The Dark Side of Kennywood, Page 2

Rick Davis

The Long Dark History

Ye Old Mill Circa 1904

The history of Kennywood’s funhouses and darkrides is almost as old as the park itself. According to the 1939 History of Kennywood Park by Marie McSwigan, Ye Old Mill was constructed in 1899, but 1901 is the date generally cited by most sources as the first season of the ride. This water ride was propelled by a large paddle wheel and featured a small hill at the end.

The first version of the Old Mill featured this small hill at the end of the ride.

The six minute long ride had “gorgeous grottos or musical caves” lighted by state of the art....electric lights. Now over a hundred years old, the Old Mill is the oldest of five remaining in the US as well as being the oldest ride at Kennywood.

During the first few years of the 20th century, Kennywood erected the Wonderland building in an area to the left and forward of where the Turtle ride is today. Wonderland originally housed a scenic railway but around 1902 a steeplechase ride was installed and the building became known as the Steeplechase Arena. In addition to other attractions, the building also housed a “pavilion of fun”, the first of a long line of attractions that we would know today as “funhouses.”

In 1903 you “could go like the wind, landing a hundred feet below with your nerves tingling with excitement” on the Slippery Slide and you could enjoy stunts such as Spring Water (a “shocking” experience!), Cast Up By the Sea, California Red Bats, the Cave of the Winds, the Crazy Staircase - said to give you the impression of being at sea in a storm-and the Earthquake Floor “which trembles, shakes, and sinks beneath your feet.” Patrons also could peer through a “peep-hole” and see themselves as “a fat policeman making love to the house-maid”.

Slippery Slide. From Kennywood brochure circa 1904, Kennywood Archive	Slippery Slide. From Kennywood brochure circa 1904, Kennywood Archive	Earthquake Floor. From Kennywood brochure circa 1904, Kennywood Archive
Cast Up By the Sea. From Kennywood brochure circa 1904, Kennywood Archive	Spring Water. From Kennywood brochure circa 1904, Kennywood Archive	California Red Bats. From Kennywood brochure circa 1904, Kennywood Archive

Spring Water was literally a “shocking experience” since it was electrified and produced an electrical shock for the hapless thirsty person that took hold of its tin cup and stuck it in the stream of water flowing from its spigot! Things were much different in the “old days.”

California Red Bats offered a more amusing surprise to patrons that climbed the steps to peer into a box. The “bats” were pieces of broken red bricks. (A piece of a brick is known as a “bat”.)

The Cave of the Winds was a series of floor mounted air jets meant to send the old fashioned skirts flying into the air and to send men chasing after their hats, a stunt that would be a part of the traditional funhouse for many years to come.

The Dew Drop was intstalled in 1904. From Kennywood brochure circa 1904, Kennywood Archive

The Crazy Staircase.

The Crazy Staircase had two parallel sections that moved up and down in opposite directions making climbing them difficult. It was invented by George C. Tilyou in 1899 for his Coney Island park. Several other Coney Island inventions would find their way to Pittsburgh in years to come. Following its success at Coney Island, the Dew Drop was installed in 1904. This thrilling spiral slide was almost as tall as the building itself, about three stories and was an instant hit.

The Steeple Chase Arena was not the only funhouse type attraction at the park. “A source of fun with no end!” was the House of Trouble. The attraction with its many mazes, promised “You will have trouble getting out of Trouble!”

Located near Ye Old Mill, the Laughing Gallery with its “funhouse” style mirrors was “A sure cure for the blues”. They said that “you would get all the laughs coming to you when you entered the Laughing Gallery”. At the time, this was the only such attraction in the US, having come directly from the Paris Exposition. Fred Ingersoll’s Amusement Construction Company installed the Gallery which featured 4 foot by 7 foot distortion mirrors that were hand made in Germany.

It's a Mystery!

In 1906 the House of Mystery came to Kennywood. What type of attraction it was is still a mystery! Although Kennywood has a very extensive collection of news clippings and photographs dating back to the early days of the park, little is known about some of these early attractions. The articles generally featured “teasers” for the new attractions but actual descriptions were rare.

The early part of the 20th century must have been a fascinating time to visit amusement parks with new attractions being invented every year. Current events also entered into changes at the park as well. Capitalizing on the big news of the day, park advertising in 1907 said that the Old Mill had been remodeled to become a “Panama Canal”. The brochure also promoted the Daffy Dilla Fun Factory in the former Steeplechase building (It was converted sometime before the 1907 season). Daffy Dilla borrowed a phrase from another Pittsburgh icon, the Heinz factory, and claimed that the funhouse offered “57 other varieties of attractions” including a human roulette wheel among other great old funhouse stunts.

The Daffy Dill Fun Factory was housed in the former Steeplechase Arena.

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This article ©2004 Rick Davis
All uncredited photos - Kennywood archive.
Research - Rick Davis and Sarah Windisch
Sources - Kennywood Archive, Carl O. Hughes, Harry Henninger, Kennywood... Roller Coaster Capital of the World and More Kennywood Memories by Charles Jaques, History of Kennywood Park by Marie McSwigan
Special thanks to Marie Riles and Mary Lou Rosemeyer of Kennywood Park, Dave Hahner, Jim Futrell, and Joel Styler.