Lake Compounce is an amusement park located in Bristol and Southington, Connecticut. Opened in 1846, it is the oldest continuously-operating amusement park in the United States. The amusement park covers 332 acres (1.3Â km2) of land which includes a beach and a waterpark called Crocodile Cove which can be used by guests for no extra charge. The park was acquired from Kennywood Entertainment Company by Palace Entertainment, the U.S. subsidiary of Parques Reunidos. In addition to the 14th oldest wooden roller coaster in the world, Wildcat, its newer wooden roller coaster, Boulder Dash, has won the Golden Ticket Award for the #1 Wooden Coaster in the World for five consecutive years.
HistoryEdit
The lake's name is derived from Chief John Compound, a Mattatuck/Tunxis Native American. On December 3, 1684, his tribe signed a deed that left Compound's Lake to a group of white settlers, including John Norton, who had migrated to central Connecticut from Massachusetts. The property was left to the settlers in exchange for a small amount of money and miscellaneous items, including a large brass tea kettle. A local myth suggests that Chief Compound drowned while trying to cross the lake in the brass tea kettle.
Early daysEdit
The park's history goes back to 1846, when Gad Norton hired a scientist to perform an experiment using explosives, which failed. The experiment brought large crowds, which inspired Norton to open an amusement park. His park had public swimming and rowing on the lake, a gazebo for lakeside band concerts and several rides. The park saw success as a picnic park through the post-Civil War era.
In 1851, a California Gold Rush 49er named Isaac Pierce joined Norton to establish a firm. The two men petitioned local legislators that their residences be ceded from the town of Southington to the town of Bristol. In 1895, a casino was built on the property, which was the first permanent building at the site. Later that year, the Bristol and Plainville Tramway Company constructed the Southington and Compounce trolley line. Shortly after, Lake Compounce purchased the Lake Compounce Carousel for $10,000, opening it on Memorial Day, 1911. The is now included in the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1914, Lake Compounce opened the Green Dragon, the park's first electric-powered roller coaster. The coaster was torn down in 1927 to make room for the Wildcat, a wooden coaster designed by Schmeck and built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company.
The early 1930s brought more growth. The casino was expanded with a dance floor. On Easter, Glenn Gray and the Casa Loma Band opened the Starlight Ballroom. The all-time attendance record of 5,000 was set in the spring of 1941, when Tommy Dorsey's reorganized band featured Frank Sinatra, who had yet reach the height of his career.
The effects of the Great Depression and the popularity of the automobile brought trolleys in the United States into a decline, which negatively impacted attendance at Lake Compounce. These same factors had similar effects on other parks in the New England region, such as Canobie Lake Park and Riverside Park. In 1944, Lake Compounce opened a steam railroad. It was designed and built by Connecticut actor William Gillette, the original portrayer of Sherlock Holmes in silent films.
New ownershipEdit
The park's success was steady until the late 1960s, when the park's attendance was decreasing. Lake Compounce remained under the ownership of the Pierce and Norton Corporation until 1966, when Edward G. Pierce sold his share to the Norton family. The Nortons owned and operated the park through 1985 and were able to restore some profitability and raise attendance. No major attractions were added during this time, and the Nortons listed the park for sale in 1984. In 1985, Lake Compounce was sold to the Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company, owners of Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania, who briefly renamed the park to "Hershey's Lake Compounce". Factors such as poor marketing, low attendance, and repeated ride outages caused Hershey to close the park after one off-season, a decision that upset local representatives.
In the spring of 1988, Joseph Entertainment Group bought the park and renamed it "Lake Compounce Festival Park". The park received renovations and a 20,000-seat outdoor amphitheater. One of the first notable musical acts to perform at the new venue was the group Milli Vanilli, and their live performance was broadcast on MTV in what became the first public sign they were lip-synching, when a recording of the song "Girl You Know It's True" began to skip. JEG focused on concert promotion and neglected the amusement park portion of the property. The Wildcat roller coaster and other rides became nonoperational by 1991. That year, JEG's financial troubles were exposed when a check the company wrote to Guns N' Roses bounced, and the performance was cancelled. It was later discovered that JEG was nearly $900,000 behind in taxes and had not refunded nearly $300,000 to ticket-holders for 15 cancelled concerts.
Kennywood and Parques ReunidosEdit
Early in 1996, Kennywood Entertainment, owners of Pittsburgh's Kennywood amusement park, signed an agreement to purchase Lake Compounce. In 2000, the roller coaster Boulder Dash was opened, and later received the 2004 Golden Ticket Award for the #1 rated Wooden roller coaster by "Amusement Today." In late 2007, Kennywood Entertainment Company sold its parks to Spain-based Parques Reunidos.
Plans include a significant expansion of the Crocodile Cove water park. This has required the moving of nearby Mount Vernon Road to the north to give the park more room for expansion. The word on the road move was expected to cost $6 million while the additions to the water park were expected to cost $15 million. In 2013, the park added the Bayou Bay wave pool as part of its expansion plans. In 2014, the park added a campground off-site called Bear Creek Campground with cabins, tent and RV spaces, and a main lodge.
In 2016, the park added a new roller coaster called "Phobia Phear Coaster," a Sky Rocket 2 model from Premier Rides. Phobia features three LSM launches and a heartline roll at 150 feet (46Â m) high. General Manager Jerry Brick stated that the coaster was the biggest investment in the park's history.
EventsEdit
During October, the park runs a Halloween event. The midways are decorated, many of the park's rides are run in the dark, and a haunted house called "The Haunted Graveyard" is opened. The attraction consists of a 45-minute walk-through of catacombs, castles, special effects, and graveyards, as well as many other houses being added every year. The Haunted Graveyard started in 1991 and relocated to Lake Compounce in 2001. Portions of the proceeds are donated towards the American Diabetes Association and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
During December, the park becomes covered in lights, becoming a Christmas experience for adults and children. There is a selection of children's and family rides open and a place to meet Santa. The event also features a 100-foot-tall Christmas tree, which is the largest in Connecticut.
AttractionsEdit
Former attractionsEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- Official website
- Haunted Graveyard official website
- Lake Compounce at the Roller Coaster DataBase
