The Jack Rabbit was built in 1921 and was able to reach higher speeds than previous Kennywood coasters by building wheels under the track. When the Racer was first built, it held the record as the largest racing coaster in the world. The Racer was first built in 1910 and featured twin tracks that gave riders the sensation that they were racing against the cars on the opposite path. The Olde Kennywood Railroad Engine used in the 1939 World's Fair.įrom 1910 to 1930, the park opened several new attractions, including the popular Racer and Jack Rabbit wooden roller coasters. Henninger, who were responsible for the modern day layout of Kennywood. The park remained unchanged until 1906 when it was sold to A. It was a wooden coaster named The Figure Eight that traveled eight to ten miles per hour, speedy by that period’s standards. In 1902, the park’s first roller coaster was built. The ride put passengers in boats as they journeyed on a stream through a haunted factory. The next year, Kennywood opened its first dark ride, The Old Mill.

In 1900, the Monongahela Street Railway Company and the Pittsburgh Street Railway Company merged and began to add additional attractions to the park, including a small artificial lake, another dance pavilion, and more picnic groves. In 1899, a casino building, dance pavilion, and carousel were added, marking the beginning of Kennywood as an entertainment venue.ĭue to steep competition from other trolley parks, the next three years were critical to Kennywood’s survival. Davidson’s first layout merely consisted of a picnic area for families to enjoy on weekends. Davidson, who later became Kennywood’s manager. The original design of the park was planned by the company’s chief engineer, George S. The railway company leased a piece of land from Anthony Kenny that was originally called Kenny’s Grove, but was later renamed Kennywood Park by Mellon. Kennywood was founded in 1898 by the Monongahela Street Railway Company, which was partially managed by Andrew Mellon.

With its perfect balance of live entertainment, exciting games, greasy food, and thrilling rides, it is no wonder that Kennywood has been named the National Amusement Park Historical Association’s favorite traditional amusement park. The park, which has been long recognized as the birthplace and graveyard of Pennsylvania’s greatest amusement park rides, still remains in its original location in West Mifflin, just ten miles outside the city of Pittsburgh. Kennywood's famous entrance sign alongside its largest roller coaster, The Phantom's Revenge.Ī place in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania that was once a simple picnic area at the end of a trolley line is now an amusement park once designated as “The Roller Coaster Capital of the World.” Kennywood Park’s transformation over the years to the large, fun-filled, family setting it is today seems to have flown by as quickly as its most prominent coasters.

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