| Rocky Glen Park | |
| Pahistoric Type: | PA |
| Location: | Rocky Glen Rd., 1/4 mile off Rt. 502 |
| Coordinates: | 41.3533°N -75.7059°W |
| Built: | 1886 |
| Governing Body: | None |
| Designated Pahistoric Type: | August 9, 2008 |
Rocky Glen Park was a trolley park located near Moosic, Pennsylvania. Founded by Arthur Frothingham in 1886 as picnic grounds, it was transformed into an amusement park by engineer and entrepreneur Frederick Ingersoll in 1904. The park featured rides, arcades, and restaurants until its closure in 1987.
Land developer Arthur Frothingham purchased the site for $15 at a tax sale in 1885.[1] The following year, Rocky Glenn was open to the public as a picnic park. In 1900, Frothingham contracted E. S. Williams to dam Dry Valley Run Creek to create a lake on the property. When Frothingham failed to pay Williams for the work, Williams sued and was awarded one-half interest in the park.[2] [3]
Soon afterward, Frothingham obtained a Pennsylvania state cemetery charter for the park after learning of plans of extending tracks of the Lehigh Valley Railroad over the grounds. To avoid losing the park through eminent domain, Frothingham interred two bodies in the proposed route of the track. The Lehigh Valley Railroad purchased a parcel of the cemetery for $25,000 and agreed to build a Laurel Line station nearby.[2] [4] [5]
In 1904, park manager Frederick Ingersoll added amusement park rides and concessions and renamed the park Rocky Glen Park after the newly formed Rocky Glen Water Company.[6] The following year saw the debut of Ingersoll's signature figure 8 roller coaster. A rift between Frothingham and Ingersoll led to their parting of ways in 1906.[2]
Interest in the park waned in the 1910s, and Frothingham wished to sell his half of the property. After failed attempts to sell the park to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Federal Feature Film Corporation of New York,[7] Williams and Frothingham sold it to a trio of businessmen in 1919: John Nallin, Joe Jennings, and Ben Sterling.[8] After a tumultuous period in which the three partners disagreed over park management (culminating in Rocky Glen Park being divided in two by a fence), Sterling ultimately gained complete control in 1950[9] and renamed the park Sterling's Rocky Glen. Later, the park was known simply as Sterling's[2]
In 1945, Sterling added the Million Dollar Coaster, an out-and-back roller coaster that became the park's signature attraction. It had a maximum height of 96 feet, and was 3,700 feet long. Despite its name, the ride cost Sterling only $100,000 to build.[10] It was one of the world's largest roller coasters at the time.[2] [10] It carried more than one million passengers in the first three years of operation, and it was dismantled in 1957.[11]
The post-World War II increase in the use of the automobile contributed to the gradual decline in the use of the railroad which led to the park, and many remaining trolley parks were closing all around the country. Sterling's Rocky Glen was no exception, its plight exacerbated by the decline in the coal industry at the same time (a prominent revenue stream in the area).[12] In 1970, Sterling opted to sell the park to an Atlanta-based entertainment company, National Recreation Service.[8]
The new owners promptly converted the grounds into a theme park, renaming it Ghost Town in the Glen (later Ghost Town Amusement Park) and gave it a western theme.[12] The rebrand was not successful, and the park changed hands once again in 1979 and became New Rocky Glen. The property became a venue for concerts starting in 1980. The park permanently closed in 1987.
Rocky Glen Park was home to several roller coasters in its history:
The Clifford Township Volunteer Fire Company in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania is home to a miniature railroad that once existed at Rocky Glen Park. The train is a National Amusement Device / Dayton Fun House ride. It was bought from the John A. Miller Company and added to Rocky Glen in 1924. It operated on the same path the first miniature railroad until 1950, when a fire destroyed much of the park. The train was sold to Benjamin & Lena Balka in December 1950, who in turn sold it to the new owner of the park, Ben Sterling. Sterling opted to install a new miniature railroad instead of reopening the old one. The old miniature railroad was dismantled and sold by Sterling to the Clifford Township Volunteer Fire Company, where it has remained ever since. 2024 will be its 100th year of operation.
In 1988, the park's 1903 vintage Parker carousel was sold at auction for $220,000 as the park's facilities were being dismantled. The Antique Cars were sold to Knoebels Amusement Resort at auction in 1988, Knoebels had previously purchased the Bumper Boats in 1982. While the Bumper Boats have since been removed, the Antique Cars are still in operation. Most of the ride's original cars have been replaced with newer cars.
The local congregation of Hare Krishna attempted to purchase the Rocky Glen Park grounds so it could erect a walled "City of God" on the site. Seven hundred residents signed petitions protesting the proposed sale, which fell through as a result.[14]