White City (Worcester amusement park)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
White City was an amusement park located in the Worcester, Massachusetts suburb of Shrewsbury.
White City was founded by local businessman Horace H. Bigelow. The park opened on June 18, 1905 and was open for 55 seasons, closing for the last time on September 5, 1960. Its lifespan was typical of American amusement parks of its day, which burgeoned around the turn of the 20th Century, had their heyday before the great depression, and declined after WWII. Like many such parks, White City was a trolley park, built at the end of a trolley line to increase ridership on weekends.
White City bordered Lake Quinsigamond and included the waters of the lake in some its attractions, such as boat rides, the "Whirl of Air Ships" ride which swung patrons out over the water, and trained diving horses. White City's other attractions were typical of parks of this type: a midway, a fun house, a penny arcade, concession stands, rides, sideshow acts, a roller coaster. White City also included a roller-skating rink, a ballroom, and a stage where musical acts and, later, pop stars (Paul Anka, Jerry Vale, Edie Gorme) performed.
The park's original roller coaster opened in 1914.. It was replaced by a world-class (at the time) coaster, the Zip, in 1928. The Zip, designed by Herbert Schenck, remained in service until the park's closing, although it was later remamed the Cyclone and later still the Yankee Clipper.
An early White City tagline was "Land of Fifty Thousand Electric Lights", which is sometimes cited as the source of the park's name, along with the white color of its structures. Most likely, though, the park was named for the famous White City at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. "White City" was a popular name for amusement parks of the time, being borne by parks in Springfield (Missouri), Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, New Haven, Syracuse (New York), New Orleans, London, Sydney, Melbourne, and other places as well.
Spag's discount department store, a regional fixture from 1934 to 2004, was built next to White City. After the park's close, the White City Plaza shopping center was built on part of the 18-acre site.
[edit] See also
- Lake Quinsigamond
- Lincoln Park, a competing amusement park
[edit] Notes
- ↑ Article, "Lake Quinsigamond And White City"
- ↑ European Coaster Club database
- ↑ incoasterpaedia
- ↑ Brief history of Lake Quinsigamond
[edit] Bibliography
Perna, Michael, Jr. Lake Quinsigamond and White City Amusement Park (Images of America series), Arcadia Publishing, 2004. ISBN 0-7385-3673-3
