Forest Park

Did you know that Hanover had an amusement park 100 years ago?  The amusement park was initially called Eichelberger Park and was later known as Forest Park.  Forest Park was located in the general vicinity of where The South Hanover Giant and Community Aid now sits.  Forest Park was owned by the Lusse Brothers and was opened in 1885.  This park was like any other park.  Forest Park had a roller coaster, bumper cars, a carousel, a roller skating rink, concession stands, and much more.  The park was also a very family-friendly park.  They would have all kinds of picnics going on at the park.

In 1964 the park closed down.  The abandoned park stood silent with no kids screaming on rides anymore and no parents chattering at picnics.  The park was like a ghost town.  A sign went up in front of the park in 1971.  The sign said Opening Spring 1972 South Hanover Shopping Center.  Not long after that, they started demolishing the park.  Everything came down except for one ride...the carousel.  The carousel was sold to Astroworld in Houston, Texas.  In 1975, Astroworld was acquired by Six Flags.  Six Flags wanted to keep the carousel, but also to show people the history behind it.  A plaque was added to the carousel detailing its history with Forest Park.  Even to this day, the carousel lives on in its current location, Six Flags over Texas, telling people the story behind the ride.  Here are pictures of Forest Park and The carousel. There is also a picture of the plaque. The first two pictures were from the York Blog. The last picture was done by Barbara Chronister. If you want to see more photos of Forest Park here is a link: http://hpsd.k12.pa.us/archives/chronister/forest_park/forest_park.htm