ROCK SPRINGS PARK
Once described as “a place where God and man went fifty-fifty to produce perfection,” Rock Springs Park was an amusement park located along the Lincoln Highway in Chester, West Virginia. In its hey-day, this unique panhandle playground attracted twenty thousand visitors a day with a number of popular attractions and hosted business community picnic excursions, and free-acts.
- Joseph A. Comm, Author
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Charles "C. A." Smith's Traction Company purchased Rock Springs Park in 1900. Under him, the park grew to include the new, classic hand-carved 1927 Dentzel Carousel, the Casino dance hall, an outdoor amphitheater, the Old Mill, the World's Greatest Scenic Railway, grandstands for the baseball field, boating and bathhouse facilities, a swimming pool, and a three and a half acre lake.
This great expansion brought great success. He also made it possible for new ways to get to Rock Springs from surrounding towns in the tri-state area. The Kenilworth line was extended into Chester and train and boat excursions made it possible for people from Wheeling, West Virginia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to visit.
"The dances held at Rock Springs Park were a very romantic time - almost like something in the movies. There was the carousel, the guys in white shoes and girls that were all dressed up with their crinoline skirts.”
- Bobby Vinton, Celebrity Performer at Rock Springs Park
