Paxtang Park was leased to the East Harrisburg Street Electric Railway Company from the Rutherford Estate on July 19, 1893, initially for a ten-year term. Plans included constructing a fence surrounding the property, though the park would remain free entry, a pavilion to hold several hundred people, new shaded areas, benches, and a "gravity railroad" (or scenic railway) for the following season.[1][2] The gravity railroad was not installed in 1894, nor was it ever operational; it wasn't until 1905 that the park added its first roller coaster - Coaster Flyer.[3][4] This was a Figure 8 roller coaster and operated from 1905 until 1922. The owners purposely omitted a dancing pavilion as well as the sell of liquor to avoid "undesirable patronage."[5]
"New" Paxtang Park - 1923-1929
In 1922, the railroad company announced they would not renew the lease on the grounds of Paxtang Park for a fourth lease - they had renewed twice before in 1903 and 1913. They were no longer able to afford the costs of operating the park, so they announced 1922 would be the final season of Paxtang Park.[6] However, in August, Kerstetter Amusement Company of Newark, New Jersey obtained new ownership of the lease from the railroad company. Owner Thomas Kerstetter pledged many improvements to the park, including an additional roller coaster, an airplane swing, a carousel, a new Ferris Wheel, and finally a dancing pavilion. This was intended to change the park's direction from a bucolic park to an amusement-oriented destination.[7]
The park had some success, however by the late 1920s, they were struggling to open the park before the Harrisburg Independence Day Celebration (when it normally would open earlier before Memorial Day) and they were missing tax payments. 1929 would be its final season and by 1930, Steelton Bank and Trust took control of the property, and sold off the amusements and other things at a sale.
Reopening
Beginning in 2017, the Susquehanna Area Mountain Bike Association (SAMBA) announced plans to restore the park as a parking trailhead and picnic area for cyclists using the Capital Area Greenbelt. Ten miles of trails used for hiking and mountain biking are currently located on the Greenbelt and maintained by SAMBA.[8] It was formally reopened in September 2020.[9]
