In 1992, I took the first of what would become an annual Amusement Park tour. That first year was the best - 45 parks in less than three weeks! The part that made it especially exciting was that every park was a new experience - they were all new to me. In that one trip, I got to experience Kennywood, Cedar Point, Coney Island, The Wildwoods, and several other parks on a first-time basis. The discoveries and wonder of that first trip has never been duplicated.
Since that first trip, several rides and even entire parks have been lost to the ravages of time. Parks such as Geauga Lake, Erieview, William's Grove and Hunts Pier have been closed down, while amusement areas such as Seaside Heights have sustained so much damage (due to Hurricane Sandy and a subsequent fire) that they may never recover. Meanwhile, Parks such as Conneaut Lake Park are barely hanging on for survival. I feel a certain tinge of nostalgia every time I read these stories, as a part of that first trip disappears under a bulldozer's blade. I felt it would be a good idea to document some of what was lost... Someone on the Internet may be looking for this info.
I'll start with one of the first parks I visited on that first trip, and one of the first coasters I rode. Nellie Bly Park is located in Brooklyn, NY and was named after groundbreaking female reporter Elizabeth Jane Cochrane, whose took the pen name
Nellie Bly. She had quite a career as an investigative reporter. She faked insanity so she could be placed in the state mental institution in order to report on the squalid and cruel conditions there. She spent ten days in the institution enduring inhuman treatment before her newspaper got her out. As part of her investigations she worked in a box factory, got a job as domestic servant, and once even bought a baby as part of a report on the baby trade. Her big claim to fame, however, was a stunt she carried out in 1899 where she attempted to duplicate the trip portrayed in the book "Around the World in 80 Days." She completed it in 72 days, six hours and 11 minutes, setting a world's record and beating out another journalist from a competing paper. They are still trying to locate her luggage.
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| Nellie Bly Park in 1992 |
Nellie Bly Park used the "Around the World in 80 Days" as a theme for the Park. The Park opened in 1967 a was mostly a kiddie park, with the usual merry-go-round and circular rides. As the years went on, the park grew, adding an "Around the World in 80 Days" funhouse, go carts, bumper cars and the like. In 1982, they added the Flash Roller Coaster. The coaster operated until 1996 and the park itself closed at about 2006. Finding information on this park is not easy. Harder still was finding information on the roller coaster I rode when I was there. The Flash was originally a traveling roller coaster built around 1976 and designed by Arthur Lamkin. Nellie Bly bought for $100,000. After operating from 1982 until 1996, it sat unused until about 2000, where it was reportedly sold to a South American company. The Park eventually reopened as
Adventurers Fun Park and is currently operating several of the original rides.
Where indicated, the photos below are courtesy of Jim McDonnell at
http://jimvid.smugmug.com/
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| The basic layout of the Park from a more recent visit. Courtesy Jim McDonnell |
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| This is the Haunted House from 1992. Unfortunately, when I experienced it, there were very little working stunts. At last report it was closed, awaiting renovation. |
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| Me in the jail. Nellie Bly actually spent time in Mexico reporting on conditions there, and was almost arrested. |
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| Classic fire truck ride. Courtesy Jim McDonnell |
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| The Superslide! You will literally wet your pants on this one... Courtesy Jim McDonnell |
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| The Flash Roller Coaster, from 1992. It had a unique square configuration. I've never seen another one like it. |
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| Another picture of the Flash after it was closed down. From http://rcdb.com/ and Ken Denton. |
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| Interior view of the Flash. As you can see, the hills weren't large. From http://rcdb.com/ and Ken Denton. |
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| The Fun House. It celebrated the trip Nellie took around the world. It must have been a boring trip, because when I went through the fun house there were very few stunts. |
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| Another view of the Fun House. Courtesy Jim McDonnell |
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| The ungraded Haunted House, in 2005. Courtesy Jim McDonnell |
I'll start with one of the first parks I visited on that first trip, and one of the first coasters I rode. Nellie Bly Park is located in Brooklyn, NY and was named after groundbreaking female reporter Elizabeth Jane Cochrane, whose took the pen name Nellie Bly. She had quite a career as an investigative reporter. She faked insanity so she could be placed in the state mental institution in order to report on the squalid and cruel conditions there. She spent ten days in the institution enduring inhuman treatment before her newspaper got her out. As part of her investigations she worked in a box factory, got a job as domestic servant, and once even bought a baby as part of a report on the baby trade. Her big claim to fame, however, was a stunt she carried out in 1899 where she attempted to duplicate the trip portrayed in the book "Around the World in 80 Days." She completed it in 72 days, six hours and 11 minutes, setting a world's record and beating out another journalist from a competing paper. They are still trying to locate her luggage.
