One of Kennywood’s Greatest Dark Rides

Dave Hahner

I suppose every NAPHA member has fond memories from their childhood of some amusement park attraction that no longer is there. Perhaps it was a roller coaster long torn down, or it may have been some unusual spinning or flat ride that is no longer manufactured. Or even, perhaps most unfortunate of all, an entire park that was once beloved by all has long since closed where more than one precious memory was lost forever. One of my favorite childhood memories long since gone was what I feel was one of Kennywood’s greatest dark rides, The Ghost Ship. This elaborate dark ride was housed in the building that was originally built as the park’s dance hall which opened one year after the park in 1899. The open air dance hall was host to many famous bands throughout the years such as Ozzie Nelson, Benny Goodman, Rudy Valee, and even Lawrence Welk. It received a number of renovations to keep up with the times and was finally enclosed in 1934 to offer winter roller skating. The roller skating was discontinued in just a few years, but the building remained a dance hall until 1953 when it was converted into the Enchanted Forest, a children’s walk-thru attraction, which opened in 1954. This walk-thru attraction featured miniature dioramas of famous storybook scenes and featured a tilt room with closed circuit TV so people outside could watch the hilarity inside. The walk-thru received a new facade and new name in 1960, becoming the Enchanted Castle. Some of the scenes were redone, and the addition of a spooky dungeon was included.

Prior Dark Rides

The building’s first ride-thru dark attraction was the Tornado, which opened in 1963. This ride was an Arrow designed dark ride which originally operated at Freedomland in New York. It was purchased by Kennywood a few years after that ill-fated park closed its gates forever. (Two other sister Arrow dark rides were purchased by Cedar Point from Freedomland, the San Francisco Earthquake and the Pirate Ride. Earthquake operated until the mid-1980’s until replaced by Berenstain Bear Country and the Pirate Ride operated until 1996.) The Tornado, like the Cedar Point dark rides, was a very elaborate style dark ride which “simulated” the power and fury of one of nature’s most unpredictable and destructive forces. Through elaborate, though somewhat primitive, and at times, humorous, animation, Tornado took passengers via their antique auto styled vehicles through a Kansas farm and town being ravaged by a twister. Although popular during its short 4 year run at Kennywood, it was decided that a brand new dark ride designed exclusively for the park would replace the aging Tornado ride.

So, in 1966, Tornado was closed and sold to Great Escape Theme Park in Lake George, NY to make way for what would become the park’s largest and most elaborate dark ride, the Ghost Ship. (Tornado also operated at Great Escape until 1996 when it was finally retired.) The new ride opened in the spring of 1967 and was much longer in length than its predecessor. Designed by Amusement Display Associates under the creative talent of its owner, Bill Tracey, one of the foremost dark ride designers of the 1960’s, Ghost Ship offered traditional dark ride style bumps and scares along with elaborate sets and theming. Though the animation was still primitive by today’s standards, it still was very elaborate for a traditional amusement park of the 1960’s. (Remember, Disneyland’s Fantasyland dark rides were just as primitive during this time period, and their quintessential, trend setting Pirates of the Caribbean dark ride ironically opened this same year as the Ghost Ship).

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This article ©2000 Dave Hahner and NAPHA. Special thanks to NAPHA News for giving us permission to reprint this article.
All photos ©copyright, and generously provided by, Kennywood Archive; all used with permission.