Glen Island Park

Glen Island
Geography
Location Long Island Sound
Coordinates 40°53′07″N 73°47′02″W / 40.8852°N 73.7838°W / 40.8852; -73.7838Coordinates: 40°53′07″N 73°47′02″W / 40.8852°N 73.7838°W / 40.8852; -73.7838
Area 105 acres (42 ha)
Administration
United States
State New York
County Westchester County
City New Rochelle

Glen Island Park is a 105-acre (0.42 km2) park, located on Glen Island, on the Long Island Sound, New York. The park is owned and operated by Westchester County and shares the island with a privately operated but county-owned entertainment facility, the Glen Island Harbour Club (formerly the Glen Island Casino).[1]

History

Starin's Glen Island

Glen Island castle
Glen Island Harbour Club, former Glen Island Casino
Main article: Starin's Glen Island

In 1879, former U.S. Congressman John H. Starin bought Glen Island and four nearby islands. He gave Glen Island its name and converted the islands into a summer resort for city dwellers that has been called "the first theme park".[2] The islands were connected by causeways and piers, and each island featured a different international theme.[3] Steamships transported visitors from New York City to the park.[4] The park, which opened in 1881, attracted thousands of people daily, included among its attractions a bathing beach, a natural history museum, a zoo, a German beer garden and castle, musical entertainment, and a Chinese pagoda.[2][5]

In 1923, Westchester County acquired the site, which is now a public recreational park.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Glen Island Park". Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation & Conservation. Archived from the original on 2008-07-22. Retrieved 2009-04-07. and "Glen Island Park". Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation & Conservation. Retrieved 2010-10-14.
  2. 1 2 New Rochelle History: 1861-1879 timeline, City of New Rochelle website
  3. 1 2 Futrell, Jim (2006). Amusement Parks of New York. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. p. 24. ISBN 0-8117-3262-2. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
  4. ↑ The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography 2. New York: J.T. White. 1892. p. 20. OCLC 754555174. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
  5. ↑ "Starin's Glen Island: Enhanced Attractions of a Famous Resort" (PDF). The New York Times. July 18, 1897. Retrieved 2011-12-20.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Glen Island.

See also

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