Historic Bushkill Park
Encyclopedia
Historic Bushkill Park is located in Easton, Pennsylvania
. It is a small amusement park, generally geared toward younger audiences. It operated continuously from 1902-2004, and during the Summer of 2006, and has been closed since then. In 1933, Thomas Long (1885-1965) leased Bushkill Park, furnishing it with the carousel that he and his father had hand-carved in Philadelphia in 1903. Long bought the park in 1939 and operated it for the rest of his life with his wife, Mabel "Mom" Long, who operated it until her death in 1989.
Bushkill Park is famous for its antique rides such as bumper cars, "The Whip
", "The Haunted Pretzel
", and "The Bar'l of Fun." It is home to one of the nations oldest funhouses
, the "Bar'l of Fun". Inside the funhouse, aside from the rotating barrel (from which the attraction gets its name), is a maze-like layout in a dark room with mirrors. In the past, there has been a flashing strobe light in the corner of this room. Beyond the maze is the famous barrel, a multi-person 'sit-and-spin' style ride, and a wobbly staircase. Upstairs is the Hall of Mirrors, and a rolling walkway that looks out onto the park. Finally, there is an original antique wooden slide that goes from the second floor to the first. This slide has been featured on the Discovery Channel
.
struck, and the park suffered a devastating "100-year flood". This flood completely destroyed the Haunted Pretzel and a miniature golf course, while inflicting major damage on the park's bumper cars, and its "Whip" ride. The park has been hit by three consecutive floods since, and did not open at all in 2005. The park remains in a flood zone, being nearly surrounded by the Bushkill Creek
.
In June 2010, Baurkot and Fehnel reported that they had hired crews to begin cleaning up the park. No opening date was projected, and progress has been slower than anticipated as the partners wait for additional funds to pay workers.
In the summer of 2010, the park was visited by Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz of Antique Archaeology. This visit was featured on their reality TV show, American Pickers
, in the second-season premiere episode, "A Banner Pick", which premiered December 6, 2010. A pair of vintage sideshow banners were bought from the park for US$700, and sold for US$10,000. Wolfe and Fritz returned to the park after a visit to New York City
and paid an extra $5,000 for the banners because of the unexpected outcome of the Internet auctions for the two banners, and because Wolfe and Fritz were impressed with the attempts to revive the park.
Easton, Pennsylvania
Easton is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,800 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Northampton County....
. It is a small amusement park, generally geared toward younger audiences. It operated continuously from 1902-2004, and during the Summer of 2006, and has been closed since then. In 1933, Thomas Long (1885-1965) leased Bushkill Park, furnishing it with the carousel that he and his father had hand-carved in Philadelphia in 1903. Long bought the park in 1939 and operated it for the rest of his life with his wife, Mabel "Mom" Long, who operated it until her death in 1989.
Bushkill Park is famous for its antique rides such as bumper cars, "The Whip
The Whip (ride)
The Whip was a ride originally designed and built by W.F. Mangels Company of Coney Island, New York, USA. William F. Mangels patented the ride in 1914 and it soon became an extremely popular ride....
", "The Haunted Pretzel
Pretzel Amusement Ride Company
The Pretzel Amusement Ride Company was a famous manufacturer of pretzel dark rides. Pretzel built over 1400 pretzel rides and sold them to carnivals and parks. Leon Cassidy invented and patented the single-rail dark ride in 1928. The company originated in Tumbling Dam Park on the banks of Sunset...
", and "The Bar'l of Fun." It is home to one of the nations oldest funhouses
Funhouse
A funhouse or fun house is an amusement facility found on amusement park and funfair midways in which patrons encounter and actively interact with various devices designed to surprise, challenge, and amuse the visitor. Unlike thrill rides, funhouses are participatory attractions, where visitors...
, the "Bar'l of Fun". Inside the funhouse, aside from the rotating barrel (from which the attraction gets its name), is a maze-like layout in a dark room with mirrors. In the past, there has been a flashing strobe light in the corner of this room. Beyond the maze is the famous barrel, a multi-person 'sit-and-spin' style ride, and a wobbly staircase. Upstairs is the Hall of Mirrors, and a rolling walkway that looks out onto the park. Finally, there is an original antique wooden slide that goes from the second floor to the first. This slide has been featured on the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
.
Flooding
In 2004, Hurricane IvanHurricane Ivan
Hurricane Ivan was a large, long-lived, Cape Verde-type hurricane that caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States. The cyclone was the ninth named storm, the sixth hurricane and the fourth major hurricane of the active 2004 Atlantic hurricane season...
struck, and the park suffered a devastating "100-year flood". This flood completely destroyed the Haunted Pretzel and a miniature golf course, while inflicting major damage on the park's bumper cars, and its "Whip" ride. The park has been hit by three consecutive floods since, and did not open at all in 2005. The park remains in a flood zone, being nearly surrounded by the Bushkill Creek
Bushkill Creek
Bushkill Creek is a tributary of the Delaware River in eastern Pennsylvania in the United States.A portion of Bushkill Creek passes through Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center. The confluence with the Delaware River is in Easton.-References:*Gertler, Edward. Keystone Canoeing, Seneca...
.
2006 Season and beyond
In 2005, Walter Reiss (an amusement ride inspector) and Frank Clever entered into an agreement to lease the park from owners Samuel Baurkot and Neal Fehnel. With the help of volunteers and staff, Reiss and Clever were able to get the park cleaned up, and reopened in the summer of 2006, though "The Haunted Pretzel," "The Whip," and the bumper cars had not yet been reopened. The park saw a small number of visitors, but not enough to keep it running. Clever left the park Reiss, who ended up in debt, and the electricity to the park was turned off. Control of the park returned a year later to Fehnel. Vandalism to the electrical infrastructure of the park was discovered, preventing the park from reopening.In June 2010, Baurkot and Fehnel reported that they had hired crews to begin cleaning up the park. No opening date was projected, and progress has been slower than anticipated as the partners wait for additional funds to pay workers.
In the summer of 2010, the park was visited by Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz of Antique Archaeology. This visit was featured on their reality TV show, American Pickers
American Pickers
American Pickers is an American reality television series that premiered on January 18, 2010 on History Channel. The series began running concurrently on sister channel Lifetime in December 2010.-Summary and reception:...
, in the second-season premiere episode, "A Banner Pick", which premiered December 6, 2010. A pair of vintage sideshow banners were bought from the park for US$700, and sold for US$10,000. Wolfe and Fritz returned to the park after a visit to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and paid an extra $5,000 for the banners because of the unexpected outcome of the Internet auctions for the two banners, and because Wolfe and Fritz were impressed with the attempts to revive the park.