Willow Grove Park
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Willow Grove 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 ...
located in
Willow Grove, Pennsylvania Willow Grove is a census-designated place (CDP) in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. A community in Philadelphia's northern suburbs, the population was 15,726 at the 2010 census. It is located in Upper Dublin Township, Abington To ...
(the part which is in Abington Township),
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, that operated for eighty years from 1896 until the 1975 season. It was generally an alternative to the
Woodside Amusement Park Woodside Amusement Park was an amusement park that existed inside West Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that was constructed in 1897 by the Fairmount Park Transportation Company (FPT), and that continued operations until 1955. One o ...
in
Fairmount Park Fairmount Park is the largest municipal park in Philadelphia and the historic name for a group of parks located throughout the city. Fairmount Park consists of two park sections named East Park and West Park, divided by the Schuylkill River, with ...
until its closure. The park operated under the name ''Six Gun Territory'' from 1972. After closure, announced in April 1976, the park sat vacant until the land was cleared for a large shopping mall known as
Willow Grove Park Mall Willow Grove Park Mall is a three-story shopping mall located in the community of Willow Grove in Abington Township, Pennsylvania at the intersection of Easton Road and Moreland Road (Pennsylvania Route 63) in the Philadelphia suburbs. The Wil ...
, which opened in August 1982. The mall pays homage to its predecessor by displaying banners and other objects which hark back to the land's days as an amusement park; a
merry-go-round A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...
built and installed in 2001 operates within the mall. The park originally was conceived by one of the three Philadelphia area traction companies, the Peoples Traction Company, as a means to encourage weekend customers on the trolley line, a practice that led to the coining of the term ''
trolley park Trolley may refer to: Vehicles and components * Tram, or trolley or streetcar, a rail vehicle that runs on tramway tracks * Trolleybus, or trolley, an electric bus drawing power from overhead wires using trolley poles ** Trolleytruck, a trolleyb ...
''. Willow Grove was one of the premier amusement parks in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
for a long time, until it was eclipsed by the openings of
Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...
and other more modern
theme 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 ...
s beginning in the 1950s. The park was served by the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Co. (PRT) and later
Philadelphia Transportation Company The Philadelphia Transportation Company (PTC) was the main public transit operator in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 1940 to 1968. A private company, PTC was the successor to the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company (PRT), in operation since 19 ...
(PTC) Route 6 streetcar line. In its most recent configuration, Route 6 began at the Olney Terminal of the
Broad Street subway The Broad Street Line (BSL), also known as the Broad Street subway (BSS), Orange Line, or Broad Line, is a subway line owned by the city of Philadelphia and operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). The line r ...
, principally traversing Ogontz Avenue in the city, crossing the city line at
Cheltenham Avenue Cheltenham Avenue is a major east-west road in Southeastern Pennsylvania. It is served by many SEPTA bus routes, trolleys, regional rail, and subway. Cheltenham Avenue is an unsigned quadrant route t routes in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It ...
, and then proceeding on private right-of-way near
Limekiln Pike Pennsylvania Route 152 (PA 152) is a state highway located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The route travels north–south from an interchange with PA 309 located in the Cedarbrook neighborhood of Cheltenham Township in ...
, street running on Keswick Avenue in Glenside, and then mostly side-of-the-road private right-of-way until reaching the park. The line was fully double-tracked. Streetcar service to the park ended in 1958 when the Pennsylvania Highway Department (predecessor to the
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) oversees transportation issues in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, currently Yassmin Gramian. Presently, Pe ...
) acquired portions of the private right-of-way near Limekiln Pike for construction of the
Pennsylvania Route 309 Pennsylvania Route 309 (PA 309) is a state highway that runs for 134 miles (216 km) through eastern Pennsylvania. The route runs from an interchange between Pennsylvania Route 611, PA 611 and Cheltenham Avenue on the border of Philadelphia an ...
Expressway. President's Conference Committee (PCC) design streetcars were used on Route 6 beginning in the 1940s. After the loss of trackage for the Route 309 Expressway, Route 6 was cut back to a loop and terminus at Cheltenham and Ogontz Avenues at the city line. Starting in September 1968, Route 6 streetcar service was operated by the
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five coun ...
(SEPTA) until rail service was permanently replaced by bus in 1986. One of the biggest attractions in the park was the music pavilion, at which
John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for American military marches. He is known as "The March King" or the "American March King", to dist ...
and his band played every year, but one, between 1901 and 1926. The pavilion was demolished in March 1959. A documentary of the park was created in 1991 titled ''Life was a Lark at Willow Grove Park'' TSC / 1991 / 50 MINS The title is based on the popular park slogan "Life is a lark at Willow Grove Park". A book from Arcadia Publishing entitled ''Willow Grove Park'' (2005) includes over 200 photos of the park and is the only comprehensive history of the park. The thoroughly researched book also corrects many of the historical inaccuracies that have grown up surrounding the history of the park.


In popular culture

In 1973 near the end of the park's operations, the grounds were used as sets for the cult classic film
Malatesta's Carnival of Blood ''Malatesta's Carnival of Blood'' is a 1973 American horror film, directed by Christopher Speeth and written by Werner Liepolt. It is the only film that Speeth and Liepolt made. Plot Frank Norris, his wife, and daughter, Vena, arrive at a dil ...
. James A. Michener wrote a novel entitled ''The Fires of Spring'', telling the story of a young orphan boy named David Harper growing up in a
poorhouse A poorhouse or workhouse is a government-run (usually by a county or municipality) facility to support and provide housing for the dependent or needy. Workhouses In England, Wales and Ireland (but not in Scotland), ‘workhouse’ has been the ...
in Doylestown,
Bucks County Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, which is near Willow Grove. Harper works at 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 ...
named
Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradis ...
which is loosely based on Michener's own experiences as a young man when he worked at Willow Grove Park. In
American Dreams ''American Dreams'' is an American drama television series that ran on NBC for three seasons & 61 episodes, from September 29, 2002, to March 30, 2005. The show tells the story of the Pryor family of Philadelphia during the mid-1960s, with many ...
, season one, episode three “New Frontier”, Willow Grove was mentioned along with one of its rollercoasters, by Helen Pryor to Will at the end of the episode. The park is referred to by Claudette Colbert in the 1934 film ''
She Married Her Boss ''She Married Her Boss'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Gregory La Cava and starring Claudette Colbert. Plot Julia Scott (Claudette Colbert) is a very efficient secretary at a department store. She is in love with her boss, Richard ...
''.
Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and media personality. He made significant contributions to American and African-American culture, and is well known in the United States for his eccentric ...
wrote and performed a stand-up routine called "Roland and the Roller Coaster," describing his childhood ride on the
roller coaster A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are o ...
at Willow Grove Park. The carnival scenes for Abbott and Costello's final film together,
Dance With Me, Henry ''Dance with Me, Henry'' is a 1956 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. It is the final film that they starred in together, although Costello starred in one more film before his death, '' The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock''. Plot ...
were filmed at the park.


References


External links


''Upper Moreland Historical Association - History of Willow Grove Park''

''A Synopsis of Moreland Township and Willow Grove''
by Joe Thomas, Upper Moreland Historical Association * Th

containing concert programs from 1904 to 1925, are available for research use at the
Historical Society of Pennsylvania The Historical Society of Pennsylvania is a long-established research facility, based in Philadelphia. It is a repository for millions of historic items ranging across rare books, scholarly monographs, family chronicles, maps, press reports and v ...
. {{Coord, 40.1392, -75.1211, region:US-PA_type:landmark, display=title Amusement parks in Pennsylvania 1896 establishments in Pennsylvania 1975 disestablishments in Pennsylvania Defunct amusement parks in Pennsylvania Amusement parks opened in 1896 Amusement parks closed in 1976