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    Indian Trail and Edgemont Amusement Parks
    Indian Trail and Edgemont Amusement Parks
    Indian Trail and Edgemont Amusement Parks
    Ebook149 pages29 minutes

    Indian Trail and Edgemont Amusement Parks

    By Sean Billings, Johanna S. Billings and Lehigh Township Historical Society

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    About this ebook

    Indian Trail and Edgemont Amusement Parks highlights the history of two legendary amusement parks in Lehigh Township. Unique images cover Indian Trail Park from its founding by Samuel and William Solliday in 1929 to its closing in 1984. Photographs of Edgemont Park recall its days as a trolley park, started by the Blue Ridge Traction Company. These images are sure to bring back memories of the rides, games, and thrills that kept people coming back year after year.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateMay 18, 2005
    ISBN9781439616017
    Indian Trail and Edgemont Amusement Parks
    Author

    Sean Billings

    Sean and Johanna S. Billings are founding members of the Lehigh Township Historical Society. They are authors of Wyoming County and helped the historical society write Lehigh Township. Sean, president of the society since its founding in 2001, is also a member of the Lehigh Township Planning Commission, among other canal and local historical societies, and a trustee of the Walnutport Canal Association. Johanna, an award-winning writer and photographer, has written for numerous newspapers, national magazines, and trade publications. She is currently the editor of the Chronicle and the Whitehall-Coplay Chronicle.

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      Indian Trail and Edgemont Amusement Parks - Sean Billings

      donations.

      INTRODUCTION

      Most communities are thrilled to have one amusement park within their town borders. Lehigh Township, however, was lucky enough to have not one, but two.

      Edgemont Park opened in the first decade of the 20th century as a trolley stop for the Blue Ridge Traction Company on its route from Walnutport to Danielsville. By the time the Great Depression hit in 1929, Edgemont had already been operating for decades. That same year, Samuel and William Solliday built Indian Trail Park just five miles away. Despite the difficulties of the 1930s, both parks survived and prospered into the 1940s and beyond.

      Edgemont and Indian Trail featured swimming, food, and entertainment. Both eventually had rides and dance halls, though they were nothing like modern-day amusement parks. They were a part of the community. Rather than being owned by some out-of-state corporation, they were run by families. In both cases, the families lived on the park grounds. Family members operated rides, served food, and landscaped. They were the ones who decided what attractions to add as the years passed.

      Although separate, the two parks had a relationship with each other. The Minniches, who were involved with Indian Trail, for example, went on to own Edgemont. Joseph Cerrone, who operated Edgemont during its later years, served as a pall bearer for Leroy Kahle, who had owned Indian Trail. Both parks were situated in wooded areas, allowing the incorporation of nature into activities such as swimming, picnicking, and playing. Because the parks provided an inexpensive day out, many families held their reunions there.

      Though they had a lot in common, the parks developed their own personalities. Indian Trail had a cement-bottom pool, while Edgemont’s pool had a dirt bottom. Indian Trail featured a roller coaster, while Edgemont did not. Edgemont had an auction and a farmers’ market, both absent at Indian Trail.

      Today, little remains of what existed at each location. Indian Trail’s playground and pavilion still stand, though the rides, games, and entertainments are long gone, except when special events are held there. Edgemont is no longer a park but is privately owned by several businesses. Even though their heydays are over, Edgemont and Indian Trail remain vivid in the memories of residents.

      This map of Indian Trail Park shows the approximate locations of the rides and buildings. Note that the rides changed and were moved over the years.

      One

      INDIAN TRAIL PARK

      THE BEGINNING

      Indian Trail Park is situated on the banks of the Indian Creek in the town of Pennsville, located in Lehigh Township, Northampton County. The property is part of the original Indianland Tract set aside in 1735 by Thomas Penn as a place for local tribes displaced by early settlers. The Native Americans never used the reservation, and in 1803, Adam Dreisbach obtained 155 acres of the tract, including the area now known as Indian Trail Park. In 1804, Dreisbach sold the land to John Royer. John Applebach then purchased the 30 acres that would become Indian Trail Park. In 1818, the property, listed as a gristmill with 23 acres, was sold at sheriff’s sale to Christian Hagenbuch. In 1819, he sold the land to Daniel Kleckner. The cornerstone on the building, which has since been torn down, read, "1849 Daniel

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