Rocky Point Amusement Park

Rocky Point Park
Slogan We've Got Your Summer at Rocky Point
Location Warwick, Rhode Island, United States
Coordinates 41°41′21″N 71°22′03″W / 41.68917°N 71.36750°W / 41.68917; -71.36750Coordinates: 41°41′21″N 71°22′03″W / 41.68917°N 71.36750°W / 41.68917; -71.36750
Opened 1847
Closed 1995
Operating season Memorial Day Weekend thru mid-September
Rides
Total 24+
Roller coasters 2+
Water rides 1

Rocky Point Park was an amusement park on the Narragansett Bay side of Warwick, Rhode Island. It operated from the late 1840s until it closed in 1995. The following year, the park filed for bankruptcy.

History

Rocky Point Park was first conceived by Captain William Winslow in the 1840s. By 1847, he had purchased a part of the land and began to offer amusements and serve dinner.

On Sunday, September 6, 1903, blue laws prevented the National League's Boston Beaneaters from playing the Philadelphia Phillies at their usual home park, South End Grounds in Boston. The game was moved to a field at Rocky Point, where the ocean apparently came right up to the edge of the outfield. (Boston won, 3-2.)

1940s postcard

From the 1950s through the mid-1990s, Rocky Point Park was one of the most popular attractions in Rhode Island. It featured rides such as the Skyliner, Corkscrew Loop Roller Coaster, Log Flume, and the Freefall (similar to the identically named ride at Six Flags parks), which fell 13 stories at 55 mph (89 km/h). It also featured the Shore Dinner Hall, famous for its clamcakes, steamers, lobsters, and New England Clam Chowder, which seated over 4,000 patrons at a time.[1] In later years, Rocky Point's locally-famous logo of a lobster tipping his hat was used in much of the park's advertising both in TV commercials and in print.

The park was the inspiration for the title of Rocky Point Holiday, a composition for wind band by Ron Nelson.

Final years

In the early 1990s, Rocky Point's financial situation became shaky. The privately held company that owned the park began to lose money as it attempted to keep the park up to date. Critics accused the company's shareholders of trying to wring every last penny out of the park. Rocky Point closed in 1995, then reopened briefly in 1996 as a farewell to patrons. Rides such as the Flume and Corkscrew were sold in an auction and are now in use at other amusement parks.[2]

Records filed with the Federal Bankruptcy Court in Worcester, Massachusetts:[3]

These facts were published by The Providence Journal and the Warwick Beacon during the bankruptcy periods of 1995-1997.

Post-business era, vandalism

After the Rocky Point land was purchased for $8.5 million in 2003, the park's main building, known as the "Big House", was hit by vandals who lit it on fire on September 2, 2004. Police said the fire was suspicious, because the building had no electricity at the time.

Another fire started on October 16, 2006 around 11 a.m., this time in an executive building on the waterfront. Smoke could be seen billowing up more than 2,000 feet (610 m) in the air from miles away. Police reported no injuries in either fire. It is unclear if this fire was caused by arson.

On May 7, 2007, demolition of the remaining midway officially began with a press conference at the park. Prior to this, a handful of stands and minor buildings had already been demolished.[4]

On September 7, 2007, a documentary film about the park, You Must Be This Tall: The Story of Rocky Point Park, had its world premiere at the Stadium Theatre in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. The film garnered a five-star review from The Providence Journal and played to a sold out crowd of 1,100 people.[5]

In February 2008, the city of Warwick secured a federal grant to purchase about half of the 82 acres (33 ha) remaining Rocky Point Park, including much of the view of the bay.[6] The city officially took title to 41 acres (170,000 m2) shoreline of the former park in August 2008.[7]

On November 2, 2010, a ballot proposal passed to issue state funding to "acquire the title to land in and around what used to be Rocky Point Park to establish the land as a public park."[8]

On September 17, 2012, the Small Business Administration accepted the state's offer to purchase the Rocky Point property to be developed into a State Park.[9]

On March 28, 2013, the sale of the remaining 82 acres of the former amusement park was conveyed to the state of Rhode Island. The RI Department of Environmental Management (DEM) will oversee the operation and maintenance of the entire property.[10]

Re-opening

An arch from the amusement park remains in the State Park

On June 26, 2011 Rocky Point was once again opened to the public and features a new asphalt mile long walking path along the shore of Narragansett Bay.[11] The Shore Dinner Hall was later demolished, rest of the amusement area cleared, and opened to the public. The majority of the amusement park space is now empty field. Some elements of the park remain, including a large entrance archway, and the towers and stations of the high wire ride. The park has received much interest from investors who are residents of Rhode Island as well as in the field of amusement parks.

As of November 2014 the State of Rhode Island is coordinating the development of Rocky Point State Park with the City of Warwick. Use by the public is being managed by the DEM Parks and Recreation office.[12][13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "World's Largest Shore Dinner Hall, Rocky Point". CardCow.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-03. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Website for You Must Be This Tall". rockypointmovie.com. Archived from the original on 2007-03-17. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  3. ↑ "In re: C.R. AMUSEMENTS, LLC d/b/a ROCKY POINT AMUSEMENT PARK" (PDF). Archived from the original (pdf) on 2006-02-12. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  4. ↑ Cynthia Needham (May 8, 2007). "It's the end of the line for beloved Rocky Point". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on 2007-06-04. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  5. ↑ Michael Janusonis (September 7, 2007). "Movie review: Rocky Point rides again in You Must Be This Tall: The Story of Rocky Point Park". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on 2007-09-17. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Round and Round They Go: Remembering Rocky Point Park". rockypointpark.org. March 24, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-07-07. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  7. ↑ Barbara Polichetti (August 14, 2008). "No challenges to Warwick's acquisitions of 41 acres of former Rocky Point Amusement Park". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on 2011-06-22. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Rhode Island Capital Bonds for Open Space Question, Question 4 (2010)". Archived from the original on 2013-01-03. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  9. ↑ Mario Hilario (September 17, 2012). "RI purchases Rocky Point to develop state park". Turnto10.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-03. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  10. ↑ "The Rocky Point Foundation". Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  11. ↑ Paul Davis (June 21, 2011). "Update: Part of Rocky Point Park opens Friday". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on 2011-06-23. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Rocky Point State Park". Rhode Island State Parks & Recreation. State of Rhode Island Division of Parks & Recreation. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  13. ↑ http://pbn.com/Rocky-Point-to-open-to-public-Oct-25-visitors-will-have-chance-to-see-state-park-project,100841?
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