LOG FLUME RIDE PAPEA PARK MOVIE
LOG FLUME RIDE PAPEA PARK DRIVERS

It was the size of a football field!Īs you can see it’s pretty elaborate. Built at a cost of $300,000 in 1925, this was the world’s largest heated saltwater pool. And immediately above it in the photo is the Natatorium. Here’s a photo of two attractions that still exist to this day. George had originally placed the ride in Seneca Park, but in 1926 he decided to move it to Seabreeze – Seabreeze was making far more money than Seneca Park. The carousel that was lost was PTC #36, built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company in 1915 for George Long. IMPORTANT: Do NOT try to tar your roof with a propane torch on a windy day.

One of the most heart-breaking was the fire that claimed the Seabreeze carousel on March 31, 1994. Over the years the park has been plagued by fire. Incidentally, the man who operated the Jack Rabbit, Jack Kirby, literally lived in a house with his wife underneath the roller coaster. But by the 1940’s the water ride was leaking so badly that the park turned it into a dry ride and renamed it “The Subway.” And the Old Mill was completely rebuilt (on the other side of the Jack Rabbit). The Jack Rabbit was repaired and got a new loading dock. In 1923 a disastrous fire destroyed the Old Mill along with the Jack Rabbit’s loading dock and lift. The Old Mill was a water ride – sort of an early version of what we’d refer to today as a log-flume. But you’re probably not as familiar with the Old Mill (left).

I know you’ll recognize the Jack Rabbit roller coaster (above, right).

LOG FLUME RIDE PAPEA PARK MOVIE

(Can you see the movie screen in the photo above?) The land was eventually purchased by Seabreeze for its water park and additional parking.

LOG FLUME RIDE PAPEA PARK DRIVERS

Apparently people were afraid drivers would be distracted by the giant screen which was facing toward Culver Road. Unfortunately the theater did not win approval from the Town of Irondequoit and was never opened. Owned by Andrew Bornkessel, Boardwalk Park had to be picked up and moved from the north side of Culver Road (then Woodland Road) to the south side because of a land dispute with the Rochester Suburban Railway Co.īoardwalk Park went out of business in the 1950’s and Bornkessel sold it to a man by the name of Lipsih and his partners who built a drive-in theater there. This was a section of the park called Boardwalk Park. Matthew Caulfield says he has no idea what was in this ride, but he jokes, it always looked dark and trashy so he never went in it. One of the rides at Karnival Kourt was Honeymoon Trail. Other Fun Stuff…īuilt in 1914, Karnival Kourt was a long promenade of games and rides. When his children took over the business they renamed it Seabreeze. He renamed it Dreamland Park and closely managed every aspect of its operation until he retired in 1973. Junior would later purchase the entire park in 1946 for $85,000 after renting it for a time from the trolley company. George wasn’t having much luck operating his carousel in Norfolk, VA, so he packed it up, moved to Rochester, and opened up again at Seabreeze. In 1904 Arthur wrote to his brother George about opportunities at Seabreeze. Arthur operated a carousel at Ontario Beach from 1892 to 1907. Most of them settled in Philadelphia, but a few including Arthur Long, settled in Rochester. In the 1890’s, the Long family moved their carousel-building business from England to America. pubs), when the first ride appeared – a Figure 8 Coaster operated by Paul Moore. The area was already a popular resort destination by 1903, filled with small amusements and “hotels” (a.k.a. This created a destination, and of course more business for the transit company. encouraged concessionaires to set up on their land.

The only way to get to the area at the time was by boat or rail, and Rochester & Suburban Railway Co. In the late 1800’s much of the land headlands between Lake Ontario and Irondequoit Bay was owned by the Rochester & Suburban Railway Co. The following notes and images are just a snippet of his entire presentation which he has assembled over time with the help of his friend Alan Mueller… Now in his 80’s and retired, he’s back doing what he loves, as the park’s archivist. At some point he got himself a “real job” at the Library of Congress. Caulfield started working at the park when he was a young twenty-something whippersnapper. The End of the Line - Rochesters Subway (DVD)Ībout two months ago I attended a presentation by Matthew Caulfield on the history of Seabreeze Park.

Log flume ride papea park