Local History: Fire damages Rocky Glen Park, causes $275G in damage in 1950

May 24--Firefighters from five communities did their best, but when the sun rose on May 24, 1950, a large swath of Rocky Glen Park had been reduced to charred wood and melted metal.

"A spectacular fire of undetermined origin early today laid waste to a large portion" of the popular amusement park, according to a Scranton Times article that ran later that day. "No one was injured in the four-hour blaze, despite explosions of bottled gas, ammunition, firecrackers and chemicals."

The fire destroyed the park's roller coaster, as well as the Toyko Canal, Fun House, Ben Sterling's Arcade and the park's office building, according to the article.

"Ironically, the jet-propelled rocket ride in ... the amusement park pointed toward the ravaged scene," the article continued.

Park owner Joseph P. Jennings estimated the fire caused about $275,000 in damage, or nearly $3 million today. He added that it would cost $100,000 just to raze the two-story arcade and all its contents.

Firefighters from Moosic, Scranton, Greenwood, Avoca and Old Forge answered the call at the amusement park. Moosic Fire Chief Claude Mitchell was among the first to arrive, just 10 minutes after the 1 a.m. call was received. He believed the blaze originated near the office building and roller coaster entrance.

Michael Bonchonsky and his wife, who operated one of the park's refreshment stands, were awakened by a blast at the park and saw the flames. It appeared they, as well as several other employees of the park, had residences within Rocky Glen. They had the telephone operator call emergency services.

"Flames leaped high in the air and illuminated the sky, attracting hundreds of motorists who jammed the narrow road leading to the park from the main Scranton-Wilkes-Barre highway," the newspaper reported.

Flames quickly spread through part of the park, with "the office building, roller coaster and canal structure ... a mass of flames when firemen arrived," Mitchell told reporters.

Despite the rubble, Jennings told The Scranton Times he planned to reopen the still-operational portion of the park within four days. He mentioned that insurance would cover a "meager" portion of the cost.

"We'll be open Sunday," he reportedly said during an announcement about plans to rebuild the arcade, according to the May 24, 1950 article.

A day after the fire, The Scranton Times reported that a cause for the blaze had not been determined.

"It was learned from a watchman of the Laurel Line Railroad, whose power substation adjacent to the park was also destroyed, that a number of lightning flashes were observed in the skies" the night before, according to a May 25, 1950 Scranton Times article.

ERIN L. NISSLEY is an assistant metro editor at The Times-Tribune. She's lived in the area for more than a decade.

Contact the writer:

localhistory@timesshamrock.com

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