Moosic, Pennsylvania, isn’t exactly the first place you’d look for ghosts of the Gilded Age, but they’re there. If you drive down toward the Lackawanna River, just off Route 11, you’re standing on top of what used to be a million-dollar playground. Rocky Glen Park PA wasn't just some local carnival. It was a massive, sprawling ecosystem of wood-frame roller coasters and flickering incandescent bulbs that defined the coal region for nearly a century. Today, it’s mostly woods and whispers, but the impact it left on the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre area is basically permanent.
Most people around here remember the "Ghost Town" years—the final, slightly desperate era of the park—but the real history is way weirder and more complex than just a closed-down amusement park. It survived the Great Depression, multiple devastating fires, and the total collapse of the anthracite coal industry. Then, it just stopped.
The Rise of a Coal Region Legend
Arthur Frothingham started the whole thing back in 1886. Imagine a guy buying a rugged, rocky glen for fifteen dollars. That’s not a typo. Fifteen bucks. He initially wanted to harvest ice, but he quickly realized people in the valley were desperate for a place to escape the soot and grime of the mines. By 1904, it was an official amusement park. It wasn't just about rides, though; it was about the spectacle.
The park was split into different sections over the years, sometimes even under different management. You had the "East Side" and the "West Side," which actually led to some pretty intense competition within the same property. One side would get a new coaster, and the other side would try to outdo them. It was chaotic. It was loud. It was perfect.
People flocked there via the "Laurel Line," the electric third-rail train that connected Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. You didn't need a car. You just hopped on the trolley, paid your nickel, and ended up in a lush, green valley filled with the smell of popcorn and ozone from the bumper cars. Honestly, the Laurel Line was as much a part of the Rocky Glen Park PA experience as the rides themselves.
The Coasters That Defined an Era
You can't talk about Rocky Glen without talking about the Million Dollar Coaster. Built in the early 1920s, it actually cost nowhere near a million dollars—it was more like $75,000—but the marketing worked. It was huge. It was terrifying for its time. People would ride it just to say they survived it.
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The park had a weird obsession with wood. Everything was timber. This made the park beautiful, but it also made it a giant tinderbox.
- The Jack Rabbit: A classic out-and-back coaster that used the natural topography of the glen.
- The Pippin: Another wooden beast that later became the basis for some of the most famous coasters in the country.
- The Comet: This was the one many Gen X-ers remember from the final years.
Fire was a constant threat. In 1916, a massive blaze ripped through the park, destroying a huge chunk of the attractions. Most owners would have quit. Not the guys at Rocky Glen. They just rebuilt, often bigger and stranger than before. They added a massive swimming pool—the Crystal Lake—which became the social hub of the valley during the humid PA summers.
Why Rocky Glen Park PA Changed Forever
World War II changed everything for the park. Post-war America wanted something different. The 1950s brought a shift in ownership to Ben and Mae Sterling. This was the "Sterling Era," and for many, it was the park's golden age. They brought in big bands, hosted huge picnics, and kept the place immaculate.
But the 1970s were less kind.
The park underwent a bizarre rebranding in 1974. They turned it into "Ghost Town in the Glen." Suddenly, the coal-region charm was replaced by a faux-Western theme. Gunfights in the streets. Can-can girls. It was a bit of a culture shock for the locals. It felt like the park was trying too hard to be something it wasn't.
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Eventually, it became "New Rocky Glen" in the 80s, but the writing was on the wall. Insurance costs were skyrocketing. The old wooden coasters were getting harder to maintain. In 1987, the gates closed for the final time. The rides were sold off at auction, scattered across the country like pieces of a broken heart. The famous 1903 Parker Carousel went to an auction in New York. The Jet Star coaster ended up at an amusement park in Altoona.
What's Actually Left Today?
If you go back there now, don't expect a museum. It's private property, and nature has reclaimed almost everything. The lake is still there, though it’s murky and overgrown. You can find concrete footings for the old coasters if you know where to look among the weeds.
There's a specific kind of sadness to seeing a place that once held 10,000 screaming fans on a Sunday afternoon reduced to silent woods. But the memory hasn't faded. You'll still see "Rocky Glen" t-shirts at the Lackawanna County Fair. There are entire Facebook groups dedicated to identifying people in old black-and-white photos taken at the Funhouse.
Navigating the Legacy
- The Marker: There is a Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission marker near the site. It’s the easiest way to "visit" without trespassing.
- Local Museums: The Anthracite Heritage Museum in Scranton occasionally features exhibits on regional recreation, including the park.
- Digital Archives: The Scranton Public Library has an incredible collection of digitized photos that show the park in its 1920s prime.
The reality is that Rocky Glen Park PA didn't just die because of bad management or a fire. It died because the world got smaller. People started flying to Disney World. They wanted steel loops and high-tech animatronics, not wooden slats and local charm.
But Disney doesn't have the soul that Rocky Glen had. It doesn't have the connection to the coal mines or the local trolley lines. It was a specific place for a specific people.
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Actionable Steps for History Seekers
If you're looking to connect with the history of Rocky Glen, start at the Anthracite Heritage Museum in McDade Park. They provide the context of why these parks were so vital to the immigrant families working the mines.
Next, take a drive down Rocky Glen Road in Moosic. You can't enter the old grounds, but you can see the valley's geography and understand why Frothingham chose this spot. The steep hills and the proximity to the river made it a natural amphitheater for noise and excitement.
Finally, look for the book Rocky Glen Park by Robert A. Janosov. It’s the definitive resource, filled with photos that haven't been scrubbed or filtered. It shows the grit, the glamour, and the eventual decay.
The park is gone, but the footprint is still there. You just have to look past the trees.