Bottom two above courtesy of Whalom Park website. I love the beautiful Whalom Park logo with the photos and graphics. It did not give a date but from the appearance, it has to be 1900s or 1910s before the ushering in of Art Deco graphics. It is Art Nouveau appearance. Looked like the rink is in the middle picture.
Above two courtesy of Whalom Park website. Noticed those two photos showed it was opened up walls for air. Originally it was open air building. It was all opened up and when closed down for the night, they close the window shutters. When opened, it acts as a canopy. Great for park goers to run to when there is a heavy rain or thunderstorm rolling by. And for parents to watch children skating from outside. Later years, they covered up so they can use HVAC system especially heaters in wintertime. Noticed the grounds had no pavements, thick forest-like. and the ground slopped toward left. New photos showed flat. Google Map now showed those condos they are slopped UP. Wow, ground tilts! No, that was how they landscaped to flatten the ground to make it more modern park without grass (if too many people stomp the grounds, and when it is raining, you get muddy ground and mud on your shoes, boots, and long skirts. Women by that time were tired of holding up skirts! (This is why in1920s, mini-skirts were born!)
This photo showed next generation. They installed windows which likely they installed HVAC system by that time. Also ground flattened.
Courtesy of Whalom Park website. Now you see the ground is flat? Many trees gone? And pavement. This is a video capture of the rink with the majorette house (blue building). They both are not attached. It appeared in this capture but it is not. Windows are gone, they redone the building after that fire and removed the windows. Turned into more like a warehouse look. This video looked like from 1980s or 1990s. The roof in that video looked so good! Maybe too good. Looked like brand new roof done.
Above two courtesy of Whalom Park website. The final legs and closing of the rink and park.
Both courtesy of Google Map. The before as the park and the after as condos/apartments. My, the newer map is blurred! Huh, Google?
Courtesy of Youtube. The rink was easily shown in this video as the parade began in front of the rink and walk around the Ferris Wheel (seen in video) and they walk through the Midway.
Courtesy of Fitchburg Sentinel May 7, 1906. The opening of the rink. The article had a black streak perfectly straight and I am unable to read what it said. So, I put a question mark next to those 2 words. But I was able to make out what the rest of the words on that line. You will see. I had to fix that line. Newspaper clipping repaired by Dead-Rinks.
Courtesy of Fitchburg Sentinel, May 28, 1930. Grand opening. Newspaper clipping repaired by Dead-Rinks.
Courtesy of Fitchburg Sentinel, Dec 3, 1938. Announcing new Heating. They must have called the Falso company. Haha.
Courtesy of US Roller Skating Magazine/Skating Review September/October 1942.
Fitchburg Sentinel Thursday April 1, 1943. New floor was installed. But saying that the renovation was not completed. To be opened next day though while renovations to be completed. Newspaper clipping repaired by Dead-Rinks.
Billboard January 15, 1949. Explained history in Whalom Park. I attempted to balance the background and it would not work when I tried to lighten the background. When you do, the fonts gets whiteouts too. So, nothing I can do. The original was quite dark.
The fire of 1951 --
Left: Billboard November 24, 1951. Right: Billboard December 1, 1951. Both related about the fire and what they were going to do. They had a quick solution and it worked well with good corporation between the two.
Fitchburg Sentinel September 27, 1968. Retirement and reunion party for retiring operator Lillian LaVenture.
Fitchburg Sentinel September 30, 1968, page 9. I attempted to retrive from the website but it seem their saying is no results. Does not make any sense. But I found this.
Whalom Park Roller Rink King's Corner, Fitchburg, MA
Whalom Park Roller Rink Route 13, Fitchburg, MA
Whalom Park Roller Rink Route 13, Fitchburg, MA
Whalom Park Roller Rink had its beginning in 1906 in King's Corner in Fitchburg, MA but the rink was too small and they had to relocate to the beloved Whalom Park Trolley Park which became an Amusement Park by the time the roller rink became part of the park.
Stepping back to the Whalom Park, the park was a Trolley park which started in 1893 and trolleys made stops at the park. It was set on the West side of the Lake Whalom. It grew considering well in 1890s and early 1900s that it became a regular amusement park for many to enjoy. There are numerous of sites and article and social media so much dedicated to this awesome park as well the rink.
They had a 3,000 USD organ to play music at the rink. People actually could hear it from outside and come in and skate. I am sure for the ballroom, they did the same but with several big name bands and singers and known people including John Wayne, Mickey Rooney, and others.
Several operators operated there. The beginning had Nelson Lewis who began the park in 1893 and handed operations over to Fitchburg & Leominster Street Railway Co. who operated the park and operated but it was in 1906 that Edward H. and Lillian Laventure began roller skating rink and relocated it to the Whalom Park because of the size of the small rink. They operated the in 1930 to 1964 at the Whalom Park. It was set up at the North End of the park near Whalom Road.
But October 30, 1951, they had a fire at the Midway and the fire spread to other attractions and a part of the rink. Two fire departments arrived to do well controlled the fire because there were no winds that the fire easily controlled. Because of the small damages, they repaired it but the Whalom Park management offered their dance hall as a replacement for the rink. The rental skates were destroyed in the fire. it cost 10,000 USD in 1951 for all the skates. (Wow, that is quite too expensive at the time.) It would amount to this day's 99,543 USD! Way expensive! I must say. Note: this is not a typo according to US Inflation Calculator.
They quickly reset up the rink somehow because of the rentals were gone. They must have had enough to cover insurance which was a blessing for them because most rinks had fires from what I read and made profiles, they had to shut down for good because insurance would not cover rebuilt and replacement. Just take money and run. Or never got money (a rink in Florida never got money for replacement).
The rink caught on fire in the coat room at the rink that spread part of the rink and the Midway. (I think this is the second fire I heard about that happened in the coast room. Another rink in guess where? Massachusetts. This is understandable how fires can happen. Cigarettes smoking by the staff or unfinished cigarettes in coat pockets, or the heater was too close to the coats.. anything.
The replacement was the Park Ballroom temporarily and the rink was back in business as usual in the old place at the park.
In 1964, Edward LaVenture passed away and his widow, Lillian operated the rink until her retirement in September 1968. It was Paul L. Gagnon who bought out the business part of the rink that year and operated till the rink closed. One source said in 1970s but other sources said later. Jenna Russell who wrote "Coasting to a stop at Whalom Park," The Boston Globe, October 19, 2006 said the rink closed that year. I believe that was her error because proof shown in photos which is worth a 1000 words to say it was different. Jenna, did you know that it was really closed a little longer before that because it was no longer a skating rink because of the condition of the floor that was warped and then it became a flea market center for flea market and other venues used there. So, technically the rink went out of business before that. One source said 1970s. Others said 2000s which was an error too because that was when the entire amusement park closed. So that was a conflict. Likely closed in my opinion is 1970s.
I can understand why some conflicting because the rink floor was warped so bad and they discovered it would quite be very expensive to replace Maple floor if that is what they had. So, the rink was closed for good because of the floor. It was not skating-able. It became a flea market and part of the building for offices and mascot changing rooms. It also served as a warehouse for supplies then later, it was reopened as wrestling matches till the park closed for good.
But the park was already in decline and they closed in year 2000. This park seemed to weather better than Lincoln Park and an other park that plagued with roller coaster deaths and accidents as well as series of fires. This beloved and popular rink and park came to an end.
Today it is all condo with huge lake front yard. You can even go there and see more photos at this small round memorial that showed pictures. It is located at... 94 Lake Front Ave, Lunenburg, Massachusetts. Park in front of the lake and walk up to that round thing and enjoy looking at it. I wish they did built a museum to safely put pictures and some rides in there as displays. Rarely such a park has a museum like that. I doubt any of them have one like that.
King's Corner --
The Interior.
N/A.
The Exterior.
N/A.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Likely wood. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built: 1906. Demolished: N/A.
Type of Building: N/A.
Roof: N/A.
Acres: N/A.
Whalom Park -- (Pre and post fire)
The Interior.
N/A.
The Exterior.
It was a Hip Roof style long building that housed the rink This was the same building where the fire had and was repaired till it was all fixed. The length of the building worked as a barrier between Whalom Road and the amusement park. The style has changed often as you can see in post cards.
Originally it was open air building. It was all opened up and when closed down for the night, they close the window shutters. When opened, it acts as a canopy. Great for park goers to run to when there is a heavy rain or thunderstorm rolling by. And for parents to watch children skating from outside. Later years, they covered up so they can use HVAC system especially heaters in wintertime.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Likely wood. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built: 1930 (rebuilt in 1951). Demolished: October 2006.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Truss Steel-Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Gable.
Acres: 100 Acres (includes Whalom Park Amusement Park).
Operated: 1906 to 1983. (1970s according to one source) others say 2000 (but that's the entire park closure) Jenny Russell said 2006 which was in error too. That was when the building being torn down. Obituary says 1983.
Whalom Park Roller Rink King's Corner: 1906 to 1930.
Whalom Park Roller Rink Route 13: 1930 to 1983.
Reason for Closure:
Whalom Park Roller Rink King's Corner: Rink was too small with too many skaters, needed find larger place.
Whalom Park Roller Rink Route 13: Warped floor that made skating non-safe and difficult plus too expensive to replace floor.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also photos especially of interior. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources: Wikipedia - Whalom Park Amusement Park; "Coasting to a stop at Whalom Park," The Boston Globe, October 19, 2006, Jenna Russell; Whalom Park History Tele-a-Map; Whalom Park History - Roller Rink;
Whalom Park e-museum website; Wikipedia - Massachusetts 13; WBZ 4 CBS News Boston - Keep memory alive;
Flickr - tons of photos on Whalom Park; Abandoned Park- Whalom Park; Fitchburg Sentinel October 11, 2006 - Demolishing the rink;
Date of issue: 16 January 2021.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:16.
Stepping back to the Whalom Park, the park was a Trolley park which started in 1893 and trolleys made stops at the park. It was set on the West side of the Lake Whalom. It grew considering well in 1890s and early 1900s that it became a regular amusement park for many to enjoy. There are numerous of sites and article and social media so much dedicated to this awesome park as well the rink.
They had a 3,000 USD organ to play music at the rink. People actually could hear it from outside and come in and skate. I am sure for the ballroom, they did the same but with several big name bands and singers and known people including John Wayne, Mickey Rooney, and others.
Several operators operated there. The beginning had Nelson Lewis who began the park in 1893 and handed operations over to Fitchburg & Leominster Street Railway Co. who operated the park and operated but it was in 1906 that Edward H. and Lillian Laventure began roller skating rink and relocated it to the Whalom Park because of the size of the small rink. They operated the in 1930 to 1964 at the Whalom Park. It was set up at the North End of the park near Whalom Road.
But October 30, 1951, they had a fire at the Midway and the fire spread to other attractions and a part of the rink. Two fire departments arrived to do well controlled the fire because there were no winds that the fire easily controlled. Because of the small damages, they repaired it but the Whalom Park management offered their dance hall as a replacement for the rink. The rental skates were destroyed in the fire. it cost 10,000 USD in 1951 for all the skates. (Wow, that is quite too expensive at the time.) It would amount to this day's 99,543 USD! Way expensive! I must say. Note: this is not a typo according to US Inflation Calculator.
They quickly reset up the rink somehow because of the rentals were gone. They must have had enough to cover insurance which was a blessing for them because most rinks had fires from what I read and made profiles, they had to shut down for good because insurance would not cover rebuilt and replacement. Just take money and run. Or never got money (a rink in Florida never got money for replacement).
The rink caught on fire in the coat room at the rink that spread part of the rink and the Midway. (I think this is the second fire I heard about that happened in the coast room. Another rink in guess where? Massachusetts. This is understandable how fires can happen. Cigarettes smoking by the staff or unfinished cigarettes in coat pockets, or the heater was too close to the coats.. anything.
The replacement was the Park Ballroom temporarily and the rink was back in business as usual in the old place at the park.
In 1964, Edward LaVenture passed away and his widow, Lillian operated the rink until her retirement in September 1968. It was Paul L. Gagnon who bought out the business part of the rink that year and operated till the rink closed. One source said in 1970s but other sources said later. Jenna Russell who wrote "Coasting to a stop at Whalom Park," The Boston Globe, October 19, 2006 said the rink closed that year. I believe that was her error because proof shown in photos which is worth a 1000 words to say it was different. Jenna, did you know that it was really closed a little longer before that because it was no longer a skating rink because of the condition of the floor that was warped and then it became a flea market center for flea market and other venues used there. So, technically the rink went out of business before that. One source said 1970s. Others said 2000s which was an error too because that was when the entire amusement park closed. So that was a conflict. Likely closed in my opinion is 1970s.
I can understand why some conflicting because the rink floor was warped so bad and they discovered it would quite be very expensive to replace Maple floor if that is what they had. So, the rink was closed for good because of the floor. It was not skating-able. It became a flea market and part of the building for offices and mascot changing rooms. It also served as a warehouse for supplies then later, it was reopened as wrestling matches till the park closed for good.
But the park was already in decline and they closed in year 2000. This park seemed to weather better than Lincoln Park and an other park that plagued with roller coaster deaths and accidents as well as series of fires. This beloved and popular rink and park came to an end.
Today it is all condo with huge lake front yard. You can even go there and see more photos at this small round memorial that showed pictures. It is located at... 94 Lake Front Ave, Lunenburg, Massachusetts. Park in front of the lake and walk up to that round thing and enjoy looking at it. I wish they did built a museum to safely put pictures and some rides in there as displays. Rarely such a park has a museum like that. I doubt any of them have one like that.
King's Corner --
The Interior.
N/A.
The Exterior.
N/A.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Likely wood. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built: 1906. Demolished: N/A.
Type of Building: N/A.
Roof: N/A.
Acres: N/A.
Whalom Park -- (Pre and post fire)
The Interior.
N/A.
The Exterior.
It was a Hip Roof style long building that housed the rink This was the same building where the fire had and was repaired till it was all fixed. The length of the building worked as a barrier between Whalom Road and the amusement park. The style has changed often as you can see in post cards.
Originally it was open air building. It was all opened up and when closed down for the night, they close the window shutters. When opened, it acts as a canopy. Great for park goers to run to when there is a heavy rain or thunderstorm rolling by. And for parents to watch children skating from outside. Later years, they covered up so they can use HVAC system especially heaters in wintertime.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Likely wood. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built: 1930 (rebuilt in 1951). Demolished: October 2006.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Truss Steel-Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Gable.
Acres: 100 Acres (includes Whalom Park Amusement Park).
Operated: 1906 to 1983. (1970s according to one source) others say 2000 (but that's the entire park closure) Jenny Russell said 2006 which was in error too. That was when the building being torn down. Obituary says 1983.
Whalom Park Roller Rink King's Corner: 1906 to 1930.
Whalom Park Roller Rink Route 13: 1930 to 1983.
Reason for Closure:
Whalom Park Roller Rink King's Corner: Rink was too small with too many skaters, needed find larger place.
Whalom Park Roller Rink Route 13: Warped floor that made skating non-safe and difficult plus too expensive to replace floor.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also photos especially of interior. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources: Wikipedia - Whalom Park Amusement Park; "Coasting to a stop at Whalom Park," The Boston Globe, October 19, 2006, Jenna Russell; Whalom Park History Tele-a-Map; Whalom Park History - Roller Rink;
Whalom Park e-museum website; Wikipedia - Massachusetts 13; WBZ 4 CBS News Boston - Keep memory alive;
Flickr - tons of photos on Whalom Park; Abandoned Park- Whalom Park; Fitchburg Sentinel October 11, 2006 - Demolishing the rink;
Date of issue: 16 January 2021.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:16.