 Whalom Park, circa 1915 | |
| Location | Lunenburg, Massachusetts, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°34′32.02″N 71°44′47.64″W / 42.5755611°N 71.7465667°W |
| Status | Defunct |
| Opened | 1893 |
| Closed | September 4, 2000 |
| Slogan | For a Whale of a Time! |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 25 |
| Roller coasters | 1 |
| Water rides | 1 |
Whalom Park was an amusement park located on Lake Whalom in Lunenburg, Massachusetts, that operated from 1893 to 2000. The site was redeveloped into a 240-unit apartment complex.[1]
Whalom Park was established in 1893 by the Fitchburg & Leominster Street Railway as a traditional, English-style park of gardens and walking paths.[2] At the time of its last day of operations in 2000, Whalom was known as the 13th oldest amusement park in the United States,[3] as well as the second-oldest trolley park in the world.[4] The park had been in continuous seasonal operation for 107 years.[5]
The "Flyer Comet" wooden roller coaster was one of the park's best-known rides. Most remaining structures at the park, including the Flyer Comet, were demolished in October 2006 to make way for development.
| Name | Manufacturer | Year Added | Year Removed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whalom Park Carousel | Looff[6] | 1914[2] | 2000[7] | Featured 2 Looff Sea Dragons.[6][7] Broken up at auction April 15, 2000[7] |
| Ferris wheel | Eli Bridge | 2000 | ||
| Flyer Comet | Philadelphia Toboggan Company | 1940[2][6][8] | 2006[2] | |
| Flying Scooters | Bisch Rocco | 2000 | ||
| The Looper[6] | Allan Herschell | 2000 | AKA: The Hamster Cages.[6] Despite common belief, this ride was not purchased by Knoebels; Knoebels purchased theirs from a traveling carnival. | |
| Octopus | Eyerly Aircraft Company | Parts of this ride were still sitting in back of the maintenance shop when the park closed in 2000 | ||
| Paratrooper | Frank Hrubetz & Company | 2000 | ||
| Roto-Jets | 2000 | |||
| Giant Slide | 2000 | |||
| Satellite Jets | Kasper Klaus | 2000 | Originally located at Mountain Park in Holyoke, MA, a similar former trolley park which closed in 1987. | |
| Scrambler | Eli Bridge | 1968[8] | 2000 | |
| Sea Dragon | Chance Morgan | 2000 | ||
| Tilt-a-whirl | Sellner Manufacturing | 2000 | ||
| Tumble Bug | Traver Engineering | 2000 | Sold To Edaville Railroad but never assembled. Sold as scrap metal in 2010. | |
| Turnpike | Streco | 1990 | Replaced in the early 1990s by two Honda go-karts due to maintenance issue, Honda go-karts were in the park until the park closed in 2000. | |
| Train Ride | Iron Horse Company by Allan Herschell |
1960s | 2000 | Sold |
| The Whip | W.F. Mangels | 2000 | ||
| Yo-Yo | Chance Morgan | 2000 | ||
| Skating Rink | 1906[8] | 2006[2] | ||
| Arcade | 2000 | The Building that held the arcade was originally the park's Candle Pin Bowling alley. | ||
| Funhouse | 2006[2] | Included a Barrel of Fun/Barrel of Laughs.[6] Demolished in 2006 | ||
| Ball Room | 1933[9] | 2002[5][10] | Destroyed by arson, March 2, 2002.[5][10] | |
| Silly Savage | 2000 | Silly Savage was one of the park mascots at Whalom Park; he was a lion with a top hat. | ||
| Super Chick | 2000 | Another mascot. | ||
| Wally Whalom | 2000 | Wally Whalom was also a mascot at the park, but unlike Silly Savage and Super Chick in costumes, he was a clown. | ||
| Barnaby, The Walking Talking Puppet | 2000 | Barnaby was a puppet who gave shows to guests around the park. | ||
| Whalom Park Center Stage | 2000 | The Whalom Park Center Stage was an outdoor theater for shows that attracted guests. | ||
| Kiddieland | 2000 | Kiddieland was a section of the park for younger children where there were rides designated for younger kids and a small theater for puppet shows. | ||
| Whalom Park Cafe Restaurant | 2000 | There was a sit down restaurant called "Whalom Park Cafe" in the park besides the other food stands that were inside Whalom Park. | ||
| Mini Golf Land | 2000 | Mini Golf Land was a miniature golf course that was located near The Whip | ||
| Picnic groves | 1893 | 2000 | The picnic groves had picnic tables and a pavilion, and a small playground. The picnic tables were sold at auction. | |
| Go Carts | 2000 | Sold | ||
| Waterpark | 2000 | Whalom Park had its own waterpark with waterslides in it. |
The music video for the song "Touch and Go" by The Cars was shot at Whalom Park in 1982[11]
There were two versions of the jingle:[citation needed]
First Version
Second Version
In 2006, Whalom Park was fully demolished and in 2010 was redeveloped into a 240-unit apartment complex.[12] In a nod to the former amusement park, the street within the complex was named Carousel Lane. The development, which was initially called Emerald Place was sold in 2022 for $76M and rebranded as Arrive Lunenburg.[13]
In 2023, an organization known as New Whalom Cooperative hosted a "Whalom Park Experience" pop-up event at Doyle Field in Leominster Massachusetts. In partnership with Manuel Amusements, the three-day July 2023 event featured rides such as a scrambler, swings, carousel, slide, and four kiddie rides with games including skeeball and balloon chance games[14]
The New Whalom Cooperative is a consumer co-op dedicated to the preservation of the Whalom amusement park past, present, and future. [15]