Woodside Park
eastfallshistoricalsociety.org/then-and-now-2015#b0015478-5bc6-4ee0-97e3-d98cf6499b77
Fallsers loved Woodside Park, a Coney Island-like amusement park in West Fairmount Park built by the Fairmount Park Transportation Company in 1897. Like Chestnut Hill and Willow Grove Parks, Woodside was built along a trolley route. 10 miles of trolley tracks surrounded it.
Woodside Park closed in 1955, but memories are still fresh and evocative:
"Loved their fireworks!!!!" ~Shirley Shronk
"Oh what a wonderful place! You could drive yourself in a motorboat on the giant lake. You exited one of the funhouses by rolling down a giant carpet! In the shooting gallery you learned to shoot your first 22 rifle. Did you know the carousel is now in the Please Touch Museum?" ~Joe Petrone
"Three roller coasters! The giant Wild Cat was a mile high--or so it seemed. It climbed slowly up the wooden hill then raced down in 5 seconds! It ran crazy, throwing bodies all over--the best ride in the park, especially the front seat ... Wowzzzzzzzz! The Tornado slammed you to the bottom with your body shaking--not for the light hearted. The Hummer was gentler.
"The Fun House had air holes all over. Large puffs of air shot out from the bottom and blew up the girls' skirts. In front of everyone it happened!" ~Robert Connolly
Note: The above descriptive information came from the park's East Falls Historical Society page.
In The News
- The Sizzle and Fizzle of Philly's Old Fun Parks, Hidden City Philadelphia, March 23, 2022.
See Also
