Coaster Enthusiasts Support and Rate Rock Springs Park Book

If it wasn’t for coaster enthusiasts, Images of America: Rock Springs Park might not have been published.





While in the proposal process, I contacted a member of ACE (American Coaster Enthusiasts) to get some feedback on the groups’ interest in a book about our beloved Rock Springs. ACE president, Bill Linkenheimer, told me he and many other coaster enthusiasts devour books about amusement parks, specifically those containing information on and images of classic coasters. In fact, one of the main goals of ACE is to raise money to restore and revitalize classic coasters and historic parks. ACE’s mission statement includes “fostering and promoting the conservation, appreciation, knowledge, and enjoyment of the classic wooden roller coaster.” The best advice I received from my inquiry with Bill, besides his suggestion to seek support back home from Chester-area residents, was a lead he gave me from another member and friend, Jim Futrell. Jim suggested I contact ACE Member #10, Richard Bowker, who was described as a huge fan of Rock Springs Park, a suggestion which literally made the book possible. I soon discovered that Member #10 had 7-8 photograph albums containing, what turned out to be, the largest private collection of Rock Springs pictures and postcards out there. Thanks ACE!

Now a coaster website hosted by Andy Shine and described as a “Roller Coaster Media Library”, has added and rated Images of America: Rock Springs Park. Shines rating scale is based on a book’s coverage of coasters. Books specifically about coasters are often rated as “recommended” or “excellent”. Rock Springs Park received a rating of “good’, as it has a limited number of coaster images and information.






So, how many coasters did Rock Springs Park have over the years? 5.

1. Figure Eight (1897 – 1905)
2. World’s Greatest Scenic Railway (1906 – 1920)
3. Leap the Dips (1906 – 1921)
4. Scenic Railway converted into a more modern coaster (1921 – 1926)
5. Cyclone (1927 – 1970)

Impromptu Parking

Rock Springs Park was designed as a trolley park and to that end never truly established parking areas for customers arriving by automobile.   

As early as 1908 automobiles carried patrons to the park but parking was limited to found space. At first, as seen in this postcard image, that meant parking along the trolley loop near the lower entrance.

When the park was re-imagined by C.C. Macdonald in the mid to late 1920s an upper entrance was added under the third hill of his new Cyclone Roller Coaster. The aerial photograph below clearly illustrates that the trolley loop all the way back to the lake and bath house was used for parking, as was the area near the Chester High School to access the upper entrance gate.

Black Model Ts line the trolley loop and lower picnic park to the lake, as well as, near the high school to the west.



The series of photographs which follow shows that this trend continued into the late 1960s until the park closed in 1970. Most travelers from Pennsylvania parked near the lower entrance as it was the first one they encountered along Route 30. While those traveling from southern West Virginia along Route 2 or across the Chester Bridge from Ohio may have used the upper entrance more often.

It Isn't

Thanks to Mike Funyak of the American Coaster Enthusiasts (A.C.E.) group for identifying the mystery coaster 1941 in my previous post. Mike wrote, "It looks like the Dips at West View Park. They look like the Vettel Trains and train. The Dips at West View also had the train ride next to the ride. Look closely and you can see the tracks next to the large drop which was the first hill."

Looking through Charlie Jacques's book on West View, I did see the train tracks next to the coaster, the wooden arched light fixtures, and this exact same section of coaster track which Charlie refers to as "the homerun stretch." Even the cars are identical. As much as I wanted Rock Springs’ Cyclone to get the credit and to be displayed at the Carnegie Museum of Art, it makes more sense, as Lincoln Highway historian Brian Butko said that it “seems more likely to have been around Pittsburgh.”

Charles (Charlie) J., Jr. Jacques is the father of modern amusement park history books having penned and published his Kennywood Roller Coaster Capital of the World book in 1982, followed by Goodbye, West View Park, Goodbye in 1984. Charlie is the reason Rick Sebak started his local history series on PBS with his first outing “Kenntwood Memories.” As I tribute, I made sure Charlie made an appearance in my book (page 126 and below) and acknowledged him for his sage advice when I was just starting out.

Charles (Charlie) J., Jr. Jacques (left) and Richard Bowker at Hershey Park, PA.

Ride the Dips at West View Park in this video at counter 8:20.

Is It Or Isn't It?

A blog post which appeared on March 28, 2012 by art blogger Dr. Marcus Bunyan of the Carnegie Museum of Art features black and white photographs by African American artist and photographer Charles “Teenie” Harris. The posting regards a collection of Teenie’s images which were on display at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh from October 29, 2011, to April 7, 2012. I am sorry I missed the exhibit because one of Teenie’s photographs is of a roller coaster and is labeled, “Wooden roller coaster, possibly at Rock Springs Park, Chester, West Virginia c. 1941.” Check it out.

The style of the coaster and the cars fit, but I can’t picture where this particular section of track would have been located along the winding reverse L-shape of the Cyclone. In addition, most drops on the Cyclone reached the ground, according to the photographs I have studied, while the bottom of the slight drop in Teenie’s image is elevated. Also, this coaster has arched wooden light fixtures while RSP had lights hanging from the ends of candy cane-shaped conduit pipe. I’m not convinced it is Rock Springs Park, but I could be persuaded otherwise. What do you guys think? Is it or isn't it?

See more of Teenie’s photographs at http://artblart.com/2012/03/28/exhibition-teenie-harris-photographer-at-carnegie-museum-of-art-pittsburgh/ and http://teenie.cmoa.org/interactive/index.html#home.

According to the first website, Teenie Harris grew up in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, a neighborhood once called “the crossroads of the world.” A serious photographer from the age of 18, he started his professional photographic career in 1937 when he opened a studio and began to take on freelance assignments. In 1941, Harris was appointed staff photographer for the Pittsburgh Courier, the nation’s preeminent black newsweekly. His images were disseminated nationally through the Courier, and played a key role in how African Americans visualized themselves.

Don’t Believe Everything You Read

Most of us understand that not everything we read, especially on the internet, is true. As a teacher, I believe everyone should read, and read a lot. But don’t just take the author’s word for it. Don’t think that just because it’s published that the ideas were necessarily vetted.

The clipping above is a nice encapsulation of this lesson. It shows the midway of Rock Springs Park at the turn of the last century, including owner C.A. Smith’s crown jewel “The World’s Greatest Scenic Raiway” (right). A few of the caption facts are accurate, like the detail about the slow moving scenic ride being replaced by The Cyclone Roller Coaster and the fact that Smith owned the traction company, but many other “facts” are misleading or utterly wrong.

Here’s a few examples:

1. This photograph could not have been taken in 1898 as The World’s Greatest Scenic Railway was not constructed until 1906.

2. The Cyclone was profitable, but not for Smith. It was built as part of the park’s revitalization under C.C. Macdonald in 1926.

3. C.A. Smith sent park manager Mr. (J.H.) Maxwell not “Mr. Michaels” to Philadelphia for the plans for the Scenic Railway ride and not The Cyclone.

4. It was the Scenic Railway and not the Cyclone which cost 5 cents a ride and made back Smith’s investment in its first year of operation. The Cyclone cost three 5-cent tickets or in some cases "two nickels and a bottle cap" per ride.

Fans of Rock Springs Park appreciate any coverage the park receives in local newspapers and most especially seeing wonderful images of the park such as this one. But when it comes to the facts and details of the park’s history listen to your grandpa and “Don’t believe everything you read.”



Highway Stake

On page 117 of Images of America: Rock Springs Park I wrote, "In 1974 the lower picnic area was being flagged to mark the route of the new highway approach to the Jennings Randolph Bridge. Many felt that the new path of Route 30 and the approach to the bridge could have been restricted to this lower park corridor, however, planners and engineers chose to curve the highway toward the west, effectively eliminating all but a small section of the upper park."

But just how far to the west does the highway run? The image above marks the spot were the western edge of the proposed highway was drawn.
In this second photograph (above) one can see the stake which marks this spot. This area was on the southern edge of the final turn of the Cyclone roller coaster between Virginia Gardens and the office at the northern end of the midway in the upper park.
Today this spot is part of the south bound lane of Route 30 just off the Jennings Randolph Bridge as drivers enter West Virginia from Ohio. (Courtesy of Rob Morrow)

The Mystery of the Red Sticks

(Courtesy of Jeff Schneidmiller)

Weird coincidences and mysteries are part of what makes continued study of Rock Springs Park so fascinating to me, even after all these years. This week, one question I posted to a Facebook fan led to both.

I was thinking about doing a blog post about owner C.C. Macdonald’s upgrades to Rock Springs Park prior to the 1927 season, an effort which left him penniless after the Stock Market Crash of 1929. I particularly wanted to talk about the Cyclone Roller Coaster and focus on how Macdonald, even though he was in severe financial straits himself, promised all those who helped him that “he would repay them everything he owed or they could have the park.”

It was at about this time that I remembered seeing a message from a Jeff Schneidmiller of East Liverpool on Kassy Hand’s Rock Springs Park Facebook page.

Jeff wrote, “Rock Springs Park ran out of money to pay for the (Cyclone) Coaster. My Great-Grandfather had the Finley Lumber Company, so Rock Springs gave him stock in the coaster.”

This photograph of a blank Rock Springs Coaster Company stock certificate may be similar to the one Jeff’s Great-Grandfather would have received. (Photo by Joseph Comm; Certificate from the Collection of Bill Gray)

After relocating and rereading Jeff’s message I left a message of my own stating that his story matched the one I had heard from C.C. Macdonald’s son, R. Z. Macdonald, in the course of writing my book. R.Z. explained that his father did everything he could to earn money to pay off the workers and suppliers, including working at Motor Square Garden (a convention center in Pittsburgh) in the off-season, and diversifying his business interests by working in partnership with Richard Mellon on Idlewild Park in Ligonier, PA, while still managing Rock Springs in WV. Macdonald continued paying contractors, like the Finley Brothers, until the debt was paid in full by 1950.

In his original post Jeff went on to say that “The Finley Lumber Company also got 1/3 cent for every rider, till the Park Closed.”

Historical Notes: (Jeff's Story Follows)

The Finley Brothers played a huge part in Chester’s early history. One need only review the histories of many of the former and present structures in Chester, and you will see their names attached to them.

One of the earliest institutions built by the Finleys was a wood frame church, erected on the site where the present First United Presbyterian Church sits on Carolina Avenue. Joseph N. Finley was a ruling Elder in the church and built the original wood frame church for a nominal fee in 1898. A good portion of the fee was paid at the “bequest of the estate of A. B. Marks,” according to the Riverstyle Sunday Review, November 5, 2000. It was the Marks’ estate that had been purchased by J.E. McDonald and converted into Rock Springs Park; a park that the Finley Brothers had no small hand in constructing.

The Chester High School was erected by The Finley Brothers Contractors on January 4, 1906.

The Chester city building was built in 1927 by the Finley Brothers Lumber and Construction Co. They completed construction in 1928 and a plaque, which now hangs in the current city building, was created to commemorate the occasion.

Roy C. Cashdollar, in his History of Chester: The Gateway to the West (Part 2), gives the following account of The Finley Brothers Lumber Company :

Owned and operated by the four brothers: Joseph, Frank, Robert, and James along with their brother-in-law Joseph McCoy. Mr. McCoy was the husband of Pearl Finley a sister to the four brothers. Upon the death of Mr. McCoy, George Hasson of Virginia Avenue joined the firm. Joseph served in the state legislature in 1909 and was one of the original incorporators of the First National Bank. Mr. J. P. Finley, a son of Joseph, shortly after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh became the secretary-treasurer of the Newell Lumber Company, a branch of the Chester company. Virginia and Robert Finley, were also active in the company for many years prior to its closing.

The Finley’s were kept very busy in Chester’s early history and their beautiful workmanship gave the new town many of its landmark buildings, including Rock Springs Park's unique octagonal Carousel Pavilion and the ornate Casino Dance Hall (pictured below) in 1906.

The first floor of the Casino contained a Japanese Tea House, six bowling alleys, a billiard hall, shooting gallery, barber shop, toilets and park office. The 18,000 square foot hard white maple dance floor occupied the second floor.

Twenty years later The Finley Brothers’ Company built the Cyclone Roller Coaster for C.C. Macdonld starting in 1926.

Having thought about Jeff Schneidmiller’s comment on Facebook, and wanting to find out more, I messaged him to get further details about his family history.

“Jeff you shared that your Great-Grandfather had the Finley Lumber Company and stock in Rock Springs Park. Could you tell me his name?"

This is where the coincidence comes in: Just as my message popped up on Jeff’s screen, he was at that very moment taking photographs of a few of his family’s Rock Springs Park memorabilia and uploading them to share with Facebook fans of the park.

Jeff wrote back about what a coincidence it was and said that he needed to gather some more information from his mother and her sisters. He said his great-grandfather’s name was “James,” and ended with a question for me.

“I have found some old things from Rock springs Park. I would like you to tell me about the red sticks with the yellow ball on top .They say ‘Rock Spring Park’ on them. Thank you. Jeff.”

Jeff also shared a couple of vintage photographs of his ancestors at the park, including one which illustrates that not only were formal portraits taken at the park but also some very humorous caricatures.

A folding brochure-style map from the 20’s, like this one, is also part of Jeff's collection. It includes a mileage chart showing, Cambridge, Ohio, at a distance of 97 miles, as the furthest town from which travelers came to picnic at Rock Springs.

Jeff left his number and we picked up our conversation over the phone. I could tell he was very proud of his family’s legacy in Chester and the surrounding area and interested in sharing their story. That’s when I asked him about using our conversation and some of his images in this blog post.

Having seen souvenir bamboo canes in park photos I asked Jeff if possibly his two and a half foot sticks might be souvenir canes. “The average length of a cane is 3 feet. That's pretty close,” I reasoned.

But Jeff noted looking at them, “They are very thin .You can't put any pressure on them .I was thinking maybe a flag was on them or banner.”

That started the gears turning in my head, “Yeah, maybe a pennant!”

I went to bed and all the photographs I had scanned while working on the book started racing across my brain. By morning, I had a pretty god idea of the picture I needed to solve the mystery of the red sticks. I fired up the laptop and took only five minutes to find the picture I wanted.

I messaged Jeff. “BINGO! Here's your red stick with the yellow ball on top. This is Bev Springer with her Rock Springs Park pennant tied to one.”

Bev, herself, had been a Rock Springs Park mystery, until I discovered her name and wrote about it, in blog post “Mystery Woman Identified,” on August 20, 2010.

Strolling Through the Park in 1928

This description of a walk through Rock Springs Park appeared in The Daily Times of Beaver, PA in 1928.

Just for a moment close your eyes and imagine you are in Rock Springs Park. You have just finished a delightful dance to the lilting music of “Billy Coppel” and his boys in beautiful Virginia Gardens, you start on a trip through the park – first the Cyclone Coaster – a bell rings and the brilliantly colored cars start up the incline. Before you go down the first breath-taking dip you get a birdseye view of the park with its sparkling myriad lights and amusements. What a sight – then thrills – some ride – what next – the giant aeroplane swing taking you for a delightful cool ride up into the clouds – next the brilliantly lighted merry-go-round, with its laughing children – what’s this – the new Dangler – more laughs and enjoyment – then down the midway past the many new games and concessions with their richly decorated shelves and sparkling lights with the crowds of enjoyment seeking people. Not forgetting the Monkey Island with its colony of laugh-producing inhabitants.


This postcard shows the new Dangler (left).