My parents use to take us by trolley. We were use to trolleys in the city so when we got near the park, the sudden change to becoming surrounded by trees & grass was a magical feeling. One of my favorite things was the coin toss onto a plate & winning these huge stuffed animals. So many great memories. The video was awesome & I remember everything on it.
I grew up with the park only 4 miles from my home. Spent many a summer in the park from 1959 to 1971. Was on a Saturday dance program in the park 1965 to 1969. What a wonderful place and cried when it was torn down whice I watched parts of.
This does bring back some memories. In summer of 1964, my wife and I visited Willow Grove. She was somewhat pregnant for our first, so we had to watch what kind of rides we went on. My sweetheart and life-mate died in 1992 of complications due to cancer, but I still have the memories.
My two brothers (who are between 11 and 14 years older than me) got to see Willow Grove Park amusement park when they were kids. Sadly, by the time I came around and became aware of things, I never saw the amusement park. I only knew it as the mall. I would have loved to go here because we only lived 10 minutes away.
Its sad that almost all these trolley parks from the early 30's & 40's didn't survive. There were so many throughout the US. When i grew up in the 50's San Francisco had a trolley park out by the Pacific ocean called Playland at the beach. Sadly it was demolished in 1972 for condos. 😡
I went to Willow Grove Park many times wit my family. My fathers company had their annual picnic there. This film brings back a lot of memories. My only regret was I never had the courage to ride the Thunderbolt roller coaster. I road all the others and really liked the Scenic railway coaster in the back of the park. It was one of the first coasters I ever road. I also loved the Alps coaster. I always felt safe since each train had a brakeman on board and it was different from other coasters since you road through the mountain. Every time I pass though the area I remember the park being where the mall is now. Thanks for the great memories!
Wow i remember going to Willow Grove Park as a kid and when i got older i worked at the park such great memories until the bigger parks closed it down so sad and thanks to who ever put this on youtube great job me and mom just watch it she started crying some what i can acutally say there wa a tear also in my eye R,I,P, Willow Grove Park
I remember Willow Grove from the late 60s/very early 70s. It was a short drive out from Philly and we had family friends that lived near it, so it made for a very long day trip. As I take my kids around to various attractions, I recall how carefree it seemed to us - the last joys of childhood before life brings it's harsh realities down on you.
This is what it was like in the late 40's and early 50's, too. When I was about 6 to 8 years old, I lived with my grandparents in nearby Wyncote, PA. This was my favorite place to go. Haven't been there since the late 60's....many wonderful memories.
Thanks for posting this look back into "the good old days". Love the roller coaster. These local amusement parks were all over the place, some big, some small, all of them fun.
My grandfather worked there when he was a kid. As I recall, he operated the Ferris Wheel. He told me kids would pay him to stop it when their car was at the top, just before it started down, so guys could steal a kiss from their girl without being seen. He also told me he saw John Philip Sousa and his band play there. Of course, pop-pop drank a lot so... no, seriously - he told me these stories when I was a kid.
This is directly lifted from the 20-minute 1956 official park video, "Life Is A Lark At Willow Grove Park," with completely different audio. When looking it up, look for "Willow Grove Park video." It has better audio than the one that uses the actual name of the film.
I lived less than a mile away from the Park. All summer long we'd hear the screams from the Thunderbolt roller coaster ride from morning until dark. It got to the point that you didn't even notice it after a while.
I got to visit in late 1950's. What a magical experience for an eight year old boy! It was very sad for me when it was torn down to create a shopping mall. I still feel a tinge when I drive by the grounds.
West Point Park was outside Lansdale. Willow Grove Park was entirely within Abington Twp. It was actually on the corner of Easton Rd. (which was not 611 at that point - York Rd. had that designation below the intersection of Easton & York Rds. - the "Old" was dropped north of the Abington/UM line) and Moreland Rd. (PA 63), which is the border between Abington and UM. It followed Easton to Old Welsh Rd. Bill (UMHS - Class of 1982)
This Was a great place. well thats what i hear im not old enough to be in that era but i went on the merry-go-round in the mall it was cool because i got to see the history of that era. Wish it was around today. ( not sure if this is true someone told me that they closed that park because of the crime that went on there. Correct me if im wrong in a comment) i also think its cool that thye had a huge cruze ship in the middle of the land.
It's always amazing to see how our excitement threshold has changed over the years. I can still remember how thrilling it was to visit Willow Grove Park back then. I wonder what it would feel like today. Still fun or simply laughable? One of the nicest things in this movie is that so many of the rides and attractions were custom-made, unlike the mass-produced ones at so many of today's theme parks.
I live in Willow Grove and recently found out that there had been a big amusement park here. I am from Cleveland, Ohio and the film is amazingly reminiscent of Euclid Beach Park on Lake Erie, which closed several years earlier. Great childhood memories!
I now live 2 blocks away from the Willow Grove Park Mall and I wish I could have seen it before when it was still an amusement park! I love these images and it seems like such a beautiful time! Thanks for posting this! Would love to see more!
What a GREAT video, thank you! I was here in 73, but I was only one at the time. Sadly I only recall the park when it was closed, fenced off in the late 70's.
Great! Remember the Swan boat, but didn't see it. Such history at this park. John Philip Sousa, "The March King" used to play there. I understand that the park went into disrepair because of finances, but also the gangs and crime coming out of Philly led to its demise. Sad. "The Largest Bowling Alley in the World" was built on part of the grounds, but near where the lake was and the lanes started to warp. I bowled there on the high school team ca. 1965-68. Now it's the Willow Grove Mall! Wow :-)
Yep, Luigi's had the best cheese steaks and hoagies around. Back in the late 50's, you could get "extra meat" on the steaks for $0.10. Loved that place.
Wow!! What memories this brought back. So glad I found this video. Our church used to go to WGP for our annual church picnic every year. Loved that big rocket ride, the Little Scenic, and so many other rides. This was in the mid-50s, when I was 9-10 years old. What fun we had picnicking outside and then riding all the rides. Thanks for posting this. :)
Now, it's a three-floored shopping mall. Macys, Bloomingdales, Sears (1st floor), Primark (2nd and 3rd floor). R.I.P. Strawbridge's and JCPenney at the one end.
I've worked a half mile from WG Mall for 10 years and never knew it was a giant amusement park years ago. Unfortunately, I don't think they have repaved the roads around there since they built the mall!
Anyone else who had a parent work for Boeing remember family day every year??? Everything was free all day. Mom and Dad stayed behind at the picnic tables all day too. I think they partied !! lol
Wow! What a great fun and simple time. The trolley ride made it even better and was more dependable than my dads 56 Dodge. No phones, beepers, pads and checking email while in line. Everybody was having a great time and considerate of each other. It was a time when a family could go on a 2 week vacation and not worry about their job or the government shutting down. My last trip there was with my cousin. We rode the Thunderbolt 10 times in a row with no idea it would be our last visit there :-(
My father was WW2 Navy and was there at that park back during the war and I was active duty Navy stationed at N.A.S. Willow Grove and was there the day before they were about to start tearing it all down and also for a few days after they started. Me and my shipmate Paul went in walking around looking at all the abandoned stuff the cops rolled up and asked us wtf we think were doing and I said to the cops just snooping around how my Dad once was here and so forth we both showed them our Military ID as well as our regular and I told the cop he really will not be able to run anything more than a very very basic check on me and he said wanna bet I said sure and if you win we leave never to return if I win we get a 3 day play at the abandoned park get out of jail free right to be there free ride ... I knew I was gonna win as I carried a Top Secret Clearance and the FBI if anyone tried to go any more than basic on me info wise can not do it they get blocked and have to answer to them and well to make it short would be in a world of poop and they would get investigated by the FBI and Military intelligence as well if they tried to get any more info than a very basic check. So anyways Paul and I got a free 3 day pass to enjoy our self's as the park day by day was leveled and erased from sight. I got a bunch of different ride tickets and some of the different brochures I got from the abandoned parks main office building and pictures of the coasters with trees growing up thru the tracks and some of the coaster original 50's cars that I was told if I wanted them I could have them and man I wanted them. All I seen was vintage dollar signs in my head but to get them out of there and put them in storage and maybe send them back home to Chicago FORGET IT ... Cost me a small fortune...What a shame they were mint condition yet just the vinyl on the seats were cracked up from age. We walked up to the top of the coaster mountain I took some shots there as well I took shots all over the place in there it was so sad to see it being trashed to the ground...The Willow Grove Bowl at that time had some awesome pictures of the park over all the years it was there from start to end on the wall inside dedicated to the Park. It was awesome looking at some of them pictures. Oh and good thing I got them different ride tickets and such when I did as some punks 2 days later set that house on fire and burnt it to the ground . I hate lil destructive jerks like that there is and was no reason for them to do that. It truly was a shame as in the last days it seemed the cops didn't care if anyone wanted to walk around and snoop a bit and maybe could have got a few tickets mementos for themselves if the fools didn't torch it for no other reason than to be a jerk.
you could get to the park from the 69th. street terminal.. maybe they were sabotaged by the car and oil companies ...for those who didn't drive or want to..it was an easy ride..yes im sure it was sasbotoged
yes it was and when they tried it as Six Gun Territory it was a fail. I can remember going there as a boy with my folks and seeing city kids that were apparently bussed in from bad neighborhoods urinating in and around the fun house. It smelled like the broad street subway. Much of the old rides left over and repurposed were worn and used hard as I remember.. these things stuck out in my head.. I don't think it was too long after that it was closed permanently.
1960? That's about when I would go, as a 3 year old kid! I do remember the Alps coaster & the "scenic railway," I wanted to go on the bigger coaster but wasn't allowed. After that we moved to S. Jersey & went to Wildwood all the time.
I spent my summers in the '50's begging my folks to let me and my friends grab the H bus and the #6 trolley out to Willow Grove Park (I think those are the correct PTC routes... I'd love to know if I'm wrong!). So many of these scenes brought back such wonderful memories! Thank you :)
"Folks, I couldn't believe my eyes what I saw right here in the Ghoul's Eye. It's real dark, there's a storm; the wind howls, and a witch screams! You see this,and you see that...and then you'll see the Ghoul's Eye...that is, if you don't cover your face! This is it folks. The Ghoul's Eye. Right across from the Twist. I dare you to ride The Ghoul's Eye!"
I gotta give you credit, that's a good take on the laughable audio tape they ran promoting the ride. I can still remember the "I dare you to ride The Ghoul's Eye!" finish to it. The ride was such a joke, sitting in one of those roller cars, moving on tracks through the dark ... until you ran next to a neon ghost, or witch, or, yes, a ghoul that lit up. VERY scary! 🤣
Closed 1975. The Hankin Brothers bought the park in the 1950s and milked every dime they could out of it. In the early 1970s, they leased it to a company that specialized in Western theme parks, and they ran it as Six Gun Territory.
I remember going to it back in the mid-sixties. I had a great time on the roller coaster. I am really sorry now that it is a different type of amusement park Shopping Center excuse me a merchandising Mall.
Thank you. I used to go there a lot as a child in the 70's. In facet I live about a mile from where "Willow Grove Park" then "Six Gun Territory" stood. Now it's a mall. There was also a huge bowling alley that had about 113 lanes I think. Had this huge concrete archway that looked like it was floating off the building.
When first built, Willow Grove Park was a fairly laid back place...mostly bands in a huge "shell" building. My grandmother (b. 1885) told me they'd take the trolley out to listen to John Philip Sousa...and other bands. There were lakes, big green areas.........more of a "park" than a place of amusement in the earliest days. The "glitz" came later. The trolley companies wanted a park at the terminus of the line to stimulate passenger traffic. It was a quiet place, for Sunday outings, picnics.....and later the rides and focus on kids came. Sadly, by the sixties, the place was falling apart, ......plus tensions of other sorts make the place less friendly. It then became Six Gun Territory, but was already on its last legs.....and was razed some time later to make way for the mall. But it was a great place for a kid......and a lot of good memories.
I have such great memories of Willow Grove Amusement Park in the 1950's
All I can add is great installment...nice job!
I remember my dad taking us there , we grew up in Trevose and I always thought it was so far away !
My parents use to take us by trolley. We were use to trolleys in the city so when we got near the park, the sudden change to becoming surrounded by trees & grass was a magical feeling. One of my favorite things was the coin toss onto a plate & winning these huge stuffed animals. So many great memories. The video was awesome & I remember everything on it.
I grew up with the park only 4 miles from my home. Spent many a summer in the park from 1959 to 1971.
Was on a Saturday dance program in the park 1965 to 1969.
What a wonderful place and cried when it was torn down whice I watched parts of.
This does bring back some memories. In summer of 1964, my wife and I visited Willow
Grove. She was somewhat pregnant for our first, so we had to watch what kind of rides
we went on. My sweetheart and life-mate died in 1992 of complications due to cancer, but I still have the memories.
My two brothers (who are between 11 and 14 years older than me) got to see Willow Grove Park amusement park when they were kids. Sadly, by the time I came around and became aware of things, I never saw the amusement park. I only knew it as the mall. I would have loved to go here because we only lived 10 minutes away.
Its sad that almost all these trolley parks from the early 30's & 40's didn't survive. There were so many throughout the US. When i grew up in the 50's San Francisco had a trolley park out by the Pacific ocean called Playland at the beach. Sadly it was demolished in 1972 for condos. 😡
great and happy memories
I grew up in Willow Grove. I was at the park with a high-school friend, right before it closed!
My aunt and uncle live in Willow Grove. This closed a year or two before I was born.
James Michener wrote his first book about working there as a teenager. It's called "The Fires Of Spring".
Our 8th grade graduation class trip..1950. Went by trolley starting on Rising Sun and Adam’s Avenue. Sad when I heard it was torn down.
I wish it was still around today. My mom would tell us stories of it. Also, one that was in Fairmount park
Loved the park. We spent our class picnics there. Went with our parents and later by ourselves. It was great!!
I went to Willow Grove Park many times wit my family. My fathers company had their annual picnic there. This film brings back a lot of memories. My only regret was I never had the courage to ride the Thunderbolt roller coaster. I road all the others and really liked the Scenic railway coaster in the back of the park. It was one of the first coasters I ever road. I also loved the Alps coaster. I always felt safe since each train had a brakeman on board and it was different from other coasters since you road through the mountain. Every time I pass though the area I remember the park being where the mall is now. Thanks for the great memories!
Wow i remember going to Willow Grove Park as a kid and when i got older i worked at the park such great memories until the bigger parks closed it down so sad and thanks to who ever put this on youtube great job me and mom just watch it she started crying some what i can acutally say there wa a tear also in my eye R,I,P, Willow Grove Park
Ah the funhouse and the bumper cars are great
I remember Willow Grove from the late 60s/very early 70s. It was a short drive out from Philly and we had family friends that lived near it, so it made for a very long day trip. As I take my kids around to various attractions, I recall how carefree it seemed to us - the last joys of childhood before life brings it's harsh realities down on you.
This is what it was like in the late 40's and early 50's, too. When I was about 6 to 8 years old, I lived with my grandparents in nearby Wyncote, PA. This was my favorite place to go. Haven't been there since the late 60's....many wonderful memories.
Anyone remember the thunderbolt. And I love the tunnel of Love
I didn't see one color person in this video crazy 😧
Thanks for posting this look back into "the good old days". Love the roller coaster. These local amusement parks were all over the place, some big, some small, all of them fun.
I remember going through the Horror House and going through the turning cylinder 8:22 to 8:33 was crazy!
I remember the WIBG record hops on Wednesday night in the Summer.
It takes you back to the school trips...
My grandfather worked there when he was a kid. As I recall, he operated the Ferris Wheel. He told me kids would pay him to stop it when their car was at the top, just before it started down, so guys could steal a kiss from their girl without being seen. He also told me he saw John Philip Sousa and his band play there. Of course, pop-pop drank a lot so... no, seriously - he told me these stories when I was a kid.
Richard Bruce he was probably racist
Jamera Torrence why, that's a horrible thing to say
Great video why cant someone buy it and give it a new start
There is a longer narrated video dated 1965. Search for: Willow Grove Park - 1956 Promo Video. I remember the park well as a kid & teenager.
This is directly lifted from the 20-minute 1956 official park video, "Life Is A Lark At Willow Grove Park," with completely different audio. When looking it up, look for "Willow Grove Park video." It has better audio than the one that uses the actual name of the film.
This was a promo for the park filmed in 1956.
I lived less than a mile away from the Park. All summer long we'd hear the screams from the Thunderbolt roller coaster ride from morning until dark. It got to the point that you didn't even notice it after a while.
I'd rather have this than the mall we have now...
I got to visit in late 1950's. What a magical experience for an eight year old boy! It was very sad for me when it was torn down to create a shopping mall. I still feel a tinge when I drive by the grounds.
you are right ... BUT ... Philly is such a big city, it should have a state of the art amusement park closer than Jackson N.J. or Allentown P.A. .....
West Point Park was outside Lansdale.
Willow Grove Park was entirely within Abington Twp. It was actually on the corner of Easton Rd. (which was not 611 at that point - York Rd. had that designation below the intersection of Easton & York Rds. - the "Old" was dropped north of the Abington/UM line) and Moreland Rd. (PA 63), which is the border between Abington and UM. It followed Easton to Old Welsh Rd.
Bill (UMHS - Class of 1982)
This Was a great place. well thats what i hear im not old enough to be in that era but i went on the merry-go-round in the mall it was cool because i got to see the history of that era. Wish it was around today. ( not sure if this is true someone told me that they closed that park because of the crime that went on there. Correct me if im wrong in a comment) i also think its cool that thye had a huge cruze ship in the middle of the land.
Fascinating footage. Liked and subscribed.
This is was from 1956 not 1960. Because Wild Mouse was not there at this park until 1958.
It's always amazing to see how our excitement threshold has changed over the years. I can still remember how thrilling it was to visit Willow Grove Park back then. I wonder what it would feel like today. Still fun or simply laughable? One of the nicest things in this movie is that so many of the rides and attractions were custom-made, unlike the mass-produced ones at so many of today's theme parks.
We were easily entertained.
I live in Willow Grove and recently found out that there had been a big amusement park here. I am from Cleveland, Ohio and the film is amazingly reminiscent of Euclid Beach Park on Lake Erie, which closed several years earlier. Great childhood memories!
Isn't that Frenchy from Grease at 1:45? Nice video.
This film is mid 1950’s. I can tell by the crew cut hair on boys and the rolled up T shirt sleeves on the teen guys.
Been there in 1950s !
I now live 2 blocks away from the Willow Grove Park Mall and I wish I could have seen it before when it was still an amusement park! I love these images and it seems like such a beautiful time! Thanks for posting this! Would love to see more!
Lija Moore i used to live 2 blocks away as well. the park closed before i was born though
What a GREAT video, thank you! I was here in 73, but I was only one at the time. Sadly I only recall the park when it was closed, fenced off in the late 70's.
Not to be confused with WILLOW PARK in Butztown, PA
Great! Remember the Swan boat, but didn't see it. Such history at this park. John Philip Sousa, "The March King" used to play there. I understand that the park went into disrepair because of finances, but also the gangs and crime coming out of Philly led to its demise. Sad. "The Largest Bowling Alley in the World" was built on part of the grounds, but near where the lake was and the lanes started to warp. I bowled there on the high school team ca. 1965-68. Now it's the Willow Grove Mall! Wow :-)
I remember the Swan boat!
Does anyone remember Luigi's restaurant right across the street? It's Papa John's now.
Yes, and Tippy's Tacos!
Yep, Luigi's had the best cheese steaks and hoagies around. Back in the late 50's, you could get "extra meat" on the steaks for $0.10. Loved that place.
Great memories of my dad taking me there when i was about 5 years old. Awesome place.
Me too, with the whole family. Awesome place for a kid from Penllyn, PA. in the wonderful, glorious 70’s.
Wow!! What memories this brought back. So glad I found this video. Our church used to go to WGP for our annual church picnic every year. Loved that big rocket ride, the Little Scenic, and so many other rides. This was in the mid-50s, when I was 9-10 years old. What fun we had picnicking outside and then riding all the rides. Thanks for posting this. :)
That was nice to see. Could watch it often
How about Willow Grove 2011?
It was torn down to make way for a mall which opened in 1982. Now that shopping malls are dead, I wish they had left it as an amusement park.
Thanks so much for posting this! I grew up going to WGP. Forgot how many wonderful rides & attractions it had.
Now, it's a three-floored shopping mall. Macys, Bloomingdales, Sears (1st floor), Primark (2nd and 3rd floor). R.I.P. Strawbridge's and JCPenney at the one end.
Is this park in Bethlehem PA were the old pillars in the back of the woods are
Amazing video! LOVE THIS!!!!
Its a disgrace that there is no amusement park in or surround Philadelphia ...
There was a park in West Point, PA. Closed in 1988.
I was looking for myself to no avail, but did see my mother in a red dress and high heels!
I always fell in the barrell!
I was born and raised about 3 miles away from here!
I've worked a half mile from WG Mall for 10 years and never knew it was a giant amusement park years ago. Unfortunately, I don't think they have repaved the roads around there since they built the mall!
Willow Grove Park mall (opened 1982) was named after
Willow Grove Park amusement park.
*Does nobody call the mall Willow Grove PARK?
I was on the dance show in the 60's....Marvin Gaye and Tammy Terrell performed .
man those were some good memories. i'm 50yr now and remember it was a great place for a kid.
Anyone else who had a parent work for Boeing remember family day every year??? Everything was free all day. Mom and Dad stayed behind at the picnic tables all day too. I think they partied !! lol
Thanks for bringing back some great memories!!!!
All of this was 4 miles from where I grew up.
Thanks so much for posting this. I posted a picture of my brother and sister at Willow Grove Park in the 1950s.
Wow! What a great fun and simple time. The trolley ride made it even better and was more dependable than my dads 56 Dodge. No phones, beepers, pads and checking email while in line. Everybody was having a great time and considerate of each other. It was a time when a family could go on a 2 week vacation and not worry about their job or the government shutting down. My last trip there was with my cousin. We rode the Thunderbolt 10 times in a row with no idea it would be our last visit there :-(
@moonlit81 no....it's been closed for quite sometime....there's been a mall there since the early 80's
My father was WW2 Navy and was there at that park back during the war and I was active duty Navy stationed at N.A.S. Willow Grove and was there the day before they were about to start tearing it all down and also for a few days after they started. Me and my shipmate Paul went in walking around looking at all the abandoned stuff the cops rolled up and asked us wtf we think were doing and I said to the cops just snooping around how my Dad once was here and so forth we both showed them our Military ID as well as our regular and I told the cop he really will not be able to run anything more than a very very basic check on me and he said wanna bet I said sure and if you win we leave never to return if I win we get a 3 day play at the abandoned park get out of jail free right to be there free ride ... I knew I was gonna win as I carried a Top Secret Clearance and the FBI if anyone tried to go any more than basic on me info wise can not do it they get blocked and have to answer to them and well to make it short would be in a world of poop and they would get investigated by the FBI and Military intelligence as well if they tried to get any more info than a very basic check. So anyways Paul and I got a free 3 day pass to enjoy our self's as the park day by day was leveled and erased from sight. I got a bunch of different ride tickets and some of the different brochures I got from the abandoned parks main office building and pictures of the coasters with trees growing up thru the tracks and some of the coaster original 50's cars that I was told if I wanted them I could have them and man I wanted them. All I seen was vintage dollar signs in my head but to get them out of there and put them in storage and maybe send them back home to Chicago FORGET IT ... Cost me a small fortune...What a shame they were mint condition yet just the vinyl on the seats were cracked up from age. We walked up to the top of the coaster mountain I took some shots there as well I took shots all over the place in there it was so sad to see it being trashed to the ground...The Willow Grove Bowl at that time had some awesome pictures of the park over all the years it was there from start to end on the wall inside dedicated to the Park. It was awesome looking at some of them pictures. Oh and good thing I got them different ride tickets and such when I did as some punks 2 days later set that house on fire and burnt it to the ground . I hate lil destructive jerks like that there is and was no reason for them to do that. It truly was a shame as in the last days it seemed the cops didn't care if anyone wanted to walk around and snoop a bit and maybe could have got a few tickets mementos for themselves if the fools didn't torch it for no other reason than to be a jerk.
What the names of the songs they used
willow groove park. wow does that bring back memories. also six gun territory. remember that wow all we. have are those lovely memories
Yes, I remember it as Six Gun Territory as well. I was taken there for my 7th birthday right before it closed. What a history it had.
What's the name of these songs?
you could get to the park from the 69th. street terminal.. maybe they were sabotaged by the car and oil companies ...for those who didn't drive or want to..it was an easy ride..yes im sure it was sasbotoged
Was this amusement park later known as Six Gun Territory? Or was that a different place?
Yes.
yes it was and when they tried it as Six Gun Territory it was a fail. I can remember going there as a boy with my folks and seeing city kids that were apparently bussed in from bad neighborhoods urinating in and around the fun house. It smelled like the broad street subway. Much of the old rides left over and repurposed were worn and used hard as I remember.. these things stuck out in my head.. I don't think it was too long after that it was closed permanently.
You got it
1960? That's about when I would go, as a 3 year old kid! I do remember the Alps coaster & the "scenic railway," I wanted to go on the bigger coaster but wasn't allowed. After that we moved to S. Jersey & went to Wildwood all the time.
I spent my summers in the '50's begging my folks to let me and my friends grab the H bus and the #6 trolley out to Willow Grove Park (I think those are the correct PTC routes... I'd love to know if I'm wrong!). So many of these scenes brought back such wonderful memories! Thank you :)
How fast did the Thunderbolt go?
The talk was over 100, but the drop was some of the fastest I've ever been on.
So what year was the mall built ??
Life is a lark 🎶🎶 At Willow Grove Park!
Joseph Dulisse, Yes, I remember the big clown sign. Wasn't his arm waving?
Uppermoreland township
Love the music!
"Folks, I couldn't believe my eyes what I saw right here in the Ghoul's Eye. It's real dark, there's a storm; the wind howls, and a witch screams! You see this,and you see that...and then you'll see the Ghoul's Eye...that is, if you don't cover your face! This is it folks. The Ghoul's Eye. Right across from the Twist. I dare you to ride The Ghoul's Eye!"
I gotta give you credit, that's a good take on the laughable audio tape they ran promoting the ride. I can still remember the "I dare you to ride The Ghoul's Eye!" finish to it. The ride was such a joke, sitting in one of those roller cars, moving on tracks through the dark ... until you ran next to a neon ghost, or witch, or, yes, a ghoul that lit up. VERY scary! 🤣
Has this been shut down.. if so... when? Is dorney park as well as hershey park still open. Why was WG shut down?
Closed 1975. The Hankin Brothers bought the park in the 1950s and milked every dime they could out of it. In the early 1970s, they leased it to a company that specialized in Western theme parks, and they ran it as Six Gun Territory.
I remember going to it back in the mid-sixties. I had a great time on the roller coaster. I am really sorry now that it is a different type of amusement park Shopping Center excuse me a merchandising Mall.
It became six gun territory
Would LOVE to see your DVD! This footage is amazing!!
Thank you. I used to go there a lot as a child in the 70's. In facet I live about a mile from where "Willow Grove Park" then "Six Gun Territory" stood. Now it's a mall. There was also a huge bowling alley that had about 113 lanes I think. Had this huge concrete archway that looked like it was floating off the building.
I live up the street from what was the park is now a mall.later I helped change wg park into six gun territory.I worked as a contractor bldr
Holy shit, guys
KIDDIE LAAAAND
The PTC built the park just to get revenue and fat easy profits from the public to use the trolley line. It was all about $$$$$
I love the music. what are the names of the songs that you used?
When first built, Willow Grove Park was a fairly laid back place...mostly bands in a huge "shell" building. My grandmother (b. 1885) told me they'd take the trolley out to listen to John Philip Sousa...and other bands.
There were lakes, big green areas.........more of a "park" than a place of amusement in the earliest days. The "glitz" came later. The trolley companies wanted a park at the terminus of the line to stimulate passenger traffic. It was a quiet place, for Sunday outings, picnics.....and later the rides and focus on kids came. Sadly, by the sixties, the place was falling apart, ......plus tensions of other sorts make the place less friendly. It then became Six Gun Territory, but was already on its last legs.....and was razed some time later to make way for the mall. But it was a great place for a kid......and a lot of good memories.
Good description
What was the name of the music track that was removed?
Anyone remember The Ghoul's Eye?
David Mann, Sounds very familiar. Was it near the Fun House?
No black or hispanic people!🤔
Wow, how time's have changed😊
Correction , the park was is a black hood and busses were vandalized. It was,sketchy after dark as well.
Loved the park. We spent our class picnics there. Went with our parents and later by ourselves. It was great!!