Sunbury Island Park

 Island Park 

The Original Island Park opened in 1894, and operated until about 1914 - at which time, Rolling Green Park had opened.  James C. Packer developed a part of Island Park, promoting it as an add on to the Sunbury And Northumberland Electric Line (The trolley).  This new park was in direct competition with the Park built by Ira Clement for his ferry service.  One of my favorite newspaper quotes about this time reads:

"After that, neither park produced a profit, but that mattered not to the two rich families.  They were satisfied with the annoyance each caused the other"

Read more about that, and the history of Packer Island here

 In 1923, the park was refashioned into an Amusement Park.  The Amusement Park  operated for 11 years, closing in 1934.  A skating rink and bandstand continued to operate at the location for a number of years after the  park closed.

Island Park Amusement Park,  Revived

It was in  May of 1923,  that a group of capitalists headed by S.M. Weist purchased 18 acres of land on Packers Island for an Amusement park. Nine acres were to the south of the concrete highway, and nine acres were to the north.  A concrete driveway and walk was planned to be built under the abutment of the bridge, to connect the two sections of the park. Plans included building a dance pavilion, a restaurant, an athletic field, a theater, boat and bath houses, and various rides and "amusement contrivances"

The park opened on June 30, 1923, and operated for 11 years, closing in 1934. 

The park featured one roller coaster, a Philadelphia Toboggan Company wooden coaster, called Island Flyer. The Island Flyer opened on May 30, 1925, and closed with the removal of all rides from the park in 1934.

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The Island Park Ballroom & Skating Rink
1935-?

Although the Roller coaster and rides were removed, part of the park continued to operate.  In 1935 "Pop" Baumgart was the amusement director for the Island Park Ballroom.  Orchestra's and dances were scheduled first on Wednesday nights, and later on Wednesday and Thursday nights, with roller skating the rest of the week.  There were occasional dances on Friday nights too, and the ballroom could be rented out for events.

The skating rink on the Island was popular for many years.

In 1961, James Sgro Kulpmont sold  the "Former Island Park Amusement Park", the land in Park Grove "from the vicinity of the Sunbury Airport to the abandoned swimming pool located in the park"

Part of the amusement park was retained however, and used for concerts through the 1970s.  In 1972, a group of concert goe-ers trashed the island, and for years there were complaints about the noise, cars parked in private drive ways, "lack of bathroom facilities for the concert goers", and the amount of trash left behind all over the island after the concerts.

By 1977, Sunbury council was working on an ordinance to stop the events.

I'm told by several that Dick Clark's Caravan came to the Ballroom at Island Park, and that many in our area saw the Supremes there, before they were the sensation they were to become.  The above ad is from the Dick Clarks Caravan that year, and although some of the groups changed from stop to stop, it gives an idea of who all may have been at that concert in 1964. 

As late as 1977, there were still amusements, and mini golf, on the island

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Local Amusement Parks, Past & Present

An Index of Posts

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2024/06/the-amusement-parks-past-present.html

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Read More

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In 1972 Dr William Rumberger announced plants to open an Amusement park on Packer Island.

He purchased The miniature train, a 25 passenger paddle-wheel steamboat replica, and the children's roller coaster, from Rolling Green.  Much of the equipment was damaged in the 1972 flood, and the park only operated into part of 1973.

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Island Park, located on Packer Island between Sunbury and Northumberland, was a popular destination for picnickers and pleasure seekers. People came to the park from far and wide. According to contemporary accounts about the park, its popularity was owed to its easy accessibility, its magnificent grove of trees and its location along the Susquehanna River. The park was abandoned at one time when the Sunbury and Northumberland Street Railway Company, which had promoted Island Park, merged with the Sunbury and Selinsgrove Street Railway Company, and the promoters found Rolling Green Park more profitable. However, Island Park again attained success under the management of Alvin Wiest and Wiest Amusement Company, which ran Edgewood Park in Shamokin for some years. The Wiest company rejuvenated Island Park and quickly built it into one a first-class recreation center.

"The dancing pavilion is one of the most commodious and best appointed to be found anywhere and with the excellent orchestras that the management has been securing since the beginning of last summer, it has proven to be a very popular dancing center," a contemporary account of the park noted. "Located right near the improved highway over the Island and near the water's edge, the pavilion does not escape many automobile parties who have some time to spend at such a resort." Island Park added a mammoth roller coaster at a cost of $50,000. The coaster was comparable to one located at Willow Grove, near Philadelphia.