Rocky
Glen, which opened around 1904, was the area's first A-one park.
The park developed as a partnership between Arthur Frothingham and
Frederick Ingersoll, a famous park designer from Pittsburgh.1
Arthur Frothingham first purchased the
land for the park in the late 1800's for $15.2
After discovering that the Lehigh Valley
Railroad planned to lay tracks over his property,
Frothingham obtained a state cemetery charter which gave his property eminant
domain. At the time rail lines could be placed practically anywhere, including
over private property. One exception was a cemetery. Frothingham obtained
two bodies, one of a man who died in a mining accident and the other of
a man who died in a train accident. The bodies were buried right where
the tracks were to be placed. Frothingham sold a parcel of his cemetery
to the railroad for $25,000 and persuaded the railroad to build a nearby
station. The Laurel Line, which connected Wilkes-Barre to Scranton, provided
the ideal means of transportation to the park.3
The lake which is still there today was built by E.S. Williams. When Frothingham
refused to pay Williams for his work constructing the lake, Williams
sued Frothingham and eventually ended up with half the park.4
By 1915 Frothingham wanted to sell his share of the park. MGM was interested
in buying the land for a film studio but the price was too high.5
In 1919 both Frothingham and Williams sold their
sections of the park.
One
of the three resulting owners was Ben Sterling. Sterling and the other
two men fought about park management and the park was literally divided
in two by a fence.6
Sterling
eventually gained control of the entire park. He developed the park greatly.
In 1970 Sterling sold the park to a company called National Recreation
which transformed the park into a western theme park. The park was renamed
Ghost Town in the Glen.7
In
1979 the park was sold to a private owner and then closed in 1987.
Attractions
The
Lake
Patrons
enjoyed boating in the summer and ice skating in the winter. The above
picture is circa 1913.
Roller Coaster
Called the "Million Dollar Roller Coaster". Built by Ben Sterling at a
cost of $100,000 in 1945. It was 4,700 feet long and 96 feet high. It was
listed as one of the world's largest.8
Penny Arcade
Built in the 1930's by Ben Sterling with over 300 machines, it was one
of the largest penny arcades in the country.9
Traditional Rides
Dodgems, kiddie train, airplane ride,miniature golf, merry-go-round, ferris
wheel, fun-house.
Demise
The
popularity of Rocky Glen declined once the Laurel Line trolley passed and
the automobile became more popular. Drawn by attractions elsewhere, people
now had the mobility to roam. Low revenue was exasperated by rising insurance
costs. In 1987 the park closed. One year later an auction was held to sell
some of the rides. The 1903 Parker Carousel with 36 hand-carved wooden
horses sold for $242,000.10 A
series of suspicious fires made the remains of the park a liability. In
1994 the Moosic Borough destroyed what was left of the park.
Notes
1 Hiddlestone, Jack. Scranton
Luna Park. ( 1991,Penn Creative Litho: Old Forge, PA) p.1.
2 The Scranton Times, July
25, 1982.
3 The Scranton Times, July
25, 1982.
4 The Scranton Times, July
25, 1982.
5 The Times Leader, August
5, 1997.
6 The Scranton Times, July
25, 1982.
7 The Scranton Times, July
25, 1982.
8 The Scranton Times, July
25, 1982.
9 Automatic Age, Jan. 1937.
10 Hiddlestone, Jack. p. 3.