Shohola Glen Amusement Park

Add links
Coordinates: 41°28′18″N 74°54′51″W / 41.47167°N 74.91417°W / 41.47167; -74.91417
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shohola Glen Amusement Park
Illustration of Shohola Glen
LocationShohola Township, Pennsylvania, United States
Coordinates41°28′18″N 74°54′51″W / 41.47167°N 74.91417°W / 41.47167; -74.91417
StatusDefunct
Opened1884 (1884)
Closed1907 (1907)
OwnerJohn F. Kilgour (1884–1891), Charles St. John (1891–1891), George Lea (1891–1894), David L. Hardenbrook, George Sammis, Jr., Walter Sammis (1894–1899), David L. Hardenbrook (1899–1902), Henry W. Richardson (1902–1907)
General managerEdwin J. Fenton, George Proctor

Shohola Glen Amusement Park was an entertainment venue in northeastern Pennsylvania, within the Shohola Township section of Pike County, next to the community of Shohola. The park setting was in the narrow valley called Shohola Glen, which is located where Shohola Creek flows into the Delaware River. Shohola Glen Amusement Park operated from 1884 through the 1907 Summer season. The park's attractions were a mixture of natural beauty features of the glen and amusements such as a carrousel, skating rink, boating, baseball, and dance hall. The majority of daily guests to the park were from New York City and arrived by Erie Railroad excursion trains to the nearby Shohola train station.

History[edit]

By the mid-19th century, local merchant and bridge builder Chauncey Thomas owned Shohola Glen and surrounding tracts of land. In 1849 Thomas built a hotel in Shohola that was named over the years the Shohola House, Shohola Hotel, Shohola Glen Hotel, and Rohman's Inn. On March 6, 1872, the hotel burned to the ground, the cause likely from sparks from a nearby steam locomotive.[1]

The hotel was rebuilt on the same site in 1875. This hotel's restaurant would later become a popular lunch stopping point for excursionists to Shohola Glen because of the hotel's close proximity to both the Erie Railroad station at Shohola and the grand stairway to Shohola Glen before 1886. It was also very close to the gravity switchback railroad that carried day excursionists to Shohola Glen after 1886.

By 1877 residents of the community of Shohola realized the potential of the beauty of Shohola Glen to draw visitors to the area. The gorge is about a mile long with Shohola Creek running through it. The Erie Railroad depot located in Shohola was about a half-mile away, giving Shohola Glen an access location advantage over similar retreats. The other advantage was the large number of scenic views packed within the short length of the glen. During the Spring of 1877 Shohola inhabitants worked to clear underbrush, construct walkways, and build seats.[2]

Visitors from New York City regularly came by train to Shohola during the Summer season and stayed at the many boarding houses throughout Shohola Township and across the Delaware River in Sullivan County, NY. Although not yet an amusement park, beginning in the Summer of 1877 visitors began to add Shohola Glen to the list of area attractions.[3]


In 1879 area residents and business leaders worked to have more passenger trains stop at Shohola. At that time only one passenger train stopped at the Shohola station, the "Hojack." Shohola Glen and the Shohola House Hotel were cited as major reasons why more passenger trains should stop in Shohola.[4]

John Kilgour Creates Shohola Glen Amusement Park[edit]

Chauncey Thomas died at his mansion home in Shohola Glen on October 5, 1882. On June 25, 1884, John F. Kilgour, the president of the Kilgour Blue Stone Company, purchased the estate of the late Chauncey Thomas. This purchase included 3,000 acres of land that included blue stone deposits, timber, and some farmland. The purchase also included Shohola Glen. Kilgour opened blue stone quarries on his new acquisition, but he also began to develop Shohola Glen to make it into a summer destination he hoped would rival Watkins Glen in New York. Kilgour also built a hotel near the glen.[5] Kilgour opened Shohola Glen to the public during the 1884 summer season.[6]

Park Attractions[edit]

Natural Attractions. Shohola Glen Amusement Park's operational season began around Memorial Day weekend in May and continued into September and occasionally into October. The natural scenic views in Shohola Glen included features named "Embattlement Rock," "Winding Stairway," "Below Glen Dam," "From the Foot Bridge," "Spirit of Dark Waters," "Palisade Avenue," "Entrance to Shohola Glen," "Chauncey's Cliff," "Spirit Cave," "Crow Nest," "Jacob's Ladder," "Rustic Bridge," "Picnic Rock," "The Palisades," "Witch's Boudoir," "Tom Quick's Bluff," "Erie Culvert," "Hell Gate," "Hemlock Stairway," and "Layman's Ladder." Kilgour developed this area by building a large weather shelter with seats, walks, and bridges throughout the glen.[7]

Baseball and Boating. Advertisements for Shohola Glen in 1885 featured baseball, boating, fishing, a mammoth skating rink built over Shohola Creek, a "Rhode Island" clambake, and music, in addition to the scenic attractions. Boating and fishing were done in Martha's Lake which was situated in the park. The Erie Railroad advertised summer Wednesday and Sunday train excursions from New York City to Shohola so people could spend the day at Shohola Glen before returning by train in the evening.

Skating Rink. The skating rink floor was elevated above Shohola Creek and was located under the large stone arch viaduct of the Erie Railroad across Shohola Creek. The arched roof of the railroad bridge made up the rink's ceiling and two sides of the rink.[8] The skating rink appears to have been moved at some point to below Martha's Lake.[9]

Live Bands. The elevated floor within the stone viaduct that was previously used as the skating rink later became used for dancing. Live bands played on a balcony situated 15 feet above the dance floor.[10]

Electric Lights Added. Electric lights were installed allowing the park to continue to operate in the evenings. The generator for the lights was water-powered at the sawmill on Shohola Creek.

Additional Attractions. Each season additional attractions were added to the amusement park such as a photo booth, bowling alleys, bar-b-que pits, and evening clam bakes. There were also picnic grounds, shooting galleries, two restaurants, ice cream stands, game booths for prizes, and a native American who displayed rattlesnakes and sold rattlesnake oil.[11] A steam-powered carrousel was added in 1892.[12]

Postcard photo of regularly scheduled clambake at Shohola Glen Amusement Park.

An aerial tramway was also constructed which carried visitors the length of Shohola Glen over 100 feet above Shohola Creek. This was also water powered and because it sloped toward the sawmill, it only required power to move the cable car in the opposite direction.[13]

During the 1902 season an Erie Railroad freight caboose was added as an attraction at Shohola Glen Amusement Park. Erie Railroad Caboose #4259 was presented by the Erie Railroad president to Lieutenant Robert E. Peary in July 1898 to be used during his 1898–1902 expedition to Greenland. When this caboose was installed at Shohola Glen Amusement Park, its interior was decorated with views of the arctic region and of Peary and his expedition crew. The caboose remained on display at Shohola Glen until the park closed in 1907.[14]

Early Access to the Park[edit]

During the first season of the park, visitors getting off the train at Shohola Station would go directly across the street to the Shohola Glen Hotel. From there a number of "finger boards" would direct the visitor to the amusement park. A plank walk led from the hotel along the railroad tracks to the "Grand Stairway," which was three or flights of stairs by which visitors would descend to enter the amusement park. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, a stretch of level ground led to the glen entrance. While descending the long "Grand Stairway" to Shohola Glen, visitors became aware that they would also need to make the long ascent using those same stairs when they left the amusement park at the end of the day.[15]

The physical exertion needed to enter and exit the park could also prevent people with mobility issues from visiting the park. Improvements and added attractions were made to the park prior to the opening of the 1886 season.

Park Access By Switchback Gravity Railroad[edit]

Beginning with the 1886 operating season was the addition of a switchback gravity railroad. This narrow-gauge railroad, modeled after the gravity railroads used by coal mines, carried visitors to and from Shohola Glen. There were two stations that served the gravity railroad. One was in the village of Shohola that was located a short walk from the Erie Railroad’s Shohola station. The other station was located at the new entrance of Shohola Glen Amusement Park. The switchback railroad began service on June 20, 1886, and thousands of people showed up that day to take a ride on this narrow gauge railroad.[16]

The lift used to raise the rail cars was powered by a sawmill that was built in 1790 on Shohola Creek. Rail cars coasted down-hill using gravity and up-slopes were added to slow the cars down as they approached the stations.[17]

Travel to the Park[edit]

Visitors to Shohola Glen Amusement Park were normally either excursionists who traveled by train to Shohola for the day or were vacationers who stayed at one of the many vacation boarding houses near Shohola. When placing ads in New York City newspapers, boarding house proprietors would often include the proximity of Shohola Glen in addition to their other features.[18]

Advertisement for Walker Lake House (summer resort) which includes close proximity of Shohola Glen.

Many of the daily visitors each year to the park came from The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, and North New Jersey. The Erie Railroad ran inexpensive excursions trains on Sundays, Wednesdays, and holidays that began from the Erie Depot in Jersey City, NJ and ended at the Shohola Train Station in Shohola, PA. Passengers coming from New York City boroughs would begin their trip from the Chambers Street Ferry Terminal in Manhattan and travel across the Hudson River to the Erie Depot. The train excursions would begin 9:00 and 9:30 in the morning and arrive in Shohola at 12:00. Return trips from the Shohola Train Station would leave in the afternoon at 4:30 and 5:15. Round trip excursion train fare was $1.00 during most years. During September and October special foliage excursions to Shohola Glen Amusement Park were advertised by the Erie Railway.[19]

1901 - Shohola Glen 1901 Season Flyer

Reputation Challenges[edit]

As Shohola Glen Amusement Park became more popular, daily excursion populations at the parks would often be in the thousands. The park began gaining a poor reputation. Swindlers regularly set up thimble rig and three-card monte tables at the park to fleece unwary excursionists. By 1894 the park management began using police officers in the park to arrest and jail swindlers.[20] This police presence may have slowed the swindlers, but it did not stop them. Some swindlers did not even wait to get to the park, but set up their operations right on the excursion trains while traveling to Shohola.[21]

An example of regional attitude toward Shohola Glen Amusement Park can be found in an 1894 newspaper editorial which challenged the notion to have Erie Railroad excursion trains from New York City bring excursionists to Middletown, NY to visit Midway Park, an amusement park that opened that year. The writer argues "As the park stands today it is popular with Middletowners and people in surrounding places because it is not, like Shohola Glen, the resort of a rabble of a great city, but rather a beautiful, quiet and orderly retreat where local societies, churches, Sunday schools and families may enjoy a day's outing without coming in contact with gamblers, toughs and the rough characters generally that make up New York's Sunday excursions."[22]

A visitor in August 1901 claimed that Shohola Glen Amusement Park was "worse than Coney Island ever dared to be even in its most palmiest days." He claimed that the front doors of the Shohola Glen Hotel were "wide open and sixty-three people in the bar room drinking their favorite beverages. They called for beer, whiskey, gin, rum and other intoxicants." He saw a "spindle wheel on the street in full operation, and also slot machines. Up in the glen proper, a mile from town, beer was being sold and served by waitresses who seemed under age, and at one place a 12-year-old boy was serving drinks."[23]

Brawls breaking out in the evenings among drunk guests and continued problems with card swindlers operating at Shohola Glen were also reported, but despite the negative reputation some shared toward the park, Shohola Glen Amusement Park remained popular and full excursion trains continued arriving. On August 31, 1902, Erie excursion trains carried 28,000 visitors to the park.[24]

Closing of the Park[edit]

Although summer vacationers in Shohola Township, PA and Sullivan County, NY frequented Shohola Glen Amusement Park, it was the crowds coming by excursion trains, especially from New York City, that brought most of the business. Both the Erie Railroad and Shohola Glen benefited from the use of excursion trains.

An April 1906 news report quoted Erie Railroad officials who stated that the excursion trains would cease for two reasons:

  1. The Erie Railroad Traffic Department had complained for years that the Sunday excursion trains seriously interfered with the moving of freight over the Delaware and New York Divisions and the possibility of a collision or serious accident were greatly increased.
  2. The Erie Railroad Passenger Division complained that many of the summer boarders who go the countryside hotels and boarding houses surrounding Shohola were taking advantage of the Sunday excursion trains to get a cheap rate to and from New York City resulting in a loss to the railroad company in passenger receipts.[25]

[In 1906 the roundtrip excursion train fare to Shohola was $1.00, while travel on daily scheduled passenger trains from New York City to Shohola was $4.70.][26]

Shohola Glen Amusement Park closed during the 1907 season when the Erie Railroad excursion trains ceased operations. In July 1908 Henry W. Richardson, the last owner of the park, leased the Shohola Glen land, buildings, and the switchback railroad to the Pennsylvania Coal Company.[27]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Hotel Burned at Shohola, Pa". Port Jervis, NY. The Evening Gazette. March 7, 1872. p. 1. Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  2. ^ "Shohola Glen, Rival of Watkins on Lake Seneca-Newly Discovered Attractions". Port Jervis, NY. The Evening Gazette. September 25, 1877. p. 1. Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  3. ^ "At Shohola Glen – Lackawaxen Boarders Making the Wood Rings With Laughter and Song". Port Jervis, NY. The Evening Gazette. August 15, 1878. p. 1. Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  4. ^ "Other Trains Should Stop There". Port Jervis, NY. The Evening Gazette. July 10, 1879. p. 1. Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  5. ^ "Mr. Kilgour Purchases the Chauncey Thomas Estate". Honesdale, PA. Wayne County Herald. June 26, 1884. p. 3.
  6. ^ "Shohola Glen". No. 1, 548. Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper. May 23, 1885. p. 226. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  7. ^ "Mr. Kilgour Purchases the Chauncey Thomas Estate". Honesdale, PA. Wayne County Herald. June 26, 1884. p. 3.
  8. ^ "Journalists on a Jaunt". Wilkes-Barre, PA. The Evening Leader. July 30, 1885. p. 1.
  9. ^ "Glen Switchback Railroad". Camp Shohola for Boys. Archived from the original on 2024-03-17. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  10. ^ "Glen Amusement Park". Camp Shohola for Boys. Archived from the original on 2024-03-17. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  11. ^ "The Shohola Glen Picnics". Milford, PA. Pike County Dispatch. March 20, 1969. p. 7. Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  12. ^ "Minor Local News". Milford, PA. Pike County Dispatch. April 28, 1892. p. 3. Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  13. ^ "Glen Switchback Gravity Railroad". Camp Shohola for Boys. Archived from the original on 2024-03-17. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  14. ^ "An Arctic Zone Curiosity". Patterson, NJ. The Morning Call. July 7, 1902. p. 12. Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  15. ^ "Journalists on a Jaunt". Wilkes-Barre, PA. The Evening Leader. July 30, 1885. p. 1. Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  16. ^ "Opening of a New Railroad". Lehighton, PA. The Carbon Advocate. June 26, 1886. p. 3. Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  17. ^ "Glen Amusement Park". Camp Shohola for Boys. Archived from the original on 2024-03-17. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  18. ^ "Walker Lake House". Brooklyn, NY. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 17, 1900. p. 41. Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  19. ^ "Erie Holiday Trips". Brooklyn, NY. The Brooklyn Citizen. August 25, 1902. p. 5. Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  20. ^ "Arrested at Shohola Glen For Gambling". Milford, PA. Pike County Dispatch. July 12, 1894. p. 3. Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  21. ^ "Card Sharp In Jail". Milford, PA. Pike County Dispatch. June 14, 1906. p. 1. Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  22. ^ "Editorial". Middletown, NY. Middletown Daily Argus. September 6, 1894. Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  23. ^ "Can This Be True?". Milford, PA. Pike County Press. September 27, 1901. p. 1. Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  24. ^ "The News Record". Scranton, PA. The Scranton Tribune. September 1, 1902. p. 7. Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  25. ^ "Bad News For Shohola". Milford, PA. Pike County Dispatch. April 5, 1906. p. 1. Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  26. ^ "Walker Lake House advertisement". Brooklyn, NY. The Brooklyn Citizen. June 28, 1904. p. 10. Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  27. ^ "Real Estate Transfers". Milford, PA. Pike County Dispatch. July 23, 1908. p. 1. Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shohola_Glen_Amusement_Park&oldid=1218198003"