Rendezvous, Milton Pa

 

The Rendezvous, or the "Zoo", was located north of Milton, across from what is today Boone's Campground.  It began as the Clubhouse & Tennis Courts for  Riverside Amusement Park, and ended as Steamers, which burnt to the ground in 1984.

Tennis Court and Club House, Riverside Park, Milton Pa

The first mentions I found of the Riverside Park club house were in 1920.  That year, the building hosted a variety of clubs and meetings, including the W.C.T.U. who brought a boxed lunch for their picnic, The D. A.R. , and the Rotarians.

1925

Side view of the Milton Club house, showing the Ferris Wheel at Riverside Park.

Read more about Riverside Park here:

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2020/04/riverside-park-milton.html

The park flooded in 1926, and may have closed permanently at that time.    It was definitely closed in 1928.

By  1927, the Riverside Park clubhouse became the Milton Sportsman's Club.  Articles about events held there in 1937 specify the "Milton's Sportsman's Clubhouse at Riverside Park".  The nearby Otzinachson Club House, with it's new golf course, opened in May of 1927.

The Milton Clubhouse after the 1936 flood

Newspaper advertisements as early as 1934, through 1938, referred to it as The Milton Park Club.  I can't quite read the sign, but it's possible it says "Parks".

Newspaper advertisements however, referred to it as the "Milton Park Club", from 1934-1938.

By 1938, advertisements referred to this building as the Rendezvous.  In 1939, it was referred to as "Formerly the Milton Park Club".  It was owned by two sisters, Ida & Helen.

The Rendezvous Sign in the 1975 flood

See more photos from the 1975 flood here:

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-1975-flood-along-susquehanna-river.html

1981

Re-Opend as Steamers, Friday August 28th 1981

Steamers was destroyed in a fire on May 18th 1984

The fire was ruled arson, but no one was charged.  Others recall it as accidental - started by an ashtray with a still smoldering cigarette being dumped into a trash bag.

================

READ MORE
===============

1812

Obviously this is not referring to the bar, but I came across this while searching for information on the bar.  

In 1967 the Rendezvous had a Shuffleboard Team.

======================

Ye Old Meeting Place [YOMP], south of what was the Rendezvous, was formerly the Triangle.