Wayne History : Beechwood Park

Contents

History

Beechwood Park is one of the remarkable mysteries of suburban Philadelphia history. Located in Havertown, Haverford Township in the neighborhood known as Beechwood (or Brookline) near several Revolution-era remnants such as Nitre Hall and Washington's Powder House, the Park was one of several amusement parks in the area to be built by trolley companies in order to entice passengers to ride the rails. What makes Beechwood Park unusual is that despite its size and numerous attractions it lasted just two seasons. Very little information about it exists today.

In 1899 a local railroad, the Philadelphia & West Chester Traction Company, opened Castle Rocks Park, 10 miles from 69th Street Terminal, west of Edgemont on West Chester Pike. The Park became popular for picnics and other gatherings, but despite good reviews and attractive scenery, it could not keep up with Willow Grove Park and Woodside Park, both run by competing railroads. Around the same time Castle Rocks Park was abandoned and its namesake rocks were crushed for railroad ballast, the Philadelphia & Western began work on a new park at Beechwood. The newer park, located in Haverford Township, Delaware County, was just a short ride from 69th Street and opened to a crowd of 5,000 on May 30, 1907.

The most complete descriptions of the park come from Ron DeGraw's 1972 book "The Red Arrow:"

"The Royal Imperial Italian Band was on hand for the (opening), decked out in splendid red and green uniforms. The nickelodeon was playing "The Great Train Robbery," and European acrobats performed for the breathless throngs.

"Although Beechwood Amusement Park contained only 20 acres, it had many more amusements than Castle Rocks. There was a roller coaster, a ferris wheel, a big midway with a 32-foot wide boardwalk, a tunnel-of-love, a crazy house, games of chance, a bandstand, a merry-go-round, swings, a "Japanese garden," a restaurant and several other amusements.

"The railroad even built a third track to handle the crowds that were expected at Beechwood Park. Fireworks were the big attraction on Friday nights.

"A contemporary magazine article praised the park:

"'The amusement section, which is enclosed, consists of about ten acres properly laid out and devoted exclusively to the best attractions and high-class music, while an additional ten acres of prettily shaded woodland comprise the picnic grove. it is hoped to make tis a great family resort, inasmuch as the policy announced by the management prohibits the sale of liquors, and special attention will be given to women and children.'"

DeGraw then describes the park's rapid decline, helped in part by a riot outside the gypsy fortune-teller's tent during the Park's first season. During that same season the park fell into massive debt, and lost $700 per week. Bonds were sold to help alleviate the financial difficulties, but a fraction of those issued were ever sold.

The park officially closed in August, 1909. A decade later the powerhouse across the tracks was abandoned and the Park's land was sold for development. Houses were built on that land in the 1920s and '30s, and nearly all traces of the Park were lost forever. All that remained were the tall concrete pillars which once supported the walkway extending from the trolley station to the Park entrance. Some of these ruins were demolished in 1958; for some reason they "bothered" neighbors. At least one of the concrete supports was left standing until the 1990s, when it too was taken down. Today the only remaining remnant of the once-grand park is a concrete wall with embossed arches. The wall was where the walkway met the entrance. Today it is extremely overgrown, yet it is the only lasting representation of the Park.

It is truly remarkable that a park such as Beechwood has been so thoroughly forgotten. Unlike Willow Grove, Lenape and other Philadelphia-area parks, Beechwood has fallen into complete obscurity. Also unusual is that no postcards of Beechwood Park are known to exist; its few short seasons of operation occured in the very middle of the postcard craze. It is almost certain that the Park would be totally forgotten today without books such as "The Red Arrow" and Arcadia Publishing's recent "Haverford Township," which printed two previously unpublished pictures of the Park.

Photos

Wayne History Online Photos
One of the best overall pictures of the park. The main gateway is still under construction at this point. The roller coaster is visible on the left.	The completed park entryway seen from the trolley tracks.	The Beechwood Park Station in 1907, now known as Beechwood Brookline Station on the SEPTA Route 100.
	The completed park entryway seen from the trolley tracks.

Another view of Beechwood Park Station. Passengers would depart the trolleys, climb the stairs and go across the walkway to enter the park. The concrete support was not taken down until the 1990s.	One of the P&W's main power stations was located at the park. The gateway can be seen in the right background.	An interior shot of the Beechwood Park powerhouse.

Beechwood Park powerhouse as seen from across the tracks.	The site of the park in 1933. All the buildings, including the roller coaster, were gone at this point. The land was soon sold for real estate development.	Trolleys (including this Strafford car) continued to serve the neighborhood of Beechwood-Brookline after the park closed. Still, some ruins of the park remained, such as the concrete pillars which once supported the walkway.

The concrete ruin is seen here, in the winter of 1966.

Notes

For more about the Park and the P&W, please refer to Ronald DeGraw's "The Red Arrow," one of the most extensive and exhaustively researched books about a single subject on the planet. Some of the photos were also taken from the book "Haverford Township" by Arcadia Publishing, which is much more widely available.