Playland Park was an

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

formerly located at 2222 North Alamo in

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. Playland Park opened in 1943 and was owned by Jimmy Johnson. Prior to this it operated as a small venue at

Brackenridge Park Brackenridge Park is a 343-acre public park in San Antonio, Texas, USA, on the city's Broadway Corridor just north of downtown San Antonio. Brackenridge Park also refers to the district of the city where the park is located. History It was c ...

ca. 1942. It was the original home of The Rocket, a popular

wooden roller coaster A wooden roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its wooden track, which consists of running rails made of flat steel strips mounted on laminated wood. The support structure is also typically made of wood, but may also b ...

. Ed Gaida, who lived at Playland Park and had access to records and archives, wrote a book about the park and Johnson. Playland Park of San Antonio, Texas should not be confused with Playland Park of

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

which operated around the same time and had a wooden roller coaster similarly named "The Skyrocket." These two parks operated independently of each other. Playland Park closed on Labor Day September 1, 1980. For several decades, the original "Playland" sign stood at the original gate, the last remnant of the park. Today, the location is a campus of the

Alamo Colleges District The Alamo Colleges District (previously the Alamo Community College District, or ACCD, and The Alamo Colleges) is a network of five community colleges in San Antonio and Universal City, Texas, and serving the Greater San Antonio metropolitan are ...

and no trace remains of the original park. Since its closure, a new theme park,

Six Flags Fiesta Texas Six Flags Fiesta Texas, formerly known simply as Fiesta Texas, is a theme park located in Northwest San Antonio. It opened on March 14, 1992, in the La Cantera, San Antonio, La Cantera master-planned development and district as the first busines ...

(Originally simply called Fiesta Texas) has been San Antonio's main amusement destination.

The Rocket

The Rocket was designed and built by Herb Schmeck and the

Philadelphia Toboggan Company Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC) is one of the oldest existing roller coaster manufacturing companies in the world. Based in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, it was established in 1904 by Henry Auchey and Chester Albright under the name Philadelphia T ...

. The roller coaster operated from 1947 until the park's closure in 1980.

Knoebels Amusement Resort Knoebels Amusement Resort () is a family-owned and operated amusement park, picnic grove, and campground in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. Opened in 1926, it is America's largest free-admission park. The park has more than 60 rides including three wooden ...

Elysburg, Pennsylvania Elysburg is a census-designated place (CDP) in Ralpho Township, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is seventy miles north of Harrisburg. The population was 2,194 at the 2010 census. The area's biggest attraction is Knoebels Am ...

purchased the ride in 1984 and dismantled it in early 1985. As there were no

blueprint A blueprint is a reproduction of a technical drawing or engineering drawing using a contact print process on light-sensitive sheets. Introduced by Sir John Herschel in 1842, the process allowed rapid and accurate production of an unlimited number ...

s to work with, each individual board was numbered and cataloged on site. The restored roller coaster opened at Knoebels on June 15, 1985, as The Phoenix.

References

External links

History of Playland Park
* {{coord missing, Texas Buildings and structures in San Antonio Defunct amusement parks in Texas Amusement parks in Texas 1943 establishments in Texas 1980 disestablishments in Texas Amusement parks closed in 1980

The Rocket

See also

References

External links