what you called a dance hall was just the hot foods concession stand and dining pavilion. also yes, the fountain was a hazard, someone drowned getting stuck many many years ago. when i was a kid it had a painted metal bar mesh around the bottom blocking the holes to stop people swimming under. The pool concrete was leaky and cracked even when it was still open, for decades it was a losing battle with time wearing away at it, most of that concrete is around a century old, it's only had a few patching remodels over the decades. those things with the ring on em you found you can see in use in old pictures of the pool, they held the rope marking shallow from deep end. After the rides were taken out in the 70s it operated as a picnic park and public pool, most locals of a certain age have ended up at a graduation party, birthday, family reunion, church cookout, wedding, class swim picnic, or other event booked into a pavilion there at some point in their lives. the later change to a campground and the pool closure are actually what killed it, along with the rising insurance costs for running a pool that was both VERY not up to modern safety standards and constantly losing water. I can confirm from wandering around the place enough over the years back when it was open that yes, there are weird crumbling blocky bits off in the woods that used to be part of the coaster footers, they're likely mostly buried now due to time and lost under dirt and dead weeds in the woods, they were hard to find even back then unless you knew where to look because of the woods. Most of the park buildings like the dance halls and ride structures were long gone in the 70s, there are a couple gravel and concrete pads left from where the rides were, most of em were converted into picnic pavilions while the park was in its picnic park stage, the campground conversion changed some of the old landscape too. btw, the town is pronounced "Lee-mont" furnace. any town around the area that has "furnace" in the name was usually built near either an iron furnace or cokeworks, Lemont Furnace was both. you can see the early industrial history of the area by looking at towns named after metals, ores, furnaces, or odd names with a number after them (like Continental 1, 2, 3, etc most of the numbered coal towns like Continental have been renamed over the years but a few remain.) they were usually coal mines, cokeworks, or iron mines/smelteries. lot of that history is lost to time and the woods that have reclaimed em, but it used to be quite a prosperous and thriving center of industry in its day, pittsburgh's steel industry would not have been possible without fayette county's coal and iron industry.
I spent half my childhood in that pool. And yes we got stuck in the fountain. They eventually put mesh around it because someone got stuck in there and drowned. Every year we had a birthday party there for someone. Great memories. Thanks for giving me a trip down memory lane.
And that isn't the Dance Hall. Just a pavilion. The small blue building was the Snack Shack. It had a jukebox! I would always play Don't Rock the Boat and Brandy (what a fine girl..) I spent 15 summers at that pool. Makes me kinda sad to see it now 😢But what memories 😊😊😊 And, yes there was night swimming. The large brown building by the pool was the locker room and showers.
According to the roller coaster database: opened in 1885, closed in 1974. Looking at the condition of the pool I suspect it operated longer than the amusement park (that wooden diving board would be totally desintigrated if it had been sitting there since 1974, comparing this to Chippewa Lake Park in Ohio). The coaster was called the Wildcat and it was designed by Herbert Paul Schmeck, known for Phoenix at Knobles, Comet at Great Escape, and Comet at Hersheypark as examples of his designs in operation today. It burned down in 1936 so I doubt there's much left but then again I was able to find plenty of Cascade Park's coaster. This place sort of reminds me of Rainbow Gardens on Lincoln Way (which I know about from documentaries I've seen), with the pool and amusement park. Wouldn't be surprised if this place had a drive in at some point. Definately something I will be checking out within the next month.
after they took out the rides in the late 70s shady grove operated as a picnic park and public pool for decades. it closed and reopened a few times, got part of it converted to a campground park, and finally the pool closed because insurance and maintenance got too much for the people running it, and it died off completely. the pool did get a remodel at some point, i think around the late 80s, they changed one of the fountains because someone got stuck in it and drowned so they made it so people couldn't swim under the big concrete structures in the pool. there are concrete patches and stuff off in the woods to the "back" side of the pool area away from the road that used to be part of the coaster, they're hard to find after all these years and so much landscape changes though. what they called a dance hall in the video is just the hot food concession stand and picnic pavilion, the actual dance halls were long gone before that was built.
Our family reunion was held at Shady Grove at least every other year at least through the 1960’s . My dad was from that area. I remember swimming under that fountain.
I remember stopping one summer, 69 or 70. We were from Little Washington, but living in Annapolis, MD. I STILL drive U.S. 40 visiting family that are living in Washington.
You mentioned the hazard in the fountain. Young kid died there sometime between the 90s and 2010 I believe. Loved the memories there. Still love going by and enjoying the memories.
You're talking the Wildcat roller coaster that's all the way in the back near the woods that was a unique roller coaster. My mom had pictures of that when she was a little girl.
I would imagine any amusement park with a swimming pool would incur astronomical insurance premiums. Add a roller coaster and it's easy to see why they closed. They would have needed capacity crowds almost daily to make a reasonable profit. I'll bet it was a fun place.
Kennywood Park, near Pittsburgh, closed their pool many years ago due to a few highly publicized fatalities. The press was relentless. They installed a really popular roller coaster and made a few more changes and they were making sizable profits again
And they were speakers… they played some good ass music there excuse my language I wish someone with a lot of money would buy it would be nice if nemacolin woodlands resort would by this land and semi turn it into something fun for the public since they turned the resort for guests and members only.
It isn't in an area that would make that a good proposition. Well off the beaten path, not near the Yough river or Ohiopyle, each of which have fine campgrounds.
Fucking same lol this video is great to show what it looks like now but I personally swam through the fountain it was literally arms deep and these people think it’s a hazard 😂
Hey guys. I have a potential place for you to explore. I love your channel. It's in Beaver County though. Let me know if you're interested. It looks pretty cool.
Great exploration! I lived in Uniontown in the early 80s. I don't remember ever going there.
The wife and I love it, keep them coming!
11:00 mark. Played in that as a child, my kids played in it.
what you called a dance hall was just the hot foods concession stand and dining pavilion. also yes, the fountain was a hazard, someone drowned getting stuck many many years ago. when i was a kid it had a painted metal bar mesh around the bottom blocking the holes to stop people swimming under. The pool concrete was leaky and cracked even when it was still open, for decades it was a losing battle with time wearing away at it, most of that concrete is around a century old, it's only had a few patching remodels over the decades. those things with the ring on em you found you can see in use in old pictures of the pool, they held the rope marking shallow from deep end.
After the rides were taken out in the 70s it operated as a picnic park and public pool, most locals of a certain age have ended up at a graduation party, birthday, family reunion, church cookout, wedding, class swim picnic, or other event booked into a pavilion there at some point in their lives. the later change to a campground and the pool closure are actually what killed it, along with the rising insurance costs for running a pool that was both VERY not up to modern safety standards and constantly losing water.
I can confirm from wandering around the place enough over the years back when it was open that yes, there are weird crumbling blocky bits off in the woods that used to be part of the coaster footers, they're likely mostly buried now due to time and lost under dirt and dead weeds in the woods, they were hard to find even back then unless you knew where to look because of the woods. Most of the park buildings like the dance halls and ride structures were long gone in the 70s, there are a couple gravel and concrete pads left from where the rides were, most of em were converted into picnic pavilions while the park was in its picnic park stage, the campground conversion changed some of the old landscape too.
btw, the town is pronounced "Lee-mont" furnace. any town around the area that has "furnace" in the name was usually built near either an iron furnace or cokeworks, Lemont Furnace was both. you can see the early industrial history of the area by looking at towns named after metals, ores, furnaces, or odd names with a number after them (like Continental 1, 2, 3, etc most of the numbered coal towns like Continental have been renamed over the years but a few remain.) they were usually coal mines, cokeworks, or iron mines/smelteries. lot of that history is lost to time and the woods that have reclaimed em, but it used to be quite a prosperous and thriving center of industry in its day, pittsburgh's steel industry would not have been possible without fayette county's coal and iron industry.
I spent half my childhood in that pool. And yes we got stuck in the fountain. They eventually put mesh around it because someone got stuck in there and drowned. Every year we had a birthday party there for someone. Great memories. Thanks for giving me a trip down memory lane.
wow!! a nice long video
And that isn't the Dance Hall. Just a pavilion. The small blue building was the Snack Shack. It had a jukebox! I would always play Don't Rock the Boat and Brandy (what a fine girl..) I spent 15 summers at that pool. Makes me kinda sad to see it now 😢But what memories 😊😊😊 And, yes there was night swimming. The large brown building by the pool was the locker room and showers.
According to the roller coaster database: opened in 1885, closed in 1974. Looking at the condition of the pool I suspect it operated longer than the amusement park (that wooden diving board would be totally desintigrated if it had been sitting there since 1974, comparing this to Chippewa Lake Park in Ohio). The coaster was called the Wildcat and it was designed by Herbert Paul Schmeck, known for Phoenix at Knobles, Comet at Great Escape, and Comet at Hersheypark as examples of his designs in operation today. It burned down in 1936 so I doubt there's much left but then again I was able to find plenty of Cascade Park's coaster. This place sort of reminds me of Rainbow Gardens on Lincoln Way (which I know about from documentaries I've seen), with the pool and amusement park. Wouldn't be surprised if this place had a drive in at some point. Definately something I will be checking out within the next month.
Started going there as a child in the sixties and remember no rides at all. Pool lasted until the early 2010s.
@@rondawson4481 I went today. I didn't find ride footers but I certainly had fun.
after they took out the rides in the late 70s shady grove operated as a picnic park and public pool for decades. it closed and reopened a few times, got part of it converted to a campground park, and finally the pool closed because insurance and maintenance got too much for the people running it, and it died off completely. the pool did get a remodel at some point, i think around the late 80s, they changed one of the fountains because someone got stuck in it and drowned so they made it so people couldn't swim under the big concrete structures in the pool. there are concrete patches and stuff off in the woods to the "back" side of the pool area away from the road that used to be part of the coaster, they're hard to find after all these years and so much landscape changes though. what they called a dance hall in the video is just the hot food concession stand and picnic pavilion, the actual dance halls were long gone before that was built.
Our family reunion was held at Shady Grove at least every other year at least through the 1960’s . My dad was from that area. I remember swimming under that fountain.
I remember stopping one summer, 69 or 70. We were from Little Washington, but living in Annapolis, MD. I STILL drive U.S. 40 visiting family that are living in Washington.
You mentioned the hazard in the fountain. Young kid died there sometime between the 90s and 2010 I believe.
Loved the memories there. Still love going by and enjoying the memories.
14:00 mark... safety ropes attached lengthwise through the pillars. Where the deep end started.
I can remember going there when I was a kid. 50s
20:00 mark.....main entrance, pay at the counter. Men's changing rooms and lockers to the right, women to the left.
Used to stand on the high dive and wave at the trains as they went by 😊
You're talking the Wildcat roller coaster that's all the way in the back near the woods that was a unique roller coaster. My mom had pictures of that when she was a little girl.
What happen to all the water in their ?
Ah, good ol’ Lemont Furnace! Drove past it but didn’t film the place!
my barn is literally a few feet from this place. I saw it on my trail ride yesterday.
Good people ran it. Killer insurance costs and upkeep drove it under.
I would imagine any amusement park with a swimming pool would incur astronomical insurance premiums. Add a roller coaster and it's easy to see why they closed. They would have needed capacity crowds almost daily to make a reasonable profit. I'll bet it was a fun place.
@@bertram_oredrock Rides were gone decades and decades ago. Toward the end all they had was the pool, a food stand and a few rental pavilions.
Kennywood Park, near Pittsburgh, closed their pool many years ago due to a few highly publicized fatalities. The press was relentless. They installed a really popular roller coaster and made a few more changes and they were making sizable profits again
@@rondawson4481 Thanks for the update.
i used to work at a honda and polaris dealership in lemont furnace!!! it eas called redline honda and polaris! down from millers yamaha!
What happen here
If you guys wants some info on the pool get ahold of me I grew up working here
I lived here my whole life
And they were speakers… they played some good ass music there excuse my language I wish someone with a lot of money would buy it would be nice if nemacolin woodlands resort would by this land and semi turn it into something fun for the public since they turned the resort for guests and members only.
wanting to go, any worries with someone possibly seeing you?
Can tell yall aren’t from around these parts 😂but yeah thanks for the inspiration to my next video
It Operated from 1885 to 1974
Why don't they sell and let someone else open it up and use for a camp ground
It isn't in an area that would make that a good proposition. Well off the beaten path, not near the Yough river or Ohiopyle, each of which have fine campgrounds.
Just explored this today but got chased out by someone
The hazards of the fountain weren't bad. As a child my husband and his friends always gathered at the fountain and tried to swim inside of it!
Fucking same lol this video is great to show what it looks like now but I personally swam through the fountain it was literally arms deep and these people think it’s a hazard 😂
Hey guys. I have a potential place for you to explore. I love your channel. It's in Beaver County though. Let me know if you're interested. It looks pretty cool.
It's pronounced Leemont!
I grew up right down the street. Pronounced LEE mont. Don't church it up. 😢
🙏🇺🇲🌎🐑🏥❤️🔥😘🌹🕊️
that would be a great place to metal detect!