Shady Grove Park facts for kids

Shady Grove Park was once a fun place in Lemont Furnace, Pennsylvania. It was a special kind of park called a trolley park. This means it was built near a streetcar line to encourage people to ride the streetcars. For many years, it was also a campground and had a public swimming pool. The pool closed in 2012, and the park is now permanently closed.

A Look Back at Shady Grove Park

How the Park Started

Shady Grove Park first opened in 1905. It was created to help more people ride the West Penn Railways streetcar. At first, it was a nice area for picnics and relaxing in the woods. Many early trolley parks were like this. The park was built next to a small man-made lake. In its first years, people could go boating and swimming there.

Just like Kennywood park, which is nearby in Pittsburgh, Shady Grove Park slowly added more rides and fun things to do. Around the 1930s, a big concrete swimming pool replaced the lake. This pool became the park's main water attraction. It stayed open for a long time. But because it got old and safety rules changed, the park had to close it for good in 2012.

Fun Rides and Shows

In its best years, Shady Grove Park had many exciting attractions. It had a roller coaster and a ferris wheel. There was also a fun house called the "House of Mirth." People could enjoy a theater, a shooting gallery, and a photo gallery. The park also had a restaurant and two large dance halls.

The roller coaster was a big wooden one. It was built in 1925 and was named the Wildcat. It twisted and turned across the park's land. People said it was designed by a company called Traver Engineering. The dance halls were very popular. Famous jazz bands and singers often performed there. Old newspaper articles show that many touring groups made the park a stop on their tours for decades.

Later on, more attractions were added. These included a rollerskating rink and an aeroplane swing. There was also a merry-go-round and a small train ride for kids. They even had smaller versions of some adult rides for younger visitors.

Changes Over Time

In 1937, a fire damaged many of the park's buildings and rides. The roller coaster was also damaged. But the park recovered and kept going strong. It remained a popular place for fun, picnics, and dancing until the 1960s.

Eventually, the park decided to remove the remaining rides. This happened in the early 1970s. The main reasons were high costs to keep them working and new safety worries. The park then continued to operate as a picnic spot and public pool until it finally closed.

What's Left Today

Today, all that remains of Shady Grove Park is the closed property. You can see a few buildings that are boarded up and an empty concrete pool. One of the cars from the old Wildcat roller coaster still exists. It is kept at Kennywood Park in storage. For several years, it was even on display at the entrance to the "Lost Kennywood" section of that park. This was when the area first opened in 1995. You could also see old photos of Shady Grove Park from its busy days there.

If you look closely in the wooded area next to the park's main grassy part, you might find some concrete blocks. These are the foundations of old rides. They are the only clues left that show this quiet place was once a lively amusement park.

• Learn more about the park's early history: [1]
• See an old ad for Jelly Roll Morton performing at the park: [2]
• More park history and photos of the fire: [3]