Clementon Amusement Park
Located in Camden County, Clementon Park and Splash World was one of the world's oldest amusement parks. Founded in 1907 by a New Jersey Assemblyman named Theodore B Gibbs, the park operated as one of thirteen trolley parks in the United States until its closure in 2019. The park featured a trolley that ran directly from the city of Camden to the park.
The park was home to one of the oldest wooden roller coasters in the world up until its closure in 2002 and subsequent demolition in 2007. The coaster was built in 1919 by the Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, which surprisingly still exists and continues to manufacture roller coasters! In 1998, an accident occurred in which the train flew off the tracks and crashed into a park management office building. The accident was immediately investigated. It was revealed that the operator had disabled the breaks at the platform to allow passengers a second ride around the track, which resulted in the train car hitting the curve at too high of a speed. Luckily, only three guests experienced minor injuries and no one else was hurt. The coaster was shut down for the rest of the season and the car was replaced. However, it only lasted two more seasons before being shut down for good after being deemed unsafe, mostly due to issues with the decades-old braking system.
The park experienced a few oddities during its operation, mostly in the 1930s. In 1931 a fire had caused serious damage to the park. The fire had spread to the shooting gallery and ignited the pyrotechnics display that was used for the gallery. A year later in 1932, the park was the campaign site for socialist presidential candidate Norman Thomas. In 1936, the park was the training site for Philadelphia boxer Al Ettore. Thousands gathered at the grandstand to watch the training and actually caused a section of the grandstand to collapse under the weight.
Beginning May 16th, 2015, Clementon Park received quite a bit of bad publicity worldwide after guests became unruly during a private event to raise money for Sickle Cell Anemia. The press reported on "Twerk-Gate", in which park-goers filmed large groups of women who were "twerking" and showing off sexually explicit behavior. The partying between both male and female guests eventually spilled all the way out into the parking lot, subjecting locals to a very unwanted show. The park later apologized and ultimately banned the "Summer Splash" event organizers.
In 2019, the park abruptly closed which was later discovered to be because the owners failed to make payments on a $4.5 million loan. The park was listed for sale during a public auction in March 2021. A developer recently purchased the property in its entirety and plans to reopen the neglected park later in the year.
Read MoreThe park was home to one of the oldest wooden roller coasters in the world up until its closure in 2002 and subsequent demolition in 2007. The coaster was built in 1919 by the Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, which surprisingly still exists and continues to manufacture roller coasters! In 1998, an accident occurred in which the train flew off the tracks and crashed into a park management office building. The accident was immediately investigated. It was revealed that the operator had disabled the breaks at the platform to allow passengers a second ride around the track, which resulted in the train car hitting the curve at too high of a speed. Luckily, only three guests experienced minor injuries and no one else was hurt. The coaster was shut down for the rest of the season and the car was replaced. However, it only lasted two more seasons before being shut down for good after being deemed unsafe, mostly due to issues with the decades-old braking system.
The park experienced a few oddities during its operation, mostly in the 1930s. In 1931 a fire had caused serious damage to the park. The fire had spread to the shooting gallery and ignited the pyrotechnics display that was used for the gallery. A year later in 1932, the park was the campaign site for socialist presidential candidate Norman Thomas. In 1936, the park was the training site for Philadelphia boxer Al Ettore. Thousands gathered at the grandstand to watch the training and actually caused a section of the grandstand to collapse under the weight.
Beginning May 16th, 2015, Clementon Park received quite a bit of bad publicity worldwide after guests became unruly during a private event to raise money for Sickle Cell Anemia. The press reported on "Twerk-Gate", in which park-goers filmed large groups of women who were "twerking" and showing off sexually explicit behavior. The partying between both male and female guests eventually spilled all the way out into the parking lot, subjecting locals to a very unwanted show. The park later apologized and ultimately banned the "Summer Splash" event organizers.
In 2019, the park abruptly closed which was later discovered to be because the owners failed to make payments on a $4.5 million loan. The park was listed for sale during a public auction in March 2021. A developer recently purchased the property in its entirety and plans to reopen the neglected park later in the year.
