Rock Springs Park Hancock County, WV ********************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. ********************************************************************** submitted by jwaite@weir.net The Merry-Go-Round and Rock Springs Park - The Merry-Go-Round and the Cyclone were the two most popular rides at the old historic Rock Springs Park which had it beginning as an amusement park in 1898 under the late Jim McDonald. Prior to that, the park had two different owners and was just used for picnics or family outings. The bridge construction moved the park forward swiftly. In 1900, C.A. Smith purchased the park and added many new rides. Mr. Smith purchased the horses for the Merry-Go-Round from a well-known company in Philadelphia. The carvings of these horses made them very valuable to antique dealers. Many people living here today can remember when as small children they tried to grab the brass ring to get a free ride. In addition to the large number of rides, the park had beautiful grounds, a swimming pool, a lake, a small zoo, and even live shows on the midway. Rock Springs Park may be gone from the area but the memories of those happy visits to it will never be gone. There were often crowds of over 20,000 people at some of the larger picnics. People would come by excursion boats, trains, or automobiles. On special picnic days or important holidays, the park had giant fireworks displays. The Golden Star picnic was especially popular because ice cream was given away. Courtesy of Roy C. Cashdollar, with permission