5. Lincoln Park, Dartmouth, Massachusetts (1894-1987)

Open for almost a century, this park sits forgotten as time eats away at its former splendor.
Open for almost a century, this park sits forgotten as time eats away at its former splendor.

One of the longest continuously operating amusement parks in American history, Lincoln Park opened in 1894 and remained in operation for the next 93 years. The park was originally financed and operated by the Union Street Railway Company of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Lincoln Park closed in 1987 and remained abandoned and vacant until its famed Comet roller coaster was torn down on July 11, 2012.
Lincoln Park, Dartmouth, Massachusetts (1894-1987)
The park was successful until the mid-1980s, when larger theme parks started to become more popular. A fatal accident on the park’s 1946 “Comet” wooden roller coaster in 1986 caused people to question the safety of the park.Facing declining attendance, Jay Hoffman, the park’s owner, invested $75,000 in updating the park. This plan included moving the park’s 1921 carousel to Battleship Cove in Fall River, and dismantling a smaller “kiddy” version of the “Comet” roller coaster. In May 1987 Hoffman told The Providence Journal that the park had been fully inspected and was safe ahead of a grand reopening. This proved untrue.
Lincoln Park Black and White
However, just four months later on September 29, the braking system on the roller coaster failed, causing one of the cars to jackknife, seriously injuring several riders — and forcing the park to close its doors. The park closed December 3, 1987, owing $48,000 in taxes and $13,000 in unpaid police details. Almost all of the rides were dismantled and auctioned off. The abandoned park suffered a string of fires after its closing, a total of six as of May 2012. For years the only remaining structures in the park were some badly damaged food buildings and the roller coaster. The coaster’s high starting “lift hill” collapsed during a 2005 snowstorm and the roof of the platform collapsed in May 2008. Two of the remaining buildings near the roller coaster partially collapsed in early 2010. The remainder of the roller coaster that was left standing was demolished on July 11, 2012.
After running for nearly a century without interruption, Lincoln Park now sits in eerie silence outside Dartmouth, Massachusetts.
After running for nearly a century without interruption, Lincoln Park now sits in eerie silence outside Dartmouth, Massachusetts.

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