lakewoodnc.html

An old Trolley Park...1910-1933. The Depression killed it along with the death of Trolley's....

In the meantime, Edward Latta enlarged Latta Park in Charlotte to ninety acres of entertainment. By 1902 the park included a pavilion, bowling alley, baseball park, theater, 10,000-square-foot greenhouse, merry-go-round, and skating rink. A fairground was added the same year, which featured horse racing, exhibitions, and fairs. The park included a pavilion for blacks to gather for picnics and meetings. Blacks apparently had access to much of the park, including the ballpark, where black semi-pro teams played. That openness ended in 1903, when a growing sentiment for segregation led the Charlotte Observer to recommend that whites and blacks not mingle together at Latta Park. Edward Latta closed the black pavilion at the park and built a new one near Biddle Institute.

On July 9, 1910, Latta opened Lakewood Park, so that he could dismantle nearly all of Latta Park to provide more residential land for Dilworth. Located on the streetcar line just outside the city limits on the northwest side, Lakewood Park featured amusement rides, including a roller coaster which cost $15,000 and a 100-seat merry-go-round, as well as a lake for rowing and swimming, a zoo, and a dancing pavilion. Latta leased Lakewood to Southern Public Utilities before selling it to the company in 1916 for $50,000. The parents of Billy Graham met while attending a picnic in the new park. Lakewood Park developed a tradition of extending its season an extra week in the fall for African-Americans.

Had a 'Figure 8' Roller Coaster up to 1914......

Scenic Railway-Lakewood Park Amusement Park Wood Roller Coaster Operated from 7/9/1910 to 1933 Builder--Cincinnati Amusement Company Cost-- $15,000 USD

Length: 2200' Inversions: