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Philadelphia (1898 - it was also known as
Chestnut Hill Park) and Cleveland (1900). Soon, some long-established parks changed their names to White City upon the addition of amusement rides and a midway (Seattle, for example). As the American amusement park was increasing in popularity in the first few years of the 1900s, the success of the 1901 Pan-American Exposition (particularly its "Trip to the Moon" ride, featuring "Luna Park") led to the first Luna Park in Coney Island in 1903... and an explosion of nearly identical amusement parks soon followed. There were roughly 250 amusements operating in the United States in 1899; the number almost tripled (700) by 1905; and more than doubled again (to 1500) by 1919 - and these latter figures do not include the amusement parks that were opened and permanently closed by then.
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108:. Many cities had two (or all three) of the Electric Park/Luna Park/White City triumvirate in their vicinity... with each trying to outdo the others with new attractions. The competition was fierce, often driving the electric parks out of business due to increased cost due to equipment upgrades and upkeep and increasing insurance costs. More than a few succumbed to fire. Only one park that was given the White City name continues to operate today:
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251:'s attempt to become an official Columbian Exhibition exhibitor). The World's Fair was destined to be remembered primarily for two ironic visions, that of the crowds at the Midway Plaisance (which essentially was the first modern amusement park with its entertainment, including exhibitions of boxer
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long before starting his Luna Park chain in 1905) were being erected in a frenetic pace (over a quarter century period, the
Ingersoll Construction Company, erected more than eleven roller coasters per year). Railway companies, noticing the popularity of Midway Plaisance of the Columbian Exposition
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As the end of the 19th century approached, a few exhibition parks - those inspired by the exhibits and midways of either the
Columbian Exposition or the (later) Pan-American Exposition - started to appear. Before the end of the year 1900, White City amusement parks were making their appearance in
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ride that wasn't present in the
Columbian Exposition, but would soon become a staple of amusement parks to come. Paul Boyton's Water Chutes was the first amusement to charge admission when it opened in 1894; inspired by the immediate success of his Chicago park (500,000 people visiting it in its
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of the West" from its inception throughout the 1910s. Although the official use of the White City moniker was largely discontinued by the 1920s, members of the local populace continued to refer to the park as "White City," and a number of the park's 1908 structures and attractions remain.
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Postcard view of
Chicago's White City amusement park. The 300-foot-tall Electric Tower was one of the highlights of "the city of a million electric lights" that could be seen from 15 miles away.
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in
Chicago was not the first one of that name, it was certainly one of the most fondly remembered. Within years of its 1905 founding, dozens of White City parks dotted the United States (with
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While
Steeplechase Park eventually became one of the earliest embodiments of an amusement park, Chicago had one to replace Midway Plaisance a year after the close of the Columbian Exposition,
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as an effort to improve their bottom line. Power companies were starting to partner with railroad companies to create electric trolley companies... and construct
Electric Parks.
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243:) occupying the main court. While White City gave the park its visual identity, the throngs who attended the Columbian Exposition tended to collect at the Midway Plaisance (and
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Foretelling a fate similar to most amusement parks that followed, Paul Boyton's Water Chutes went out of business in 1908, in the face of increasing competition, mainly
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In the half decade after the end of the
Columbian Exposition, the American concept of the amusement park was starting to take hold, with the increased popularity of
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643:, New Jersey (1907β1920) - also known as Capital Park, White City was built in Spring Lake Park (opened in 1895 with picnic area and merry-go-round)
262:, its games and its rides) and the architecture of the (far less popular) White City. Much of the Midway Plaisance reappeared in Coney Island's
333:, who operated "A Trip to the Moon" in both Buffalo and Steeplechase Park. Thompson and Dundy quickly redesigned Sea Lion Park and redubbed it
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409:. Built and opened in 1908 just outside the Denver, Colorado city limits, Lakeside Park was advertised as "Denver's White City" and "The
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having namesakes built by the 1910s). Although most White City parks were out of business by the end of the United States involvement in
562:, Texas - official name: Rosen Heights Amusement Park. Opened 1905; last structure standing (pavilion) destroyed by fire, 17 June 1933
684:; became amusement park 1907 (closed in 1928); track and stadium built 1930, closed 1982 (demolished in 1980s) Now a shopping center.
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278:'s Steeplechase Park instead... along with a sign that stated "On this site will be erected the world's largest Ferris Wheel").
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survived until 1960. Of the White City amusement parks, only one survives, the last exhibition park still standing:
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first year of operation), he moved (and expanded) Water Chutes in 1896, a year after he started the similar
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While the Midway
Plaisance became the Exposition's main drawing card, it was not the primary purpose of the
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of 1893, the parks started gaining in popularity in the last few years of the 19th century. After the 1901
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Ferris wheel at the World's Columbian Exposition. White City can be seen behind it and to the right.
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just the year before), and the debut of several kinds of foods in the United States, including
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attracted 26 million visitors and featured a section that is now commonly considered the first
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Queenie the elephant causes pandemonium at Seattle's White City amusement park on May 28, 1909
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exposed millions of people to a new form of music and instantly became a staple for fairs and
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Remembering White City: But a stone's throw from Old Trafford a White City once stood
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Like their Luna Park and Electric Park cousins, a typical White City park featured a
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in the eyes of its founders, who pictured it to be the beginning of a classical
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by the end of 1897 (but not the Ferris wheel, which had been committed to the
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inspired by the Columbian Exposition in Chicago ("White City") and the 1901
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Popular Culture in London c. 1890-1918: The Transformation of Entertainment
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pancake mix. The Zoopraxographical Hall was the first commercial theater.
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1324:- lists many uses of the name, mainly not related to amusement parks
1318:- White City exhibit that inspired its use as an amusement park name
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Strangers and Sojourners: A History of Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula
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101:
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Played in Manchester: The Architectural Heritage of a City at Play
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The following is a list of amusement parks that have had the name
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in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
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and the lack of railroad ridership on the weekends, constructed
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Southwest Ohio Amusement Park Historical Society: White City
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The American Scream Machine: A History of the Roller Coaster
613:, Pennsylvania (1898β1911), also known as Chestnut Hill Park
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Suburb in the City: Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, 1850-1990
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680:, United Kingdom (1907β1928) - originally open 1827 as a
515:, Ohio (1900β1908), reopened 1909 as Cleveland Beach Park
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owned and operated by railroads and electric companies ("
112:, opened in 1908, was originally advertised and known as
1071:
University of Louisville Libraries: Digital Collections
1012:
North of the River: A Brief History of North Fort Worth
73:) ensued in the first two decades of the 20th century.
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The Philadelphia Area Architecture of Horace Trumbauer
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168:(Thomas Rankin's Snow and Ice Railway, later moved to
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had completed the first power plant with AC power in
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Dale Samuelson, AJP Samuelson, and Wendy Yegoiants,
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providing many parks - many of long standing - with
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497:, New York (1902β1910), also called Wagner's Park
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1133:Playland -- Seattle's Amusement Park (1930-1961)
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1050:David J. Bodenhamer and Robert Graham Barrows,
361:(with roller coaster designer and entrepreneur
274:: a smaller version was built and installed in
690:, New South Wales (1913β1917), became site of
1145:Historical Postcards of Springfield, Missouri
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523:Dip the dips, White City, Toledo, Ohio, 1910s
341:White City parks and the amusement park boom
945:Ohio's Amusement Parks in Vintage Postcards
325:"). In 1901, Boyton sold Sea Lion Park to
1290:"Lost Sydney: White City Amusement Park"
897:Residents sought weekend solace at parks
574:, Indiana (26 May 1906-26 June 1908) at
535:, Colorado (1908βpresent) also known as
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991:Excelsior Springs Museum & Archives
704:, Western Australia (circa 1914 - 1929)
172:), lighting and attractions powered by
27:Early 20th-century amusement park model
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656:White City (Shrewsbury, Massachusetts)
649:, Connecticut (1903-?), also known as
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475:Cleveland's White City amusement park
200:chewing gum, and pancakes made using
1034:(Wayne State University Press 1994)
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1202:(Manchester University Press 2001)
1085:(Ohio State University Press 1992)
24:
1239:History of White City (Manchester)
914:Broome County in Vintage Postcards
912:Ed Aswad and Suzanne M. Meredith,
788:(W. W. Norton & Company 2001)
623:White City (Springfield, Missouri)
418:List of White City amusement parks
25:
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933:Encyclopedia of Cleveland History
786:America's Musical Life: A History
239:buildings (collectively known as
235:featuring electrically-lit white
162:George Washington Gale Ferris Jr.
104:. Some White City parks featured
49:. Inspired by the White City and
1054:(Indiana University Press 1994)
1052:The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis
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33:is the common name of dozens of
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866:(MBI Publishing Company 2001)
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663:Britain, Canada, and Australia
554:White City (Excelsior Springs)
164:), a forerunner of the modern
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806:Amusement Parks of New Jersey
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698:opened 1922, demolished 2022)
245:Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show
1316:World's Columbian Exposition
138:World's Columbian Exposition
130:World's Columbian Exposition
55:World's Columbian Exhibition
7:
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1262:White City Tennis Club page
1187:Pictures of White City Park
964:History of Island MetroPark
864:The American Amusement Park
841:Amusement Parks of New York
658:, Massachusetts (1905β1960)
178:Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti
10:
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1189:- Amusement Park Nostalgia
1159:(Arcadia Publishing 2005)
1105:(Arcadia Publishing 2009)
947:(Arcadia Publishing 2002)
916:(Arcadia Publishing 2000)
283:Paul Boyton's Water Chutes
208:composed and performed by
611:White City (Philadelphia)
572:White City (Indianapolis)
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18:White City Amusement Park
1222:(English Heritage 2004)
757:The Man Who Stopped Time
619:, Washington (1888β1911)
593:White City (New Orleans)
491:, Washington (1906β1912)
367:figure 8 roller coasters
317:") and the emergence of
1157:Baseball in Springfield
843:(Stackpole Books 2006)
808:(Stackpole Books 2004)
647:White City (West Haven)
595:, Louisiana (1907β1913)
581:White City (Louisville)
560:White City (Fort Worth)
542:White City (Des Moines)
537:Lakeside Amusement Park
495:White City (Binghamton)
489:White City (Bellingham)
407:Lakeside Amusement Park
307:Pan-American Exposition
110:Lakeside Amusement Park
59:Pan-American Exposition
1176:Hamilton/Trenton Marsh
943:Diane DeMali Francis,
708:White City (Vancouver)
692:White City Tennis Club
651:White City, Savin Rock
631:, New York (1906β1915)
601:, New York (1906β1918)
587:White City (Milwaukee)
583:, Kentucky (1907β1912)
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513:White City (Cleveland)
509:, Illinois (1905β1946)
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1277:Sydney Morning Herald
754:Clegg, Brian (2007).
737:(Popular Press 1987)
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566:White City (Houghton)
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1101:Rachel Hildebrandt,
641:White City (Trenton)
617:White City (Seattle)
507:White City (Chicago)
483:White City (Atlanta)
446:adding missing items
1081:David R. Contosta,
1030:Arthur W. Thurner,
688:White City (Sydney)
669:White City (London)
635:White City (Toledo)
607:, Illinois (1943-?)
605:White City (Peoria)
599:White City (Oswego)
548:White City (Duluth)
533:White City (Denver)
527:White City (Dayton)
363:Frederick Ingersoll
174:alternating current
114:Denver's White City
106:miniature railroads
61:inspired the first
1279:, 15 December 2003
784:Richard Crawford,
762:Joseph Henry Press
710:, British Columbia
702:White City (Perth)
673:1908 Olympic Games
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501:White City (Boise)
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444:; you can help by
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331:Elmer "Skip" Dundy
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128:White City of the
1135:- historylink.org
1014:(TCU Press 1994)
903:, 20 October 2003
901:Bellingham Herald
771:978-0-309-10112-7
733:Robert Cartmell,
576:Broad Ripple Park
473:Postcard view of
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249:Buffalo Bill Cody
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