Woodside Amusement Park was an amusement park that existed inside West Fairmount Park in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, Pennsylvania, that was constructed in 1897 by the Fairmount Park Transportation Company (FPT), and that continued operations until 1955. One of the coasters was transferred to the

Million Dollar Pier Playground Pier is a four-story pier located on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey that houses a luxury shopping and restaurant mall. Located at the foot of Arkansas Avenue, it is connected to Caesars casino via a second-story skybridg ...

as "The Skooter" in Atlantic City, New Jersey at the park's demise. Other famous rides "... included the famous Hummer roller coaster, the Whip, and the Wild Cat." The FPT's trolley line ran for around 10 miles around the park that also included parts of

West Philadelphia West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of the city of Philadelphia. Alhough there are no officially defined boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Avenue to the nort ...

and Strawberry Mansion. Also in the park was a third-mile wooden cycling track, which was used by

Major Taylor Marshall Walter "Major" Taylor (November 26, 1878 – June 21, 1932) was an African-American professional cyclist. Even by modern cycling standards, Taylor could be considered the greatest American sprinter of all time. He was born and raised ...

to break many world records in 1898. The introduction of the trolley also introduced "non-bourgeois elements", and the park lost its "middle class tone." As a result, many who visited the park never returned and started patronage towards its competitor

Willow Grove Park Willow Grove Park was an amusement park located in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania (the part which is in Abington Township), United States, that operated for eighty years from 1896 until the 1975 season. It was generally an alternative to the Woods ...

, which by comparison was less of an amusement park than was Woodside Park, but offered fewer concerts than its competitor. Woodside Park was comparable to New York's Coney Island and allowed residents quicker visits as it was nearby. The

Please Touch Museum The Please Touch Museum is a children's museum located in the Centennial District of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. The museum focuses on teaching children through interactive exhibits and special events, mostly aimed at children seven years ...

now holds the Dentzel carousel that once ran in the park. An article published in the New York Times on October 7, 1955,(P.50) stated that a syndicate of real estate investors based in Philadelphia, and headed by Lewis Silverman, had purchased the park's rides and intended to relocate the park to a new "two million dollar" amusement park to have been constructed in Levittown, Pennsylvania. However, the Levittown amusement park was never built.

References

{{Reflist Buildings and structures in Philadelphia 1897 establishments in Pennsylvania 1955 disestablishments in Pennsylvania Defunct amusement parks in Pennsylvania