Coney Island History Project facts for kids
Coney Island History Project in 2022 during the Mermaid Parade
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| Formation | 2004 |
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| Founders | Carol Hill Albert, Jerome Albert |
| Type | Non-profit corporation |
| Headquarters | Coney Island, Brooklyn |
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Director
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Charles Denson |
| Website | coneyislandhistory.org |
The Coney Island History Project, also known as CIHP, started in 2004. It is a special group that helps remember and share the amazing history of Coney Island. They are a non-profit organization, which means they work for the good of the community, not for money.
Contents
Discovering Coney Island's Past
The Coney Island History Project was created in 2004. Carol Hill Albert and Jerome Albert founded it to honor Dewey Albert. He was the person who created Astroland, a famous amusement park.
What is an Oral History Project?
From the very beginning, local historian Charles Denson became the director. The project started by collecting "oral histories." This means they recorded stories from people who had lived in Coney Island for a long time. These stories help us understand what life was like in the past.
The CIHP records, saves, and shares these special interviews. They talk to people in many languages. These include English, Russian, Chinese, and Spanish. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, they kept recording stories. They used phone calls or video chats to do this.
You can listen to over 370 interviews online. Just visit The Coney Island History Project Oral History Archive.
Exploring Coney Island Exhibitions
The History Project has an exhibition center. It is located right next to Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park. This center used to be an arcade booth. Now, it hosts fun and educational exhibits.
What Can You See at the Center?
The center shows off many old and interesting items. These are called artifacts. They also display documents from Coney Island's past. One cool artifact is a real horse from Steeplechase Park. This was a very famous amusement park.
In 2014, they had an exhibit about the history of the Steeplechase Face. This was a giant, smiling face that was a symbol of Steeplechase Park.
In 2018, the CIHP showed an exhibit about the history of Coney Island Creek. After this, they created mobile exhibits. These could be moved to different places. One mobile exhibit was at City of Water Day. It was held at Kaiser Park by the Coney Island Creek. The CIHP worked with the Coney Island Beautification Project and the Waterfront Alliance for this event.
Walking Tours of Coney Island
The Coney Island History Project also offers guided tours. These tours help you explore Coney Island with an expert guide. You can learn many interesting facts as you walk around.
In 2019, they offered a special Immigrant Heritage Tour. This tour was available in English and Mandarin. It was a walking tour that was completely free. It was part of Immigrant Heritage Week 2019.
