Postcard courtesy of Pine Island Amusement Park Facebook Page. You can't see the wood floor well but it was wood alright. Pretty much all were wood.
The Pavilion
Pine Island Trolley/Amusement Park Roller Rink, Goffs Falls, Manchester, NH
Pine Island Trolley/Amusement Park Roller Rink, Goffs Falls, Manchester, NH
This unique and classic all wooden rink was in Pine Island Park, a trolley park where an 18 minutes ride from the City (Manchester), New Hampshire would bring people to the park to enjoy several recreational and amusement fun. It began as recreational park but quickly became trolley park then amusement park. The park began in 1902 and closed for good in 1962 because of the elimination of trolleys and advancement of American superhighways and automobiles which made advancement on traveling further distance.
First it was a swimming area with large bathhouses. Apparently one gender for each side. And had thick 3000 plus Pine trees which the park was named after and for. I am sure the scent was strong with pine when park goers went there to enjoy especially after the rain.
It began as recreational such as picnic, canoeing, according to postcards prior to the park opening (check them out in Facebook).
Then it became a basic park with a few amusement rides and grew in sizes on the same property into more of an amusement park rather than a simple trolley park. It had drive-in theater, swimming, ice and roller rinks, amusement rides including the wooden roller coaster, kiddie rides, and carousel.
At the moment, I do not have the exact date for the roller rink opening but the park itself. It was 1902 when the park opened. If that was the case, then the rink was opened at that time also.
UPDATE: They originally built what was called The Pavilion and then they built a new building to replace the original, they kept the original building and used that as a roller rink. They kept that until 1963. In 1965, the rink was burned down.
But the park ran into problems in the late 1930s. First the swimming area was banned due to pollution in the lake and the flooding around the same time. Usually flooding can bring derbies and pollution into the lake or even river anywhere especially septic can bring out.
Then suddenly two years later in 1938, a powerful New England hurricane called The Yankee Clipper slammed the region in the Northeast felled 3000 pine trees and did substantial damages to the rides and buildings at the park. This was at the ending of the Depression. But the park owners did not give up and kept it operational until it finally gave up in 1962 because of superhighways, affordable automobiles, and newer theme and amusement parks popping up elsewhere (think Disney, Six Flags, etc). There were many incidents occurred at the park.
Trolley parks were on way out because of the newer type of parks-both Amusement park franchises such as Six Flags, Sea World, and theme parks such as Disney and Universal.
The park once again suffered damages which was then fire. This sound eerie because it sounded like what the Bible says. First flood (Noah's time), then disaster (Tribulation), then fire (Judgement Day).
The rink according to one postcard I could find and from what I see. it was entirely wood. Likely the structure may have been Pine because of the trees there. I am not sure. Just an opinion but it could be any thing else. As for the floor, for sure it was wood. Maple? I am not sure.
On one end as you can see in postcard it has an organ set up at that end and to the left corner, it apparently had a rise platform perhaps for a band? Maybe because the park had musicians come in and play such as Duke Ellington according to an ad seen on Facebook group page. But I am not sure if he ever played at the rink. It could have been in an amphitheater at the park.
On the left side, you can see where skaters can rest and watch the rink. In fact, it had upstairs! Skaters or more so for non-skaters to observe skaters skate from balcony.
The ceiling showed the roof was a Combination style- Gambrel with Hip because the roof had several kinds of pitch and on each end it was Hip because it was straight up to the tip.
I do not have any exterior photos of the rink. I searched on Facebook and elsewhere.
Me think that the rink was the dance hall. Was it? And that was where ice rink was during the winter? I do not have such information but this page will be updated.
The park itself was 135 acres.
Closed for good on May or June 1962. Like I said about the pollution, the flood, the hurricane, and the fire. Was this park cursed? You can decide that by reading the article in Cow Hampshire.
Today the park has become the park. That is, a recreational park.. just like it was before the trolley park. Other part of it became commercial property and a company has cleared more trees!
There are very rich history on the park if you go check it out on Facebook and read in Cow Hampshire Blog.
Rink Size: N/A Floor: Wood Floor Layout: N/A
Building Size: N/A Built: c. 1901/2 Type of Building: Wooden.
Roof: Combination of Gambrel and Hip.
Acres: 135 Acres
Operated: For the park itself- 1902 to May/June 1962
Reason for Closure: Fire destroyed some of the park, money, competition, automobiles, and superhighways.
Wanted: Information regarding that the rink was actually in the dance hall. Exact date of open and close of the rink itself in the amusement park.
Sources: FRRP, Facebook, Cow Hampshire Blog, Retro Planet,
© 2019 - 2020 Dead Rinks. All Rights Reserved.
First it was a swimming area with large bathhouses. Apparently one gender for each side. And had thick 3000 plus Pine trees which the park was named after and for. I am sure the scent was strong with pine when park goers went there to enjoy especially after the rain.
It began as recreational such as picnic, canoeing, according to postcards prior to the park opening (check them out in Facebook).
Then it became a basic park with a few amusement rides and grew in sizes on the same property into more of an amusement park rather than a simple trolley park. It had drive-in theater, swimming, ice and roller rinks, amusement rides including the wooden roller coaster, kiddie rides, and carousel.
At the moment, I do not have the exact date for the roller rink opening but the park itself. It was 1902 when the park opened. If that was the case, then the rink was opened at that time also.
UPDATE: They originally built what was called The Pavilion and then they built a new building to replace the original, they kept the original building and used that as a roller rink. They kept that until 1963. In 1965, the rink was burned down.
But the park ran into problems in the late 1930s. First the swimming area was banned due to pollution in the lake and the flooding around the same time. Usually flooding can bring derbies and pollution into the lake or even river anywhere especially septic can bring out.
Then suddenly two years later in 1938, a powerful New England hurricane called The Yankee Clipper slammed the region in the Northeast felled 3000 pine trees and did substantial damages to the rides and buildings at the park. This was at the ending of the Depression. But the park owners did not give up and kept it operational until it finally gave up in 1962 because of superhighways, affordable automobiles, and newer theme and amusement parks popping up elsewhere (think Disney, Six Flags, etc). There were many incidents occurred at the park.
Trolley parks were on way out because of the newer type of parks-both Amusement park franchises such as Six Flags, Sea World, and theme parks such as Disney and Universal.
The park once again suffered damages which was then fire. This sound eerie because it sounded like what the Bible says. First flood (Noah's time), then disaster (Tribulation), then fire (Judgement Day).
The rink according to one postcard I could find and from what I see. it was entirely wood. Likely the structure may have been Pine because of the trees there. I am not sure. Just an opinion but it could be any thing else. As for the floor, for sure it was wood. Maple? I am not sure.
On one end as you can see in postcard it has an organ set up at that end and to the left corner, it apparently had a rise platform perhaps for a band? Maybe because the park had musicians come in and play such as Duke Ellington according to an ad seen on Facebook group page. But I am not sure if he ever played at the rink. It could have been in an amphitheater at the park.
On the left side, you can see where skaters can rest and watch the rink. In fact, it had upstairs! Skaters or more so for non-skaters to observe skaters skate from balcony.
The ceiling showed the roof was a Combination style- Gambrel with Hip because the roof had several kinds of pitch and on each end it was Hip because it was straight up to the tip.
I do not have any exterior photos of the rink. I searched on Facebook and elsewhere.
Me think that the rink was the dance hall. Was it? And that was where ice rink was during the winter? I do not have such information but this page will be updated.
The park itself was 135 acres.
Closed for good on May or June 1962. Like I said about the pollution, the flood, the hurricane, and the fire. Was this park cursed? You can decide that by reading the article in Cow Hampshire.
Today the park has become the park. That is, a recreational park.. just like it was before the trolley park. Other part of it became commercial property and a company has cleared more trees!
There are very rich history on the park if you go check it out on Facebook and read in Cow Hampshire Blog.
Rink Size: N/A Floor: Wood Floor Layout: N/A
Building Size: N/A Built: c. 1901/2 Type of Building: Wooden.
Roof: Combination of Gambrel and Hip.
Acres: 135 Acres
Operated: For the park itself- 1902 to May/June 1962
Reason for Closure: Fire destroyed some of the park, money, competition, automobiles, and superhighways.
Wanted: Information regarding that the rink was actually in the dance hall. Exact date of open and close of the rink itself in the amusement park.
Sources: FRRP, Facebook, Cow Hampshire Blog, Retro Planet,
© 2019 - 2020 Dead Rinks. All Rights Reserved.