when the accident occurred. Park officials shut down the coaster for an inspection and test runs, but could find no reason for the fatality. The Englert family filed a wrongful death lawsuit which was settled out of court for $533.

Business began to decline around the time of the coaster fatality, and that same year the park's grand carousel was sold and removed. As for the roller coaster, it was destroyed by a tropical storm in November of 1950. The park never quite recovered, limping along until its official closure in 1984, though the famous Lakeside Ballroom continues to operate as an event space.

Central Park (Lehigh County)

While Dorney is the most famous amusement park in the Allentown area, it's not the only one that was located in the vicinity. Two years before Dorney Park opened to the public, another resort was already entertaining Lehigh Valley crowds. What eventually came to be known as Central Park was born in 1868 after J. Frank Reichart developed a race course and trotting park on several acres of land in the Rittersville section of Allentown. In 1872 the park was enlarged to sixteen acres and became known as Manhattan Park. It was eventually purchased by the Allentown & Bethlehem Rapid Traction Company as a trolley park and its name was changed to Central Park. A zoo was soon constructed, with a large collection of exotic animals.

The park's name changed again in 1883, this time to Rittersville Park. During this period rides were added to the list of attractions, such as a carousel, an old mill chute and a ride known as the "Razzle-Dazzle". Ohio trolley magnate Albert Johnson purchased the park in 1894 and further developed the property, rechristened again as Central Park, until his unexpected death in 1901. By 1912 the park had expanded to over 40 acres, and the first of the park's three roller coasters, the Derby Racer, was built that year. A second coaster, Sleigh Ride, was added in 1924 and a third, Skyclone, was added in 1927. All three coasters remained in operation until the park's closure in 1951.

Yet it was a relatively tame ride that once caused a fatality at Central Park. On July 29, 1939, a Sunday school picnic ended in death for 4-year-old Charlotte Hahn after she was thrown from a car on the Whip after standing up in her seat to wave at her sisters. Charlotte was struck by the next car, suffering a fractured skull. She was rushed to Sacred Heart Hospital, where she died a short time later. Charlotte's tragic death was the second one experienced by the Hahn family in two years; Charlotte's 17-year-old brother, Leonard, drowned in the Lehigh Canal in 1937.

On June 24, 1943, the Skyclone roller coaster was the scene of an unfortunate casualty when 21-year-old Howard Race, who worked as an attendant at the park, attempted to switch seats in the car at the top of the big incline. When the car plunged, Race lost his balance and was hurled to his death.

Sanatoga Park (Montgomery County)

Sanatoga Park, showing the aerial swing and, in background, the Alpine Dip coaster.

Developed as a trolley park in the late 1893 by the Pottstown Passenger Railway Company, Sanatoga Park was built along Sanatoga Creek in Lowers Pottsgrove Township, about 30 miles northwest of Philadelphia. By the dawn of the 20th century the park featured a man-made lake, boating, bath houses, a restaurant, dance pavilion, carousel, aerial swings, and a toboggan chute. A mile-long scenic railway roller coaster, the Alpine Dip, was constructed a few years later at the then-astronomical cost of $100,000.

It was on this ride where 18-year-old Francis Giampietra was killed on June 9, 1929. Francis, disregarding the warning signs painted on each car, was riding in the first car when he decided to stand up while the train went down a steep dip. He was hurled from the car and fell twenty feet onto the ground. It took several minutes to find his body, as the incident wasn't reported until the completion of the long ride. The young man broke several bones in the mishap, but it was a fractured skull and broken neck that resulted in his death.

Not long afterward, as the nation was devastated by the Great Depression, business at Sanatoga Park began to decline. After the last trolley line servicing the Pottstown area went bankrupt in 1937, the decision was made to close the park. In 1939, a race track, the Sanatoga Speedway, was built on the site and continued to operate until 1958. In 1965 the property was purchased by Lower Pottsgrove Township and turned into a 54-acre public park which continues to attract visitors to this day.

Cascade Park (Lawrence County)

In 1897, the New Castle Traction Company purchased property along Big Run for a trolley park. Cascade Park originally features a baseball field, dance pavilion, carousel and a roller coaster named The Toboggan. In 1899, a zoo, picnic grove, and man-made lake were added. By the early 20th century the park had expanded to 138 acres and seventeen rides. Some of these early rides were circle swings, the Whip, Tumble Bug and a John A. Miller-designed roller coaster known as Gorge Ride, which operated from 1922-1935.

The darkest chapter in the history of Cascade Park was July of 1927, when two visitors were killed in separate accidents on the Gorge Ride. On Tuesday evening, July 19, 41-year-old Thomas Price of Ford City was ejected from the first car of the coaster after standing up in his seat as the train went down a dip. He died instantly, presumably of a fractured skull. The following evening, a nearly identical accident claimed the life of 50-year-old Mrs. Anna Berger, who was hurled from the car at the same spot at the bottom of the dip. Berger, however, didn't appear to be standing when the accident occurred, leading to an investigation by authorities. 

Nothing came of this investigation, however, and the Gorge Ride continued to operate until 1954, when it was replaced by a new coaster called The Comet. Unfortunately for the park's owners, the new ride couldn't reverse the dwindling attendance figures. With the fuel crisis of the 1970s and the decline of local manufacturing, Cascade Park-- which had always been known as a "blue collar getaway"-- was barely hanging on. Operations ceased in the early 1980s, though local volunteers launched a massive effort to preserve its Victorian Era history. Today the park is a public green space with hiking trails, a playground and several restored buildings, including its once-famous dance pavilion.

Woodside Amusement Park (Philadelphia)

Once located at historic Fairmount Park, the Woodside Amusement Park was constructed in 1897 as a trolley park for the Fairmount Park Transportation Company. In 1898, the park constructed a 1/3-mile wooden cycling track (upon which many cycling world records were set) with a seating capacity of 20,000, an amphitheater and the Casino-- an imposing edifice with Doric columns boasting a 10,000 square foot dance floor, rooftop garden, and dining rooms. In 1902 the park added a Dentzler carousel, which is currently on display in a city museum. In the early 1900s, there was also a scenic railway roller coaster, which played a role in at least one tragic death. 

While riding with a boisterous group of friends on July 12, 1915, 35-year-old Edward Bull got a little carried away and leaned too far out of his seat as the car rounded a curve to enter a tunnel. Bull's head struck a wooden post, resulting in a fractured skull that caused his death a few hours later.

Demolition of Woodside in 1955.

 

Beside the scenic railway, Woodside also had seven other roller coasters during its lifetime, but none were as famous as the Hummer.

While some online databases claim that the Hummer was built in 1937, this isn't accurate, as the following story, from the July 20, 1933 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer indicates:

Losing her balance when she stood up in a roller coaster car at Woodside Park just as it reached the peak of a climb, Mrs. Viola Hoffman, 40, of 1636 Green St., plunged to her death after 3 p.m. yesterday. Officials of the park said Mrs. Hoffman, with her daughter, Miss Mary E. Hoffman, arrived at the park early in the afternoon. The coaster, described as the "Hummer", accommodates about 20 persons in each car. Witnesses of the tragedy said Mrs. Hoffman grabbed at one of the handle bars which extend along both sides of the car, but missed it, and was hurled to the ground.

Another newspaper, the Lebanon Evening Report, wrote:

Mrs. Viola Hoffman, 40, a saleswoman and sole support of her four fatherless children, today lay dead in her Germantown home as an aftermath of a happy day's outing which ended in tragedy at Woodside Amusement Park. "The Hummer", a thrilling roller coaster, had reached the peak of the first "dip" when the woman, seemingly terrified, rose from her seat and was hurled to the ground.

Other tragic events at Woodside included a 1903 murder in which a gypsy shot and killed his wife, a 1904 murder-suicide in the park's trolley station, and a massive fire set by an arsonist on 1926 resulting in over $100,000 worth of damage. Despite these incidents, the park continued to operate until 1955. Today, the residential neighborhood of Balwynne Park sits on the site of the old amusement resort.

Willow Grove Amusement Park (Montgomery County)

Willow Grove's scenic railway coaster

Just north of Philadelphia once stood Willow Grove Park, one of Pennsylvania's most famous historic amusement resorts. Established by the People's Traction Company in 1896 as a trolley park, it was Woodside Park's chief rival. In fact, in order to distinguish itself from "that other park", ownership instituted a strict dress code and higher ticket prices during Willow Grove's early days in an attempt keep out the riff-raff and attract a better class of customer.

Willow Grove saw explosive growth in the early 20th century, thanks to the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company's streetcar line. Some of the park's main attractions included its dance pavilion, which stood until 1959, and a massive fountain said to have cost over $100,000 to construct (the equivalent of nearly $4 million today). "People travel to Niagara Falls to see a lesser wonder," wrote the Philadelphia Inquirer at the time of the fountain's completion. In 1896, Willow Grove Park also featured a shoot-the-chute, carousel and scenic railway coaster.

The park's scenic railway played a role in a teenager's tragic death in 1918. On August 12, two boys who had never visited an amusement park before, 15-year-old Phil Salinardi and his cousin, Frank Matone, decided to ride the scenic railway. While the ride would be considered tame by today's standards, the two boys found it absolutely terrifying. As their car started up the steep incline, Matone let out a scream and leaped from his seat, falling several feet but only suffering minor injuries. Salinardi leaped as well, but not before the car had nearly reached the top of the incline. He plummeted fifty feet to his death. 

In 1937, Willow Grove experienced another fatality, this one involving a different coaster, the Thunderbolt. On June 5, 1937, George Bruno, a 21-year-old from Conshohocken, stood up in his seat and fell. His three companions watched in horror as his legs were smashed when he struck the ground. He was rushed to the hospital where doctors attempted to amputate his leg, but he died from a loss of blood.

The Thunderbolt at Willow Grove

Fatal foolishness claimed another life on the same coaster on June 8, 1956, when a 21-year-old Navy airman apprentice named James Fritz attempted to show off to his friends by unfastening his safety belt and standing up in his seat, ignoring the shouts of his friends and other riders to sit down. He was thrown from the car on the fifth curve, landing on the catwalk beside the track and fracturing his skull. Park workers had to stop the ride and climb 35 feet up the wooden framework in order to retrieve his body.

Less than three years later tragedy would strike again, this time claiming the life of a park worker. On April 25, 1959, Gabriel Barnwell, a 64-year-old employee, was one of several workers stationed along the tracks of the roller coaster to inspect the empty train of cars as it passed. While standing at the foot of one of the coaster's dips, Barnwell failed to hear the cars approach. He was struck and killed.

Ultimately, in the Woodside-versus-Willow Grove competition, Willow Grove won, outlasting its rival by two decades. After years of declining business, culminating in a name change and rebranding, the park closed permanently in 1975. In 1982, the Willow Grove Mall was constructed where countless fun-seekers once frolicked-- and where a handful lost their lives in the process.

West View Park (Allegheny County)

The Leap-the Dips at West View Park

 

West View Park, which was located north of Pittsburgh, opened to the public in 1906 under the ownership of Theodore M. Harton. Some its first attractions included a lake, dance hall, carousel, log flume, and a figure-eight roller coaster. The original figure-eight coaster was replaced in 1909, and the following year a second coaster, Leap-the-Dips, was constructed, which remained in operation until the park's closure in 1977. In 1917, the figure-eight was replaced by a coaster named Speed-o-Plane, which was rebuilt in 1927 and rechristened as the Greyhound. That same year the park would add a racing coaster as well, called the Racing Whippet. In total, nine coasters operated at West View park over the course of its existence.

It was the Leap-the-Dips coaster that figured in the death of 20-year-old John Pollock in 1941. On August 6, Pollock and his girlfriend were on "The Dips" when he decided to unbuckle his safety belt and stand up, which caused him to be thrown from the car as it rounded the last curve. Pollock fell 60 feet and suffered a broken neck and fractured skull. He was pronounced dead an hour later at Suburban General Hospital in Bellevue. 

On June 1, 1951, construction worker Lorenzo Adams suffered a mishap on "The Dips" that cost him his life. Adams, 22, was hurled from his car after failing to fasten his safety belt and standing up as the car flew around a turn. He fell about 25 feet and was pronounced dead of a fractured skull. 

On June 25, 1955, the Leap-the-Dips struck again. Harry Montgomery, a 20-year-old from Pittsburgh, tempted fate by disregarding a premonition his mother had only an hour before he left home, when she warned him not to ride "The Dips". Nonetheless, Montgomery went on the ride with a friend, and was hurled from his car after readjusting his safety belt. His body landed in the park's parking lot.

"Harry and I got in the first seat and I saw him fasten the safety belt," stated his companion, Thomas Savage. "As we went up to the big dip before the curve, Harry went out of the seat and over the front of the car. I looked at the strap and noticed it was unfastened. I then held on tight and as soon as we got around the curve I buckled the strap." Only one day earlier, Harry had been rejected by the Army after trying to enlist, on account of poor eyesight. Whether or not this was a factor in his deadly mistake will never be known.

The same coaster also claimed the life of 28-year-old Vincent Kinley of Sewickley on July 17, 1971. Kinley, according to his companion, had attempted to stand up as the ride was nearing its completion. he fell out of the car was was dragged one thousand feet by the car's safety strap. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Suburban General Hospital.

The Racing Whippet at West View Park

A particularly sad tragedy occurred at West View Park in 1952. Ethel Davis, a 47-year-old grandmother and mother of five from Bellevue, along with her steelworker husband, took jobs at West View Park to get them through a steel strike. It was their teenage son, Douglas, who also worked at the park, who pulled strings to get them their jobs.

Ethel, who worked at the refreshment stand, had only been employed at the park for four days when she decided to take a ride on the Racing Whippet on her lunch break. Her husband, Kenneth, thought it was a fun idea, but as the lines were long, Kenneth and their son had to stand on the waiting platform while Ethel took her turn. "No, you go ahead, we'll watch," said her husband. Maybe it was the time crunch that made Mrs. Davis forget to fasten her safety belt, but one could only imagine the horror and heartbreak Kenneth and his son must've felt as they watched the beloved wife and mother plummet to the ground. Kenneth leaped over a barrier and ran to the grass where Ethel's crumpled body lay, her head twisted at an unnatural angle. The park physician pronounced her dead from a broken neck.

Five fatal accidents in a span of sixty-five years makes West View one of the most lethal amusement parks to ever operate in Pennsylvania.

Rocky Glen Park (Lackawanna County)

The Mountain Dips coaster at Rocky Glen as it appeared in the 1920s.

 

Established as a picnic ground in 1886, Rocky Glen was developed by Arthur Frothingham. After creating a lake by damming Dry Valley Run Creek and making other improvements, Frothingham learned that the Scranton & Northeastern Railroad was planning to extend its tracks over his land. To avoid losing his land to eminent domain, Frothingham came up with an audacious plan; he obtained a cemetery charter and planned to inter bodies right in the path of the railway. 

While it has become urban legend that two people were buried at Rocky Glen, the historical record shows this never happened. The Scranton Tribune reported on July 9, 1901:  No one could be induced to do any burying there, and the cemetery scheme was dropped.

Frothingham had previously used other creative tactics to keep the railroads at bay. He incorporated Rocky Glen as a water company, and he did, in fact, establish (at least on paper) the Glen Ridge Cemetery Association, but attorney's for the railroad blasted these actions as "bad faith". This led one attorney for the railroad, a Mr. Fuller, to quip in court, "Mr. Frothingham, you have, as we see, incorporated yourself as a cemetery association and a water company. Please tell us when you propose to have yourself incorporated as a place of worship."

Ultimately, an agreement was reached that was amicable to both parties and the park continued to expand under the management of amusement park impresario Frederick Ingersoll. After a falling out around 1906, Frothingham decided to go it alone, and the park he founded continued to operate until 1987. During its history, the park featured several roller coasters, the most famous of which was the Pippin, designed by John A. Miller. The Pippin was built in 1924 and operated until 1950, when it was partially destroyed by a fire.

Rocky Glen's Pippin coaster, as it appeared in 1936.

 

In 1937, a teenage boy was killed while riding the Pippin. On July 31, Edward McMahon was riding in the front seat of the coaster and, with only one dip to go, decided to stand up to wave to his friends. His head struck an obstruction and his skull was shattered. He died en route to the hospital. 

Two years later, on September 17, 1939, another rider was killed on a different coaster, the Mountain Dips (opened in 1920). Robert Russell, age 21, was fatally injured when he fell out of his seat while riding the coaster with a friend. According to his companion, Russell had been standing up when he lost his balance. He fell 20 feet, suffering a fractured skull, a broken jaw, a compound fracture of his leg and serious internal injuries. He died in the hospital without regaining consciousness. But the story gets sadder; Russell, who had been orphaned at a young age, lived with his grandmother, Mrs. Elizabeth Russell, in Scranton. Upon learning of her grandson's accident, she rushed to the hospital, but when she saw her grandson lying unconscious in the hospital bed, Mrs. Russell dropped to the floor, having suffered a fatal heart attack. Robert Russell passed away just a few seconds later.

Less than two years later another tragedy would strike Rocky Glen. On August 3, 1941, 28-year-old Michael Lawrence of Duryea was riding with a friend in the front seat of the lead car on the Pippin when he made the fatal mistake of standing up as the car plunged down the next to the last dip. He lost his balance and fell 35 feet. He died instantly from a skull fracture.

Forest Park (York County)

The entrance to Forest Park

Established in 1904 as a trolley park by the Hanover & McSherrystown Street Railway Company, Forest Park (then known as Eichelberger Park), opened with little more than a dance pavilion, food stand and picnic tables. A fun house (named the "Laughing Gallery") was opened the following year. other early improvements included a skating rink, shooting gallery, carousel, penny arcade, nickelodeon theater, petting zoo, and miniature railway.

In April of 1925, Eustace Via became the park's second manager, replacing E.M. Grumbine, and the name was changed to Forest Grove Park. The 1925 season introduced the park's Ferris wheel along with several rides, such as the Whip. Via's tenure was short-lived; he was replaced the following year by August and Howard Karst. Under the Karsts the park, now known simply as Forest Park, saw explosive growth, especially after the purchase of seventeen acres in 1930. That same year a roller coaster, the Greyhound, was introduced, and almost immediately resulted in tragedy after Martin McSherry, who was sitting in the front seat, unfastened his seat belt, sat on the back of the seat and rested his feet on on the safety bar. Not surprisingly, he was hurled from the ride and fell 40 feet. Surprisingly, he survived the ordeal with only a broken leg, though he would spend months in the hospital as a consequence.

Not so lucky was Jesse Oscar Lemmon, a 22-year-old veteran from Hanover, who was hired to repaint the roller coaster in 1946. On the afternoon of August 5, Lemmon and a co-worker, Grover Albright, were moving scaffolding when they noticed that the section upon which they were about to work was strung with overhead wires. Lemmon climbed the scaffold to see if he could move the wires and was immediately electrocuted. He fell 20 feet to the ground and was rushed to Hanover General Hospital by ambulance, but efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.

Forest Park closed permanently in 1967 after August Karst, Jr. sold the property to a Baltimore developer for the construction of a shopping center. Today, South Hanover Shopping Center stands on the site of the forgotten amusement park, though its 1907 Dentzler grand carousel continued to delight children and adults alike at Six Flags AstroWorld in Houston until that park's demise in 2005.

Sources:

Philadelphia Times, May 8, 1898.
Lancaster Examiner, July 14, 1915.
Hanover Evening Sun, Aug. 12, 1918.
The Warren Tribune, July 19, 1927.
Carlisle Sentinel, July 20, 1927.
West Chester Daily Local News, June 10, 1929.
Ephrata Review, June 14, 1929.
Pittsburgh Press, July 27, 1929.
Lebanon Evening Report, July 20, 1933.
Philadelphia Inquirer, June 6, 1937.
Allentown Morning Call, July 30, 1939.
Allentown Morning Call, June 17, 1940.
Pittsburgh Press, August 7, 1941.
York Gazette and Daily, Aug. 6, 1946.
Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, June 25, 1952.
Pittsburgh Press, June 2, 1951.
Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, June 26, 1955.
Philadelphia Inquirer, June 9, 1956.
Harrisburg Patriot-News, April 26, 1959.
North Hills News Record, July 21, 1971.