Ontario Beach Park

Amusement park in the United States


Ontario Beach Park
Location
Rochester, New York, USA
Status Defunct
Operated August 2, 1884 to September 1, 1919
Owner New York Central & Hudson River Railroad
Operator The Ontario Beach Improvement Company
Slogan The Coney Island of the West

Ontario Beach Park was an amusement park located in the Charlotte region of the City of Rochester, New York in the United States of America. The amusement park occupied the lakefront in Charlotte in what is today a City of Rochester park bearing the same name, Ontario Beach Park, but is no longer an Amusement Park. The only operating ride is the historic Dentzel Menagerie Carousel. The park is now used as a picnic, pier, boardwalk, public beach, community center, and the Pot of Rochester.[1][2][3][4][5]

History

Notable Visitors

President Benjamin Harrison

On May 30, 1892 President Benjamin Harrison along with Governor Roswell P. Flower and Mayor Richard A. Curran rode a streetcar to Ontario Beach Park where they stopped off at one of the many hotels on property, Bartholomay Cottage Hotel for breakfast. Following the excursion, they continued on to dedicate the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Downtown Rochester.[1]

The Great Blondin

One of many daredevil talent acts at the park, The Great Blondin was well known throughout the country. His highwire acts often included a variety of additional stunts. One such remarkable stunt included what he referred to as "the most well balanced meal in the country", during which he carried out a kerosene stove, chair, frying pan, an egg, and a table. He proceeded to cook the egg and sat back to enjoy his breakfast 90 feet in the air with only a singular wire supporting him.[1]

Roller Coasters

Defunct

Name Manufacturer Type Opened Closed Fate
Breezer L.A. Thompson Roller Coater 1909 1919 Scrapped
Virginia Reel Unknown Roller Coaster Unknown Unknown Scrapped

Attractions

Operating

Name Manufacturer Type Opened
Dentzel Menagerie Carousel - "Duchess" Dentzel Carousel 1905

Defunct

Name Manufacturer Type Opened Closed Fate
Chubbuck's Wheel Swing Chubbuck Swing Unknown Unknown Unknown
Circle Swing Unknown Swing Unknown Unknown Unknown
House That Jack Built Unknown Crazy House Unknown Unknown Unknown
Ferris Wheel Unknown Ferris Wheel 1907 1919 Unknown
Bromo Seltzer Tower Unknown Observation Tower 1907 1919 Scrapped
Venetian Canals Unknown Boat ride Unknown 1919 Scrapped
Messmore's Fighting Flames Messmore Firefighting Attraction Unknown 1919 Scrapped
Genesee Unknown Shute the Chutes Unknown Unknown Scrapped
Flash Unknwon Shute the Chutes Unknown Unknown Scrapped
Swift Unknown Shute the Chutes Unknown Unknown Scrapped
Lightning Unknown Shute the Chutes Unknown Unknown Scrapped
Carousel Phillips & Company Carousel 1885 Unknown Unknown, but disappeared
Leopold Long Carousel # 3 Leopold-Long Carousel 1829 1896 Relocated to Sylvan Beach

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Shilling, Donovan A. (1999). Rochester's Lakeside Resorts and Amusement Parks. Images of America. Charleston, South Carlolina, USA: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0738501638. LCCN 9962640. {{cite book}}: Check |lccn= value (help)
  2. ↑ Shilling, Donovan A. (July 2008). "Thirty-Five Golden Summers At Rochester's Ontario Beach Park". Crooked Lake Review. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Ontario Beach Park in Charlotte". Office of the Town Historian - Greece, New York, USA. April 30, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  4. ↑ Somerville, Kyle (2013). "This is Where I Love to Go: The (Re)Creation of Place At Ontario Beach Park" (PDF). Rochester History. Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  5. ↑ Bartash, Linda, M. (2001). Horses in Motion. Chattanooga, Tennessee: Penman Publishing, Inc. ISBN 0970764618.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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