Thursday, July 14, 2011

A Blast From The Past - The Seabreeze Jack Rabbit




Located in a suburb of Rochester New York, where Irondequoit Bay empties into Lake Ontario, Seabreeze Park opened on August 5th 1879. It was the last stop on a steam railroad line. The park's main attractions were picnic groves and the lakefront. In the early 1900s mechanical rides arrived at the park, with custom designed carousel being the 1915.


In 1920, the Jack Rabbit opened and at that time was the fastest roller coaster in the world. Designed by John A Miller and built by Harry C Baker. The 2130 foot long classic out and back featured a 75 foot drop and a tunnel, awesome dips, a wild last curve and a fantastic finale through a dark tunnel.


The Jack Rabbit was orginally owned and operated by the Norris family, many of whom lived on the property for years. The Jack Rabbit along with the parks Old Mill, Hilarity Hall and a dance hall called Dreamland were destroyed in a fire in the summer of 1923. The Jack Rabbit and the Old Mill were rebuilt and reopened in 1924.


Seabreeze is the fourth oldest park in the United states and the Jack Rabbit is the second-oldest coaster and the oldest continuously operating coaster in the country. In 2004 the park celebrated it's 125th Anniversary and each season gets better and better, by offering the wholesome, family-oriented feel of yesteryear!


2 comments:

NewsPlusNotes said...

I'm bummed I never got to ride this one!

Scott and Carol said...

It's still thrilling riders at Seabreeze, all you have to do make take a road trip to New York