Let’s Go to the White City
A History of White City Amusement Park, Hamilton, New Jersey
by
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The Trenton White City Company began construction of the White City Park with the goal of completion in time for the opening on Decoration Day, May 30, 1907. Trees were hewn to make room for the midway. Old buildings were razed. Over 20,000 electric lights were arranged around the park.
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About the Book
During the first two decades of the twentieth century, thousands of people flocked to an enormously popular amusement park on the outskirts of Trenton, New Jersey, seeking thrilling rides and the amenities of Spring Lake. In Let’s Go to the White City, James Colello Jr. shares the fascinating history of the park dubbed as “The Coney Island of New Jersey.” In 1907, an experienced amusement director arrived in Trenton to encourage the creation of a large-scale amusement park. As his vision eventually came to fruition, one of the foremost summer parks of its day entertained patrons with many attractions, including fireworks displays, popular dances, band music, and dinners at the casino restaurant. With a focus on good, clean fun, White City Park also provided a place of enjoyment where revelers rode the carousel, circle swing, shoot-the-chute, and watched vaudeville acts. Included are photographs that help rekindle memories of a time when many in New Jersey proclaimed, “Let’s go to the White City!” Let’s Go to the White City offers a never-before-seen glimpse into the twenty-year history of an amusement park that provided both the young and old alike with wonderful memories.
About the Author
James Colello Jr., a native of Hamilton, New Jersey, spent his formative years in the neighborhood where the White City Park existed. His fascination with the existence of that long defunct amusement park and the realization that little is known about the park’s existence prompted the writing of this history.