Abandoned Amusement Parks

Introduces readers to some abandoned amusement parks around the world that are believed to be haunted.

Huffington Post called him “a master of the abandoned”—and for good reason. The “artivist” known only as Seph Lawless has spent the last ten years photo-documenting the America that was left behind in the throes of economic instability and overall decline—decrepit shopping malls, houses, factories, even amusement parks. Through nearly two hundred gorgeous and elegiac photographs, Abandoned details Lawless’s journey into what was once the very heart of American entertainment: the amusement park. Lawless visits deserted parks across the country, capturing in stark detail their dilapidated state, natural overgrowth, and obvious duality of sad and playful symbolism. Previously self-published as Bizarro, this updated edition of Lawless’s photographic tribute to decaying American amusement parks contains new content and a new foreword. For the first time, the famed photojournalist Seph Lawless makes his moving work available in a stunning trade edition.

There is something both sad and creepy about an abandoned amusement park. Perhaps it’s because a place that was once packed with fun seekers has become slowly choked with weeds. Or maybe it’s because the sound of kids’ excited laughter has been replaced with the quiet creaking of rusted rides. When the only visitors are the spirits of those who died there long ago, an amusement park can be a scary place to visit. Among the 11 amusement parks in this book, children will discover a roller coaster left to rot after nearly killing its passengers, a theme park that is now home to alligators and snakes, and the ghost of a man who is still trying to take a ride on a Ferris wheel that stopped working years ago. The haunting photographs and chilling nonfiction text will keep children turning the pages to discover more spooky stories.

When Long Island became a suburban paradise after World War II, ambitious entrepreneurs created dozens of amusement parks to help families unwind. The Nunley family built a park in Baldwin in 1939, and it was so successful that they opened Nunley's Happyland in Bethpage just a few years later. Westbury's Spaceland fascinated youngsters with dreams of becoming astronauts, and Frontier City in Amityville was heaven on earth to fans of the Wild West. Today, historic parks like Deno's Wonder Wheel Park in Coney Island and Adventureland in Farmingdale still delight children and remind parents of happy memories of their own. Local author Marisa Berman explores the decades of fun and laughter from Long Island's historic amusement parks.

Frontier Town Abandoned Theme Park Then and Now is a coffee table style book that documents the conception, life, and closing of the beloved Adirondack Mountain's historically based theme park called "Frontier Town." With America being romanced by Western movies on the big screen and television, the country was ready for a western themed amusement park. Arthur Bensen, Edward Ovensen and Magnus Anderson, three Long Island Norwegian-American friends came together to open America's first western themed amusement park located in North Hudson, NY yet it was set to the traditions of the 1800's old west while offering local trade crafts and wares. The first year it drew over 40,000 visitors with little advertising. Over the next 45 years the park continued to host millions of visitors, and averaged over 300 employees and volunteers per season. The park included a collection of genuine log buildings which formed a traditional frontier town, a professional rodeo arena, a historical industrial section that included a grist mill, saw mill, forge, and ice house. It also included a traditional Native American village, animals, stage coach rides, and a fort with a full cavalry. This book documents the history of Frontier Town through professional photography as well as visitor's snapshots that are combined with historical storytelling that give the reader a feel of what Frontier Town was all about! Tammy Whitty-Brown's gift of gab and historical connections combined with her storytelling abilities and Jennifer Renee ST.Pierre's equestrian background and photography are showcased with their love of Adirondack history

Bibliography: p. 128.

Rediscover the magic of the Enchanted Forest in this history of Maryland's Storybook Park, the first children's theme park on the East Coast. The history of the Enchanted Forest is one of magical beginnings. When it first opened in 1955, Ellicott City's storybook land became the first children's theme park on the East Coast. Young visitors could climb aboard rides like the Little Toot tugboat, Mother Goose and Ali Baba or encounter animals like peacocks and burros. Upon its closing in 1989, Marylanders who cherished memories of the Enchanted Forest were deeply disappointed. However, many of the park's beloved figures were moved to nearby Clark's Elioak Farm, where they were restored and displayed to the delight of new generations. Even today, the farm is a popular destination that evokes the whimsical spirit of the iconic park. Local author Janet Kusterer and Martha Anne Clark of Elioak Farm trace the park's history through vintage images and interviews with the Harrison family, former employees and visitors. Join Kusterer and Clark to rediscover the magic of the Enchanted Forest.

By the end of the 19th century, New Jersey coastline was dotted with thriving amusement parks but are just fond and fading memories today. The Jersey Shore has always attracted people seeking relief from summer heat and humidity. Long before Europeans came here, the native Lenape clammed, fished, and played games on the beach and in the surf. These original people could scarcely have imagined that, by the end of the 19th century, the 120-mile-long coastline would be filled with amusement parks featuring gentle kiddie car rides, terrifying roller coasters, merry-go-rounds, and fast-food emporiums. James Bradley in Asbury Park and William Sandlass Jr. in Highland Beach created mass entertainment for hundreds of thousands of people. Their seaside recreation centers, along with those in Long Branch, Bradley Beach, Pleasure Bay, and others, endured for years. Sadly, they are now just distant and vanishing memories that are resurrected in this piece.

AUTOPSY OF AMERICA; The Death of a Nation is a harrowing look deep inside the crumbling apocalyptic landscape of America through the eyes of Photojournalist Seph Lawless. Autopsy of America takes you through the tattered remnants of the United States of America in a way that you never seen before. The beautiful apocalyptic landscapes consisting of abandoned schools, factories, shopping malls, amusement parks, theaters, hospitals, sport arenas, homes even entire towns offer a visual diagnostic to some of the county's true ills. The captivating images are accompanied by Lawless' personal anecdotes and thought-provoking stories that are equally riveting as the images.

Series statement from publisher's website.