• Source: Kennywood

Kennywood is an amusement park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, just southeast of Pittsburgh. The park opened on May 30, 1898, as a trolley park attraction at the end of the Mellon family's Monongahela Street Railway.
It was purchased in 1906 by F. W. Henninger and Andrew McSwigan, both of whom later formed the family-owned Kennywood Entertainment Company. The company later sold Kennywood, along with four other parks, in 2007 to Parques Reunidos, an international entertainment operator based in Spain.
The amusement park features various structures and rides dating back to the early 1900s. Along with Rye Playland Park, it is one of two amusement parks in the United States designated as a National Historic Landmark. Kennywood is also one of thirteen trolley parks in the United States that remain in operation.




Location


Kennywood is approximately 8 miles (13 km) from Downtown Pittsburgh, in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. The park is along Pennsylvania Route 837 (Green Belt), known as Kennywood Boulevard as it passes through the borough. The closest Interstate connection is Exit 77 (Edgewood/Swissvale) on Interstate 376. The Mon–Fayette Expressway will eventually go past Kennywood, which will prompt an expansion of the park when it is built.
Historically, the park is on the location of the July 9, 1755 Battle of the Monongahela, where British general Edward Braddock was mortally wounded, ending his expedition to capture the French Fort Duquesne during the French and Indian War. George Washington was a colonel to Braddock, and fought at the battle before they retreated. Later the land on the bluff above the Monongahela River was part of a farm owned by Anthony Kenny. Around the time of the American Civil War, the site was a popular picnic grove for locals, known as "Kenny's Grove".




History



A tree-filled portion of a farm overlooking the Monongahela River near Pittsburgh owned by Anthony Kenny, known as "Kenny's Grove", was a popular picnic spot for local residents during the American Civil War. In 1898, the Monongahela Street Railways Company, partially owned by prominent banker Andrew Mellon, seeking to increase fare profits on the weekends, leased the land from the Kenny family in order to create a trolley park at the end of their line. The company's chief engineer, George S. Davidson, designed the original layout of the park and served as its first manager. A carousel, casino hall, and dance pavilion were added in 1899. A bandstand was constructed in 1900, while the Old Mill was constructed in 1901, and the park's first roller coaster, the Figure Eight Toboggan, was added in 1902.
After less than a decade, the trolley company no longer wanted to manage the park. The standing manager, Andrew S. McSwigan, along with partners Frederick W. Henninger and A. F. Meghan, leased and operated the park as Kennywood Park Limited beginning in 1906.

From its origin as a working-class picnic entertainment destination, the park grew in the first half of the twentieth century into a popular attraction that combined thrill rides with recreation venues such as swimming pools and dance halls.
Kennywood ceased to be served by streetcar when Mon Street Railways successor Pittsburgh Railways Company converted the route serving it, the lengthy #68 Duquesne-McKeesport line, from trolley to bus on September 15, 1958.
On December 12, 2007, Kennywood Entertainment announced that it would be selling Kennywood Park, along with four other amusement parks in the Northeastern United States, to Parques Reunidos, a company based in Madrid, Spain.
Kennywood uses the slogans "Welcome to the family", "America's finest traditional amusement park", and "Make a new memory", although from the 1960s through the early 1990s the slogan was "The roller coaster capital of the world" (a title which is now used by Cedar Point). Kennywood features three wooden roller coasters still in working order (Jack Rabbit, Racer and Thunderbolt), along with three newer steel coasters (Phantom's Revenge, Sky Rocket and Steel Curtain) and one indoor coaster (Exterminator).
The park holds several events throughout the year, including Phantom Fall Fest,




Park timeline






Recognition


For the past several years, Kennywood has been rated the "Favorite 'Dark Attraction Park'" by the Darkride and Funhouse Enthusiasts (DAFE). Kennywood ranked second to Cedar Point in the category of "Favorite Park" in Theme Park Magazine's 2004 Reader's Choice Awards.
The park was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1987.




Attractions






= Themed areas

=
Kiddieland, featuring several child-oriented rides in a compact area located next to the edge of the cliff on the river-view side of the park. It was originally located next to the Jack Rabbit before moving to its current location in 1927.
Lost Kennywood was added to the park in 1995. The area references Kennywood's long history, including its short-lived rival Luna Park (1905–1909) and the illusion of old and dangerous rides.
Thomas Town, themed after Thomas the Tank Engine, opened as an extension of Kiddieland on July 27, 2018.
Steelers Country is themed after the Pittsburgh Steelers and includes a roller coaster called Steel Curtain, which has the tallest inversion in the world and the most inversions in the United States. Steelers Country was introduced in 2019.
Area 412 is an intergalactic-themed area. This section was officially established in 2023 with Spinvasion's debut, replacing the former Volcano Valley area.



Former

Volcano Valley was established in 2003, and featured several rides, as well as cement volcanoes that spewed smoke. Volcano Valley was removed in 2020.




= Roller coasters

=
Kennywood has made use of the hilly Pittsburgh terrain to create coasters with unique layouts. Thunderbolt and Jack Rabbit, both wooden coasters, place the lift chain in the middle of the ride, not at the beginning. In both cases, the car leaves the station and drops into a valley as its first drop. Phantom's Revenge uses the same valley as Thunderbolt, and its second drop passes through the supports of Thunderbolt's first drop, making Phantom's Revenge's second drop the longest and steepest drop in the ride.




= Flat rides

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= Upcharge attractions

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= Dark rides

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= Water rides

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= Transportation rides

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= Kiddieland

=




= Thomas Town

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Thomas Town opened in 2018 as an expansion of Kiddieland. The Olde Kennywood Railroad has also become part of this area, re-themed as Journey With Thomas.




= Former attractions

=




Incidents at Kennywood



On April 24, 1961, the 64-year-old bandstand burned to the ground, hours after the park opened for the season.
On May 17, 1968, a 15-year-old boy died on Thunderbolt after falling out of the train.
On June 19, 1975, Ghost Ship burned to the ground. The fire was later found to be caused by an electrical malfunction.
The 1986 arrest of a park visitor for drug possession went all the way to the Pennsylvania Superior Court in 1988, which ruled in favor of the park's security force. The defendant had unsuccessfully attempted to have the evidence suppressed.
On July 11, 1999, 30 guests were taken to local hospitals when an operator of Thunderbolt failed to brake an incoming train, resulting in a collision with a train further along in the station.
On May 31, 2002, a macroburst hit Kennywood, leaving one person dead. The storm, with winds up to 80 mph, knocked the roof off the wooden pavilion which housed The Whip.
On September 24, 2022, three people were injured during a shooting inside the park during Phantom Fall Fest.




In popular culture



Kennywood's world-renowned reputation and nationwide popularity has led to its mention and appearance in many forms of media, including TV shows, movies, books, records, and has even warranted a reason to film a documentary about the park's history.




= Television

=
Kennywood was mentioned in an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation entitled "Turn of the Screws", which focused on a Las Vegas roller coaster derailment. CSI Supervisor Gil Grissom, who is a roller coaster enthusiast, tells the park engineer that he holds the marathon riding record on Steel Phantom.
Kennywood was mentioned on an episode of Without a Trace. It was shown in the episode and referred to by a different name.
After the Pittsburgh Steelers won Super Bowl XL in 2006, Steelers safety Mike Logan, a native of McKeesport near Kennywood, made a humorous riff on the "I'm going to Disney World!" advertising campaign usually associated with the Super Bowl, saying, "Forget Disney World, I want them to open up Kennywood!"
Singer and actor Micky Dolenz, former drummer for The Monkees, often fondly tells audiences at his live shows that Kennywood was the location of his first ever public performance. He appeared at Kennywood with an elephant in the 1950s when he was in Circus Boy. The television series featured Dolenz as Corky, a boy who grows up on the road in a circus.
A shot of Kennywood can be seen in the Nickelodeon TV program Zoey 101 in the episode "Roller Coaster". A sign reading "Spine Twister" can be seen on the lift hill of Phantom's Revenge.
The park appears in a season 2 episode of Shipping Wars in which shippers Christopher Hanna and Robbie Welsh were hired to transport the giant black widow spider figure that adorns the entrance of Black Widow from a theming company in New Jersey to Kennywood a few days prior to the ride's opening day. The ending scene of the episode shows Chris and Robbie riding the attraction.
Kennywood was featured on the July 29, 2022, episode of CBS's Secret Celebrity Renovation featuring Billy Gardell, who goes to Kennywood while renovating his best friend's mother's house.




= Movies

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In the 1993 film Striking Distance, a poster for Kennywood's Fraternal Order of Police picnic day is visible inside a Pittsburgh Police station.
Footage of Kennywood's Musik Express was shown in the beginning of the 1994 film Only You. Wonder Wheel was also featured in this movie.
The 2009 film Adventureland was filmed at Kennywood.
Parts of the 2022 film Dear Zoe were filmed at Kennywood.




= Literature

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Kennywood served as the inspiration for "Joyland Park" in LJ Smith's teen horror novel The Forbidden Game: The Kill.
Kennywood served as the main inspiration for Jennifer Cruise and Bob Mayer's novel Wild Ride. The writers acknowledged the park by thanking "Kennywood for giving us a place to start thinking about Dreamland".




= Music

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In 1899, Kennywood commissioned the "Kennywood Park Waltz" from Margaretha Scandroll. Kennywood would sell the sheet music in the park. It has only been professionally recorded once, for the 2007 documentary "Welcome Back Riders". It was performed by the Bulgarian Tosheff Piano Duo.
In 1987, rock singer Freddy Cannon recorded a remade version of his 1962 hit "Palisades Park" called "Kennywood Park", featuring attractions at Kennywood. The song was released on a limited-edition 45 vinyl pressing and sold as a $1.99 fundraising item for Pittsburgh's Children's Hospital through the now-defunct National Record Mart.




= Documentary

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On September 28, 1988, the local PBS station, WQED, aired Kennywood Memories, a one-hour documentary about Kennywood, narrated by Rick Sebak. Although many of the rides featured in the documentary have since been removed, the historic information about the park is still accurate.
Kennywood was featured in the 2007 documentary "Welcome Back Riders".
Kennywood was featured in the YouTube documentary channel Defunctland in a video on the history of Garfield's Nightmare.




See also



National Register of Historic Places listings in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Incidents at independent amusement parks




References






Works cited


Futrell, Jim (2002). Amusement Parks of Pennsylvania. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-2671-9.
Hahner, Jr., David P. (2004). Kennywood. Images of America. Foreword by Carol O. Hughes. Portsmouth, NH: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-3563-X. OL 5740387W.




External links



Official website
Kennywood at the Roller Coaster DataBase
Phantom Fright Nights Official Website Archived February 2, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
Kennywood Park Records, Detre Library & Archives, Heinz History Center
Kennywood Park Records digital collection, Detre Library & Archives, Heinz History Center

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Wahana gelap
• Kennywood
• Lake Compounce
• Jack Rabbit (Kennywood)
• Phantom's Revenge
• Kennywood Entertainment Company
• Racer (Kennywood)
• Sky Rocket
• Thunderbolt (Kennywood)
• Garfield (character)
• Steel Curtain (roller coaster)