Pleasure Beach
Introduction
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Images
The entrance into Steeplechase Island (later called Pleasure Beach), ca. 1900-1910. Source - The Connecticut Historical Society and Connecticut History Online.
1955 aerial view of Pleasure Beach in Bridgeport. Photo Courtesy of the Bridgeport History Center at the Bridgeport Public Library / Photos by Corbit Studios
Tommy Reynolds Orhestra, Pleasure Beach Ballroom 1930-1940
The beach pavilion on Pleasure Beach, in Bridgeport, Conn. April 2nd, 2012
Backstory and Context
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History of Pleasure Beach
Pleasure Beach is an essential element of Bridgeport history. The origin of the island as an amusement park began with several legends stating that the infamous pirate, Captain Kidd, had hidden a substantial quantity of gold somewhere on the 37-acre island. Naturally, many enthusiasts and prospectors looked for this gold. Capitalizing on the pirate folklore as well as its attractive location, Bridgeport liquor dealers J.H. McMahon and P.W. Wren decided to build an amusement park by 1892. During this time, ferries brought few tourists to the quaint amusement park. By 1905, however, the owner of the Steeplechase Park on Coney Island, Brooklyn, George C. Tilyou, bought the island and greatly expanded its offerings, including the addition of a spectacular carousel.
After a fire in 1907 and subsequent dwindling popularity, the park was sold but closed down for several years.The rebirth of Pleasure Beach didn’t occur until 1919 when Bridgeport bought the park and constructed several new rides and other features, including boardwalks to the carousel, the Old Mill ride (a tunnel of love), a roller coaster, and more. By 1927, the city built a long bridge that allowed automobile and foot traffic, reducing the need for the Brickerhoff Ferry to port a few visitors every trip. The most popular attraction at Pleasure Beach was its maple dancing pavilion, which featured bell towers and glass sides. The pavilion was the largest ballroom in New England and hosted some of the largest jazz acts of the time.
A 1953 fire damaged several rides; the 1973 fire burned the pavilion down, effectively ending Pleasure Beach's highly popular status. With the 1996 fire that destroyed a portion of the bridge, and no money to repair the damage, Pleasure Beach officially closed to the public. Nonetheless, it reopened in 2014, and the old park remains a fascinating historical ghost town as well as a nature reserve.1