From the Archives: Palisades Amusement Park 40 Years Later—Our Last Summer in the Sun

From 1898 through 1971, the sign of spring in Fort Lee and Cliffside Park, and for that matter the entire NYC metropolitan area, was not Punxsutawney Phil, the celebrity groundhog, but rather the April opening of Palisades Amusement Park.  The famed amusement park traditionally opened the weekend of Palm Sunday, and this weekend marks the 40th anniversary of the opening of the last season of park.

The Fort Lee Historical Society will mount an exhibit at the Fort Lee Museum from July 23 through October 23 to commemorate this anniversary. “Palisades Amusement Park—Our Last Summer in the Sun” will highlight the entire history of the park, from its humble beginnings in 1898 as a trolley park, through the 1910-1935 ownership of the park by Nicholas and Joe Schenck, who brought the movie industry to the park, right through 1935-1971, the era of the Rosenthal’s as owners. 

The exhibit will include presentations by Palisade Park historian and documentary filmmaker Vince Gargiulo, and we hope to have a formal outdoor screening this summer of Gargiulo’s documentary, Palisades Amusement Park: A Century of Fond Memories outside the museum.

The collection of the Fort Lee Historical Society includes 75 pristine Kodachrome slides of Palisades Amusement Park circa the 1950s and 1960s. These slides have been digitally transferred and scanned, and the images will adorn the museum’s walls. The exhibit will also include archival items such as one of the gaming wheels from the park, original programs and newspaper articles as well as publicity stills and many items donated to the Fort Lee Historical Society over the years by residents of Fort Lee and Cliffside Park.
We encourage anyone interested in donating or loaning any items they may have from Palisades Amusement Park to contact us at the Fort Lee Museum at 201-592-3580 or visit our website.

Editor's Note: The author is Executive Director of the Fort Lee Film Commission.