Coney Island Bell

Come join Squid Seniors. Lots of fun and much to learn. Thanks to Alex Crabtree for his development of this cool banner that was used to promote a Western Theme.


SENIOR SQUIDS

Coney Island Bell

The bell's inscription, "James Gregory, NY, 1885," is still visible. Gregory was a trapeze artist with the Gregory Brothers Circus that performed at Coney Island.

*************************

In 1911, a fire broke out in The Tunnel of Love, and Dreamland burned to the ground, never to re-open. Up and down Surf Avenue and the Coney Island Boardwalk were a number of independently owned rides and freak shows. Both the iconic Wonder Wheel and The Cyclone Roller-coaster were independent rides. The Astroland site was previously a large piece of property owned by restaurantor George Feltman. Feltman is credited with the hot dog, or more specifically, putting a frankfurter on a bun with mustard and ketchup. Nathan Hardwerker, who in 1916 would form his own hot dog empire, had previously worked for Feltman. The Feltman property may not have been an amusement park per-se, but it did feature such attractions as a mock Bavarian village, and a giant movie screen. When Astroland opened on the Feltman property in 1962, the U.S. was heavily involved in space exploration. John Glenn had by then orbited the Earth, and President Kennedy had decreed that the U.S. would have put a man on the moon by decades end. Therefore, Astroland was designed with an aerospace theme, with rocket ship rides dominant throughout the park. Over the years, the Albert family purchased such attractions as The Hell Hole spook house, and The Million Dollar Break Dancer. And if Coney Island was not likely to attract a million visitors on a single weekend like it once was, that doesn't mean that people of modest means could have a killer time.

****

Correct. New Iron Pier. Culver Terminal. 1881.
Old Iron Pier- W 8th street, built in the 1870's. Later renovated into Dreamland Pier, of recent bell fame.