Savin Rock Amusement Park facts for kids
Savin Rock was a super fun amusement park in West Haven, Connecticut. It was once known as The White City. This park had lots of exciting roller coasters, cool rides, and many funny funhouses for everyone to enjoy!
Contents
The Start of Savin Rock
How the Park Began
Savin Rock started way back in the 1870s. A smart businessman named George Kelsey helped it grow. He made the trolley lines longer and built a really long pier, about 1,500 feet, at the end of Beach Street. This pier was used for ferry boats.
George Kelsey also built a hotel nearby called the Seaview Hotel. It had enough rooms for 150 guests! Soon, a fun beach resort grew up around the hotel and the pier. It had a place for bands to play, a pretty fountain, and even a special spot to look at the stars. There was also a wooded area perfect for picnics and a carousel. At first, people had to push the carousel, but later a horse helped it spin! Other business people added more fun things, and soon the park had a small zoo, a museum, and a dance hall.
Becoming The White City
In 1903, more carnival rides were added, and the area officially opened as an amusement park. It was named The White City. Its main entrance was at the corner of Savin Avenue and Thomas Street. All around it, on Rock, Campbell, and Beach streets, you could find theaters, restaurants, and hotels.
Exciting Rides and Fun Times
What Made "The Rock" Special
At its most popular, "The Rock" stretched for about a mile! It was packed with roller coasters, water rides, and carousel rides. There were also bumper cars, funny funhouses, concerts, and even marathon dances.
Visitors could enjoy tasty shore dinners, frozen custard, or special split hot dogs. They could drink "honeydew," munch on popcorn, and even get their fortunes told by mechanical fortune tellers or The Laughing Lady. If you loved speed, you could watch an auto race at the nearby West Haven Speedway.
Popular Rides at Savin Rock
Savin Rock had many different rides for its visitors. The oldest ride was The Old Mill, built in 1904. Another popular water ride was Shoot-the-Chutes. It was later rebuilt and called The Mill Chutes. This new version had a moving stairway to help riders get to the top easily! Other fun rides included the Jitterbug, The Virginia Reel, and The Seaplane Swing.
The park also had several thrilling roller coasters. Some of them were The Sky Blazer, The Racer, The Whirlwind Racer, The White City Flyer, and The Thunderbolt.
Growing Bigger and Better
By 1919, the park was called Savin Rock Amusement Park. It was so popular that 1.2 million people visited it every year! In 1922, Liberty Pier was added to the park. This new pier brought an exciting new roller coaster called The Devil and a funhouse called Bluebeard’s Castle. Sadly, the pier was destroyed in a fire in 1932.
Amazing Funhouses
Savin Rock was famous for its many funhouses.
- Noah’s Ark funhouse looked like Noah and his family were on the deck. Inside, it had shaking floors and surprising animal stunts!
- A funhouse called Death Valley was built on Beach Street. It first had a skull and crossbones on the front, but later it was changed to a Laffing Sal statue. Inside, you could find a swinging bridge, a soft floor that felt like a pillow, and a room that made you feel tilted.
- Bluebeard’s Castle used Bluebeard’s mouth as the entrance and exit! Inside, it had two tilt rooms, a floor with rollers, and lots of air holes. There were also plywood cutouts of Bluebeard and his friends.
Food and Entertainment Spots
Inside The White City, there was a movie theater called The Orpheum Theater. It was open all year round and was owned by Doc Dewaltop from 1913 until a fire destroyed it in 1921.
Jimmie’s Restaurant started as Jimmie’s Hotdog Stand. It became very famous for its special split-top hot dogs!
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The End of an Era
Challenges and Changes
In 1938, a very strong storm called The Great Hurricane of 1938 hit the area. It flattened Beach Street and destroyed The Devil and The Thunderbolt roller coasters. Even with this damage, the park kept going, and a new Thunderbolt roller coaster was built.
There were plans to make the park even bigger in the 1950s. However, by the 1960s, more buildings and homes were built around the park. It slowly became less popular and started to look a bit run down.
Closing Down
Savin Rock Amusement Park finally closed its doors in 1966. Today, many cool items and memories from the amusement park are kept safe at the Savin Rock Museum and Learning Center in West Haven. You can visit it to learn more about this historic park!
