York Town Square reader: ‘I never knew about the White Rose Amusement Park’
Luther D. Summers mugs for the camera from a spot on a White Rose Amusement Park roller coaster support. He’s about 90 feet up. Background posts: Great Balls of Fire, York’s Memorial Park to spin back to 50s and Reader searching for Boys Club Pool photo and The ‘Little Courthouse,’ like longtime York square neighbor ‘Teapot Dome,’ still stands tall.
Gloria Miller saw the iconic photograph of the roller coaster of the former White Rose Amusement Park in the post Good grief, how long has that pool been there? and wanted to know more – or see more.
“I never knew about the White Rose Amusement Park. But would like to know more about it or pictures, anyone have pictures of it? My grandparents were farmers and we didn’t move to York city till 1949. I was 6 years old by then. This is the first time I ever heard about it,” she wrote in a comment on the post.
The photograph of the roller coaster, formerly located in the vicinity of Ferguson school near York’s Farquhar Park, that appears in the “Good grief” post is the most common one used to give a glimpse of the memory-spawning park. It appears in the booklet “Northwest York” as well as Jim Hubley’s “Off The Record.”
The above photo of Luther Summers is also from “Northwest York,” which gives information that Gloria might enjoy about the old amusement park: …
– The Boys Club Pool or Farquhar Park, since replaced by the YMCA’s new aquatic center, was a reminder of the park.
– Fred Brothell and wife started the park in the mid-1920s and built a bandstand, carousel and roller coaster.
– Blue Law enforcement prohibiting sales on Sunday in the 1930s closed the park. “Because many people worked six days a week, the Seventh day, or Sunday, was considered the ‘pleasure’ day and it was paramount for any amusement park to remain open that day,” “Northwest York” stated.
– The carousel was sold at the park’s demise to Forest Park in Hanover. That carousel was sold to Astro World in Houston, where it remained in operation as late as 1984, when “Northwest York” was published.
If you want a feel for what a park of that vintage was like, visit Dover-area’s Brookside Park. Unlike White Rose, Brookside was an electric or trolley park. Some of the original buildings, including a carousel building, still stand there.
If anyone has additional photos of the old White Rose park, comment below or e-mail to jem@ydr.com, and we’ll post them.
Meanwhile, look at the fun photos that fellow blog June Lloyd came up with over at her Universal York blog.
