By Lauren Young
Staff Writer
The Manlius Historical Society introduced a new Suburban Park exhibit at its annual Spring Fling at the Cheney House and Manlius Museum on May 6.
The event, held at 109 Pleasant St. in Manlius, garnered attention from Baldwinsville to Watertown as history buffs visited their Spring Fling in what longtime Manlius Historical Society member Jane Dall said had “been a wonderful reunion day for so many people.”
The new exhibit featured pictures, memorabilia and even two restored bumper cars from the park. By the end of the day, all Suburban Park-related items for sale had been sold.
“This is the first time we’ve wanted to represent Suburban Park because there’s been a lot of interest,” said Malaine DeFrancisco, another member of MHS. “What happened was, when we first opened the shop we kept getting requests for Suburban Park, so I started doing plaques. So, for our open house this year we thought, we just have to do the Suburban Park.”
Established in 1898 by the Syracuse Rapid Transit Railway Co. to increase trolley ridership, Suburban Park was a Manlius amusement park featuring two roller-coasters, a merry-go-round, a Ferris wheel, a miniature train, a dance hall and a merry mixer. One ride in particular — the tilt-a-wheel — broke a Guinness world record in 1899 when it was ridden for 99 hours straight.
During the week, Dall said the trolley commuted workers from Manlius to Syracuse where they often worked in factories. On weekends, there were no commuters, so the trolley company promoted Suburban Park.
“That was a big thing for the park and a big thing for the trolley company,” said Dall.
The location where Suburban Park was located is now called Suburban Park Apartments, located at 100 Suburban Park Drive in Manlius.
Near the bumper cars was a memory board for visitors to write down specific memories they had of the park, which closed down in 1973.
“I’m 64 and I remember all the fun times at Suburban Park,” read one post. “What a treat when our father took us out for a trip to Suburban Park.”
A year after it closed, there was a fire caused by an arsonist. About two years ago, the bumper cars were discovered in a forest with weeds growing out of them.
“They were on eBay and I asked the guy if I could come and see them, because the price was fairly reasonable,” said Jim, the man who bought these bumper cars off the internet, later refurbishing them. “He lived there for the longest time, didn’t even know they were there.”
A garage sale fundraiser and raffles were also held, with all proceeds benefiting the Manlius Historical Society. There was also a Café 119 food truck and a scavenger hunt for kids.
The town shop was also open, with some owners coming out to promote their products.
“All these people are kind individuals that help out the historical society by being part of our Made in Manlius shop,” said Dall, which features locally-made products like pottery, glass, birdhouses, maps, honey, syrup and rhubarb sauce.
The Manlius Town Shop is open during the hours of the Cheney Research Center, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday to Friday.
