Comments on: Chicago Fire, Freedomland USA,Bronx, New York, New York, 1961

By: Mike Virgintino

Mike Virgintino — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 03:09:43 +0000

To comment on the last post by Billy, I was part of the movement against that Disney park in Virginia. The reason for the outcry was they were going to build it on land that played a role in the Civil War battle of Manassas, or Bull Run. Later, a developer got control of the property and actually started digging to put in a pipe line before a court order stopped it. President Regan signed the paper for the Feds to purchase the land and make it part of the adjacent National Park Service battle land.

As for Freedomland, we now have a Facebook page. Please join us and post your memories as we want to build the site with pictures, videos and memories: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Freedomland-USA-The-Worlds-Largest-Entertainment-Center/246939775358072

By: Billy

Billy — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 05:58:12 +0000

One last Fact for everyone , Why in 1990 did the Disney Company want to Build Disney America in Virginia which if you look at the plans for that theme park it would have been a carbon copy or twin of Freedomland , the only reason the park was canceled in 1994 was because the community was against the park, again it shows everyone that if Disney was going to Build a park like Freedomland then they thought highly of Freedomland, One fact about the Disney Company they will not invest funds into something that there is a risk of a loss ,thats why Disney is a Great Company and again it shows the facts of Freedomland Pressure to build CO-OP City forced Freedomland to Close.

By: Billy

Billy — Sun, 15 May 2011 06:22:06 +0000

Sadly what Mike writes about Freedomland is the truth,the main reason Freedomland closed was because of pressure to build Co-op city. The first fout seasons Freedomland made money the last season 1964 lost money mainly because of the Worlds Fair which I will say lost money from day one and was the last Worlds Fair in New York.Freedomland had over Forty major companies involved in its operation so the funds were always there to keep the park open, True 1965&1966 Freedomland was to expand its operation and in 1964 a rollercoaster was bought at the cost of a million dollars from Italy,that shows everyone the owners wanted to keep the park opened,Today Freedomland would never be allowed to close our Elected Officals would make sure of it , Freedomland would be a Major Employer and all the companies needed to support the park plus the Tourist Dollars would rival Disney World in fact Freedomland would have been a better park in a better Location . I have been to Freedomland & Disney World& Disney land Freedomland was the Best.

By: susan

susan — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 12:35:39 +0000

just to correct the website that mike mentioned above no longer works..here is the link to rob’s new site..it was taken down last year

http://freedomlandusa.webng.com/

By: NatetheGrate

NatetheGrate — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 03:59:52 +0000

Wow! I remember Freedomland even though I was only a very young boy when it opened. Mostly, I remember the looonnnng walk from the car and the seemingly longer walk back after we left!

By: Mike Virgintino

Mike Virgintino — Sun, 17 May 2009 23:22:06 +0000

Would love to see the tape. If you can upload to YouTube, let us know so we and many others can enjoy.

Mike

By: Dennis Gallagher

Dennis Gallagher — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 01:05:25 +0000

I know I’m late but wanted to add my 2 cents. I grew up across the river in West orange,NJ. My Dad took me to Freedomland USA the first year it was open, I think i was about ten. We weren’t able to go to the Jersey Shore that year for vacation because my Mom had just had my brother so this was the “instead of”
I had a great time. the thing I remember most was the Fire. i think I saw it burn 3 times.
My Dad made some home movies of Freedomland and my brother put it on tape. Not sure I can find it but will look if anyone is interested. leave me a mesage here if you are.
My beast to all who were able to share in a great time past

By: Mike Virgintino

Mike Virgintino — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 15:24:04 +0000

Doing more research on Freedomland, I again came across this site and wanted to provide a bit more information.

I visited the area a couple of months ago. The park was located on the area of what is now Co-Op City where the shopping center now stands. A small area remains undeveloped, at the angle where the Hutchison River Parkway and New England Thruway intersect. A sign there says the remaining land is available for an office building.

I walked this ground and found a lot of construction debris among the high weeds. Hopefully looking for something from Freedomland poking through the dirt, but no luck.

Been told that the Teamsters Union has owned this land for many years and this was part of the original plan to build the housing project and shopping center. It was politics, real estate and money.

Many misconceptions are relayed as fact about the park, how it operated, how rides operated and the plans to build the housing project. If anyone has any questions, please post them here. I will check frequently. While I am not the ultra expert, there is a person much more knowledgeable than me who I can ask and then reply.

By: Richard Parker

Richard Parker — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 11:21:47 +0000

I was a visitor who manned the fire pump at the Freedomland Chicago fire exhibit. I remember I was just old enough,ten. The handles were metal, but I believe they were sandwhiched between two pieces of wood, so one could get a better grip. When the handles were up they were over my head, at neutral, eye level. I remember the fireman did not direct the water into the windows with the fake fire in them. He purposely aimed above, below or to the sides. The fake fire would slowly die down after they yelled at you to pump harder. If you stayed to watch it twice, you could see the same thing happened each time.
Until I someone reminded me, here, I did not remember the Civil War battlefield ride. “Surreal” is right. They put you in a covered wagon and drove you through a battle and I think a town. Mostly, I can remember you went through water, at stream or river recreation, and the wagons really swayed side to side, in mud, just like in the movies. I believe this area bordered another area that was a meadow which was unfinished. It looked like there was more to come.
I believe there was also a Ford Model T ride. They had cars that actually functioned. There were concrete guard rails, and the roads were lowered into the ground, so if someone went out of control you would only hit the side about 2 1/2 feet away on either side.
We have a picture of my brother and myself, leaning up against a cannon. I believe we purchased a black cowboy hat, a toy derringer, a bullwhip (bad mistake because this was in the days when you could hit or spank kids for discipline, and my father doubled it up and used it on me a couple of times), some fox pelts, and I think a sheepskin, that I used on my bed.
We also got some posters, made on a real period printing press, by a guy dressed the part, with those sleeve bands and a visor. One poster was a Civil war recruitment poster that said “Sprague” on top. Sprague, Connecticut? I have always wondered what that means? The other one was cool. It was a western “wanted” poster with mine and my brothers name on it as the desperados. We could add something “mean” before our names so they sounded cool. I can’t remember what we added.
I have often wondered what items or equipment were props and what may have been real. Remember, Freedomland opened less than 100 years before the end of the Civil War. Were the cannons or wagons or printing press real? I think the Model T Fords were fake but at that time, they would have been only around 30 years old. I collect old nautical and war items, and at that time, you could purchase a midievil suit of armor through A&S department store for $300. Try to find that now, $50,000 plus. If the fire pump was real, it should be in some museum, now, but back then old stuff was sometimes thrown away. Does anyone know where it is or if it was real?
Anyway, I always thought Freedomland would be there, forever, like Disneyland. That’s probably why we only went once. Though we lived in Brooklyn, we also had a house and boat on Long Island and after I became 12, boats and fishing took my attention away from amusement parks. The only other one I went to was Coney Island, best old roller coaster, but Freedomland….kids these days really missed out!

By: Scott Mercer

Scott Mercer — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 19:57:38 +0000

Freedomland was demolished just prior to my birth. My grandparents lived in Co-Op City, and nearly every time we drove over to visit them, my Dad would mention Freedomland. This was in the early 1970′s.

These stories did me no good, since I couldn’t visit the place, and I got kind of ticked off that they had knocked it down. I couldn’t see what it looked like either, and my Dad had scant few details of what the rides were. Thank Jobs for the internet, I’ve seen plenty of pictures of it now.

Reading this now I’m shocked that Freedomland was built and only operated for five short years. But then, the back story that Mike Virgintino provides tells us why. Whether this story is true or some kind of conspiracy theory, it’s still sad.

Charles, in tribute to your generally sunny outlook, this one time I am going to choose to avoid being cynical, and just think that the park did not succeed financially, rather than the idea that it was never meant to last more than 5 years anyway, and was just a scam for a greedy land developer to get his nose under the tent and build Co-Op City 15 years earlier than he would have otherwise.