Wow! This is so interesting. Can't wait for this channel to blow up. 2:38 I was dying at the pun lol. Joe you are a massive talent! Keep up the amazing work.

The repetitive names were simply because the parks named themselves after the 3 or 4 most world-famous amusement parks (and since competition was mostly local, there was no reason to try to sue them for trademark infringement). I feel fortunate to have the Boston area's only surviving trolley park (Canobie Lake Park) as my home park. It's a wonderful place and I think it's interesting to ponder how it survived. One thing was that Canobie switched to being an automobile-centric park relatively early, in 1936, when they built a large parking lot and brought in more rides such as the Yankee Cannonball coaster. Another is that there's really only one big chain theme park in the New England region, and this happened relatively late: Riverside's expansion into what became Six Flags New England happened in the 1990s/2000s. It's also closer to Springfield than Boston, which means there's some room in the market for a park a bit closer to Boston to thrive. There are several other smaller local amusement parks that are still operating in the area, though not all of them were trolley parks: Quassy and Lake Compounce in Connecticut, Funtown Splashtown and Palace Playland in Maine, and Story Land and Santa's Village in New Hampshire. Technically, Compounce and Story Land are chain parks, since they're owned by Parques Reunidos, which operates Kennywood and some really big parks in Europe. But they still have a lot of that small-independent-park vibe. Compounce has the potential to become another giant, except that it is close enough to Six Flags New England that if it didn't have a substantially different atmosphere and character as a kind of counter-programming, it wouldn't be able to compete. The others can benefit from distance.

Wow, what an amazing video. Thanks dor taking the time to make it, I really enjoyed and subscribed and will keep an eye out for future content!

Waldemeer is truly a gem for the area, it mainly survived thanks to it's recently deceased owner Paul Nelson. He had the foresight to keep building and set the park apart from larger attractions like Cedar Point. The place is absolutely packed during the summer. Midway is also great but was only saved by being turned into a state park back in the early 2000s. The old dance hall is now closed unfortunately but I actually had a great aunt and uncle who met there back in the day. One park that might be of interest for you is Conneaut Lake Park down outside of Meadville PA. It's one that is either recently shut or in the process of it, but could be an interesting case study. It was still sputtering along when I was in college in the early 2010s but then had a fire and some dubious financial shenanigans. It's claim to fame roller coaster was torn down a few years back.

I’m so glad there’s others like me who are obsessed with not just park of today, but also the history of amusement parks! I grew up in northeast Ohio so I know all too well about the rise,fall, and sadly demise of local parks. I’ve actually been working on writing a book about the history of the amusement park industry and of the parks that are no longer around.

Love the history and hate that more trolley parks did not survive. My small hometown of Parkersburg, WV once boasted Terrapin Park, complete with a roller coaster but like many others in your video, caught fire and burned down. WV is lucky to have Camden Park still!

Great video! Kennywood is my home park and is also only one of two amusement parks designated a National Historic Landmark. The reason kennywood was given that designation in the late 1980s was it was the best preserved example of a trolley park from that era.

I had no idea so many existed so recently! Big fan of one of the remaining ones in Pittsburgh, Kennywood. :)

Growing up in Easton, I took Dorney Park for granted. When I went off to Grad school I was stunned that there wasn't anything like it anywhere in the Bay Area or anywhere else on the West Coast (Disneyland is a different animal altogether). We had more amusement parks in Pennsylvania than in the entire South. I lived in New Orleans for nearly 20 years and older locals recalled Pontchartrain Beach, which suffered a massive decline in the 1970s after desegregation and closed in the early '80s. There were ride parks along the Gulf Coast in Mississippi but nothing like the amusement parks of the Northeast. Speaking of trolleys... when my Dad was a boy in the '40s and '50s the trolley ran all the way from Easton to Philadelphia!

Fantastic work! Great storytelling and editing all around

This was your first video??? Honestly im really impressed that was a fantastic video I hope to see more about theme park history from you. Loved how this was executed

Just got this recommended on my home page. Good vid! Surprised you dont have more views and subs. The video is very well done!

Fantastic video Joe, can tell you really did your research for this one!

question, from a fellow amusement historian: How was palisades closed for safety concerns? I was under the impression Irving Rosenthal, the owner of palisades (and the GOAT RIP) was pressured/scared of palisades future seeing other parks fall, and reluctantly sold it to build condos in its stead. It’s really important to note how BELOVED palisades was

I saw footage from "Life Is A Lark At Willow Grove Park." It started to go downhill when the trolley and bus company sold it in 1954. It closed after the 1975 season.

This was an epic video. Loved every bit!

I love Lakemont, and I'd say it's the truest trolley park remaining if you look at the trolley park concept vs what the park is today.

Such a great video!

I've wondered if maybe in the future we might see amusements added at EV charging stations, should they become that competitive. The car did promote the larger theme parks.

LOVEd this video

A lot of great info in this video!!

I was in M.C.P. at the Flats when the Lost River and Wildcat burned.Watching the Wildcat burn broke my heart.

I loved this with my whole heart. 😢❤❤❤

God I Love You Joe ❤❤❤

I think you’re splitting hairs on the definition of an amusement park. There are still 100s of amusement parks. And Coney Island still exists.

You deserve a lot more subs and views. This was very well made.

I got season pass to dorney park. But ill admit it doesnt feel like a small trolley park anymore haha

Lakemont is a fun place. Went as a family to Kennywood, and then lakemont the same day to ride leap the dips, (oldest operating rollercoaster in the world) The family did not understand why I was insisting on leaving Kennywood early to got to lakemont. They were like seriously we're leave here to go ride an antique roller coaster. To their amazement they thought leap the dips was better then any of the coasters at Kennywood