| Lincoln Park | |
|---|---|
| Location | North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Website | N/A |
| Owner | Jay Hoffman |
| General Manager | N/A |
| Opened | 1894 |
| Closed | December 3, 1987 |
| Previous names | Midway Park Westport Park |
| Operating season | Year-round |
| Area | 42-acre (170,000 m2) |
| Rides | 10 (including a roller coaster) total |
Lincoln Park was a park opened in 1894 by the Union Street Railway Company of New Bedford, Massachusetts, located in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts on the border of Westport, Massachusetts on U.S. Highway 6.
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Lincoln Park was originally built as a way to increase weekend ticket sales on its trains. Originally called "Midway Park" or "Westport Park," a new name was chosen by lottery, "Lincoln Park Casino".
In 1941, the facility was purchased by John Collins & Associates for $40,000 ($500,000 inflation adjusted). They invested $150,000 installing a fourteen lane bowling alley and updating an existing dance hall, and added a full complement of amusement park rides.
The park was successful until the mid-1980s, when larger theme parks started to become more popular. A fatal accident on the park's 1946 "Comet" wooden roller coaster in 1986 caused people to question the safety of the park.
Facing declining attendance, Jay Hoffman, the park's owner, invested $75,000 in updating the park. This plan included moving the park's 1921 carousel to Battleship Cove, and dismantling a smaller "kiddy" version of the "Comet" roller coaster. In a May 1987 story from the The Providence Journal, he is quoted as saying that the park had been fully inspected and was safe.
However, just four months later on September 29, the braking system on the roller coaster failed, causing one of the cars to jackknife. Although no one was injured, this was the final ride of the coaster.
The park closed December 3, 1987, owing $48,000 in taxes and $13,000 in unpaid police details. Almost all of the rides were dismantled and auctioned off. The park's Ferris wheel was moved to the New Bedford waterfront.
The jack-knifed car remained stuck on the roller coaster track well into the 1990s, until vandals tore it off.
The abandoned park suffered a string of fires after its closing, a total of six as of November 2005. The only remaining structures in the park are some badly damaged food buildings and the roller coaster, which is now severely damaged. The high starting hill collapsed during a January 2005 snowstorm, and much of the rear (southern) curve collapsed, probably due to water damage, around mid-May 2009.
The most popular ride was the "Monster Ride," where diabolical creatures were plotting your demise from beyond the railways. It featured two paper mache monsters overlooking your entry from the second floor balcony. It has appeared in several newspaper articles.
The 42-acre (170,000 m2) site is currently being considered for a 252-unit housing project.