Babb's Beach facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Babb's Beach
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The dance hall
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 435 Babbs Rd., Suffield, Connecticut |
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| Area | 7 acres (2.8 ha) |
| Built | 1898 |
| Architect | Babb, Nelson Sr. |
| NRHP reference No. | 06000591 |
| Added to NRHP | July 12, 2006 |
Babb's Beach is a fun public park in Suffield, Connecticut. It's a great place to relax by the water. But long ago, it was a busy place called Babb's Beach Amusement Park. This small amusement park was popular in the early 1900s.
At its busiest in the 1930s, a large dance hall here could hold up to 3,000 people on weekends! The town of Suffield has owned the property since 1977. In 2006, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical site.
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What is Babb's Beach Like Today?
Babb's Beach is in the northwest part of Suffield. It sits on the eastern side of the Congamond Lakes. These lakes are so big they separate Suffield from Southwick, Massachusetts.
The park covers about 7 acres (2.8 hectares) of land. It has about 375 feet (114 meters) of shoreline, mostly sandy beaches. A small hill separates the beach from the rest of the park. The rest of the area is an open, grassy space.
Old Buildings Still Stand
Some old buildings from the amusement park days are still there. You can see a large dance hall, an arcade, and a shooting gallery. There's also a small shed that once held a generator.
The dance hall is a big wooden building. It has a main section with a sloped roof. Other parts of the building stretch out from it. A smaller section on the north side was for the stage.
From Canal to Amusement Park
The Congamond Lakes became a popular spot for fun in the 1850s. This happened after a railroad was built nearby. The railroad followed the path of an old canal, which had used the lakes.
Curtis Babb saw how popular the lakes were becoming. So, he built small cabins right on the lakefront. He also offered boat rides to take people to the train station.
Nelson Babb Expands the Fun
Curtis's son, Nelson Babb, took over the property in the 1910s. He made the park much bigger. He turned a horse barn into a dance hall. He also built a bathhouse and a boathouse by the water.
To compete with other parks, Nelson added rides. He even had a merry-go-round built on a platform in the lake! The dance hall became very popular. It was later replaced by an even bigger one. Famous musicians like Tommy Dorsey and Harry James played there.
Challenges and Changes
Business slowed down during the Great Depression in the 1930s. Nelson Babb tried to bring more people in by adding more fun things to do. He built an arcade. He also changed the dance hall so people could go roller skating there. The hall became known as one of the best places for roller skating in the area.
After World War II, fewer people visited the park. Then, in 1955, a big storm called Hurricane Diane hit. It destroyed all the park's buildings near the water.
Nelson Babb gave the property to the town in 1977. But he kept running the dance hall as a roller skating rink until 1997. Today, Babb's Beach is a public park for everyone to enjoy.
