“If I had my life to live over....
I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall.
I would go to more dances, I would pick more daisies.
I would ride more merry-go-rounds."
Nadine Stair
Founded in 1898 as a small trolley park in West Mifflin, Pa, near Pittsburgh,
Kennywood was begun by the Monongahela Street Railway Company,
which was controlled by Andrew Mellon.
Today's Kennywood still contains two major buildings dating from 1898 -
a carousel pavilion and a restaurant (originally the Casino).
At the turn of the century, Kennywood was engaged in a fierce battle for survival with about a dozen other trolley parks
and amusement resorts in Western Pennsylvania.
The Pittsburgh Street Railway Company wanted to get out of the amusement park business in 1902 so it subleased the park to first a Boston Company
and later to a group from Aspinwall.
In 1906, Pittsburgh Railway Company assigned its lease to
A.S. McSwigan and Frederick W. Henninger.
Many changes occurred between 1900 and 1930.
In the early 1910's, Kennywood built two large roller coasters:
The Racer and the Speed-O-Plane.
Important rides added in the 1920's were three coasters:
Jack Rabbit (Designed by Miller and Baker in 1920),
Pippin (designed by John Miller in 1924),
and Racer in 1927 replacing the old Racer built in 1910.
The park added a huge swimming pool in 1925.
The Great Depression from 1930 to 1935 was especially hard on the park.
Dancing helped keep the park in business during this period
as great dance bands played in the park from 1930 to 1950.
Kennywood prospered in the second half of the 1930's
as new rides including Noah's Ark (1936) were added.
During the Second World War period, the park couldn't add new rides,
but it did buy a used ferris wheel and a miniature train.
It still operates the train.
In the 1950's school picnics grew by leaps and bounds.
The park added many new rides to Kiddieland.
Some popular rides in this period included the Hurricane,
the Looper, the Rotor (the first ride imported from Europe),
the Wild Mouse and the Octopus.
With the 1960's and 1970's came competition from
"Disneyland" and other theme parks.
Kennywood decided to spend the money necessary to remain competitive.
The Turnpike was built in 1966 followed in 1968 by the Thunderbolt,
which was redesigned from the Pippin by resident coaster whiz, Andy Vettel.
With the Thunderbolt came the designation...
"The Roller Coaster Capital of the World."
The Dance Pavilion, a dark ride since the 1950's, burned in 1975.
In the 1980'sand 1990's Kennywood had to keep up with changes
in the amusement industry.They added the Raging Rapids in 1985.
The park was designated a national historic landmark in 1987.
One of the most popular additions to the park was
a new steel-looping coaster called the Steel Phantom in 1991.
The Steel Phantom's top speed was 80 MPH,
its longest drop was 225 feet and it featured 4 loops.
The park continued to grow with it's largest expansion ever-
Lost Kennywood. in 1995 - a replica of the Luna Parks
from the turn of the century houses some
of the parks most popular rides today.
Some rides you can find in this section include the Exterminator,
the Pittfall, the Pittsburgh Plunge and the Whip.
The park features thirty-one major rides,
including three wooden roller coasters,
Phantom's Revenge steel coaster,
the indoor Exterminator (a roller coaster in the dark),
three water rides, and fourteen Kiddieland rides.
Mini golf, paddleboats and Skycoaster are separate charges.
Thirty-five various games throughout the park,
as well as four gift shops and four arcades.
Several of the buildings date from 1898.
As Kennywood moves through the 21st century it continues
to keep a balance of change and preservation of tradition
which has always been important to it's success.
Kennywood remains one of
"America's Finest Traditional Amusement Parks."
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