originally posted on 4/8/2022
Photo: Cheri Armstrong. View full-sized image.
It has been learned that Edaville Family Theme Park (Carver, Massachusetts) has closed and will not reopen under the current ownership. They are looking to sell, as the owner wants to retire. There is some hope that a company will come in and lease it with perhaps an option to purchase, or (more disappointingly) an investor will come in and purchase the property for housing.
Edaville Railroad (also branded Edaville USA and Edaville Family Theme Park) is a heritage railroad and amusement park that opened in 1947. It is one of the oldest heritage railroad operations in the United States. The two-foot (610-mm) narrow gauge line runs excursion trains for tourists and was built by the late Ellis D. Atwood (initials E.D.A., for which Edaville is named) on his sprawling cranberry plantation in southeastern Massachusetts.
Spinning Lady Bug Coaster.
Photo: Cheri Armstrong collection. View full-sized image.
The park operated in various configurations of tourist attraction and amusement park until it was sold to a former employee, George E. Bartholomew, in 1970.
The park continued operations for another two decades with Bartholomew at the helm. The railroad ran tourist trains from Memorial Day through Labor Day plus a brief, but spectacular, Festival of Lights in December. It was thought by some that the park began to stagnate around this time, although the annual Christmas Festival of Lights continued to draw huge crowds. Edaville ceased operations in January 1992, and two attempts to revive Edaville during the 1990s floundered.
Photo: Cheri Armstrong. View full-sized image.
In 1999, the new Edaville Railroad opened, and in 2002, Jon Delli Priscoli purchased Edaville and its 250 acres. There were many exciting changes under his ownership, including the reconfiguration of the entire rail course and the incorporation of vintage amusement rides, such as an antique carousel and an illuminated Ferris wheel. Other attractions throughout the year were Dino Land, character breakfasts, character meet and greets, “Not So Spooky Halloween" in October and the Christmas Festival of Lights, offering train rides through brilliant displays lit with more than 18 million lights during the Christmas season.
Photo: Cheri Armstrong. View full-sized image.
In 2015, the latest and greatest addition to the park debuted: Thomas Land! This section comprised 11 new rides, along with a stage show and multiple dining and shopping venues while bringing the fictional island of Sodor to life in the picturesque New England landscape. In addition to assorted flat rides and an Eli Bridge Ferris wheel, the park contains two roller coasters, Troublesome Trucks Runaway Coaster from Zamperla and Spinning Lady Bug Coaster from SBF Visa, both installed in 2015. Standing but not operating is Kersplash, a unique E&F Miler coaster with water splashes.
Troublesome Trucks Runaway Coaster.
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Kersplash.
Photos: Cheri Armstrong. View full-sized image.
ACE was led to believe that interested parties had come forward and that a more definitive answer would be known by the end of March. However, whether an exact buyer has been determined and that buyer’s intentions are still unknown.
— Rus Ozana, ACE New England Regional Representative
#ACENews