Laurel Hill Park
Laurel Hill Park, located off of Clay Avenue and Blakely Street in Dunmore, certainly did exist for a short time in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Picnics and other outings were held at the park throughout the 1890s.The park opened around 1888, and was promoted by the Suburban Street Railway Company and the Scranton Traction Company in 1890.
Whether or not the park can be classified as an amusement park still remains to be decided, as Laurel Hill was used mostly for picnics and other outings. Some of the more interesting events include the Caledonian Games held on July 4, 1894, where some 15,000 people were in attendance. The following year saw the attendance drop to around 5,000 for the same event.
Labor Day in 1896 saw a picnic and parade held at the park, and the opening of the popular 'Last Days of Pompeii' exhibit.
Laurel Hill Park also offered a dance pavilion, refreshment stands, swings, outdoor band concerts and exhibitions, and regularly scheduled boxing matches. There may have been a merry-go-round as well, the only mechanical amusement device at the park.
The park met its demise around or shortly after 1900 with the advent of the automobile, and better transportation to other, larger attractions.
Information obtained from Northeastern Pennsylvania, Feb. 17, 1982; and Alan Sweeney.
NEPA Defunct Park List
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