Chester VFD's First Annual Picnic Held at RSP

Thursday, June 14, 1928

On this date in Rock Springs Park history, the Chester Volunteer Fire Department held its first annual basket picnic and frolic at the park. The day included guest fire departments from the surrounding area, sporting events, dancing, beauty contests and a special added event "a spectacular fireworks display showing burning buildings with firemen in action.”

Frolic At Rock Springs Park

Beaver Daily Times - June 8, 1928

The volunteer fire department of Chester, W.Va., will hold their first annual basket picnic and frolic at Rock Springs Park, Thursday, June 14. Guest volunteer fire departments are expected from surrounding towns, New Cumberland, Weirton, Clinton, Imperial, Burgettstown, McDonald, Midway, Carnegie, Wellsburg, Midlway, Carnegie, Wellsville, Salinesville, Toronto district, Lisbon and many others.

There will be prizes for the oldest fire equipment, the best fire eguipment, and a prize to the company having the most members present on this day. A popularity and beauty conteset will be held, also a baseball game and sport events.

There will be dancing afternoon and evening in beautiful Virginia Gardens and a special added event will be a spectacular fireworks display showing burning buildings with firemen in action.

Chester’s first self-propelled fire engine replaced an earlier horse-drawn rig, and was built by American LaFrance. By 1916, American LaFrance produced a 6-cylinder, gas-powered pumping apparatus that performed so well it literally spelled the end of the steam engine. American LaFrance continues to produce fire equipment after nearly 200 years of service.

Whole Town Excursions to Rock Springs Park Continued into the 1930's.

MONACA ENJOYS HOLIDAY TODAY

From the Beaver Daily Times, Beaver, PA, July 7, 1930

Monaca is enjoying a holiday today. The occasion is the annual outing, under the auspices of the Monaca Board of Trade. A boat ride to Rock Springs Park on the Steamer Greater Pittsburgh and a picnic in the park at which an interesting program of sports will be presented and awards made, will be feature events of the outing.

Store and business houses in Monaca are closed and business is practically at a standstill in the South Side town. The outing being a community affair by invitation of the Monaca Board of Trade. Many people from all parts of the county joined the Monaca-ites at the Monaca wharf and joined in the outing.

The boat left the landing at the pump station about 11 o’clock. It was estimated there were between ten or twelve hundred people aboard, including men, women and children, all set for a jolly good time. The number at the park will also be greatly increased by the Beaver valley people who will motor to the resort or go by street car. The boat will leave the park on the return trip at 9 o’clock this evening.

Beaver People in Canoes

I don't know what I find more delightful about this news brief which appeared on Wednesday, July 24, 1907: the mental image of "Beaver people" paddling or the fact that they were floating to Rock Springs Park in canoes.

A trip from Beaver, PA to Chester, WV would be a pleasant downstream trip. Notice that the canoes were then "shipped back by freight." At this time there would have been no locks or dams to contend with as Dam #8 would not be completed for another 3-4 years.