Freedomland U.S.A.

Freedomland was conceived and built by C. V. Wood, a Texan who had worked in the planning, construction, and management of Disneyland, which opened in Anaheim, California in 1955.[2][3][4] Wood had conceived of an American-history theme park as early as 1957, in conjunction with Milton Ted Raynor, the International Recreation Corporation (IRC)'s president.[5][6] The new theme park would be themed entirely around American history, in a more historically accurate version of the Disneyland layout, which initially included four distinct areas: Adventureland, Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, and Frontierland.[3]

By 1959, a site had been selected: a portion of a 400-acre (160 ha) plot owned by the Webb & Knapp development company in the northeast Bronx, New York City. Webb & Knapp's principal owner, William Zeckendorf Sr., announced the plans for Freedomland on May 1, 1959.[5][7] National Development Corporation (NDC), a Webb & Knapp subsidiary, as well as Freedomland Inc., an IRC subsidiary, were created to operate and manage the theme park.[8][9] Freedomland Inc. leased some 205 acres (83 ha) of that site[5][9][10] for a 50-year period.[11] IRC issued just over a million shares, which were then sold to NDC and Freedomland Inc. Under the terms of the lease agreement, the park was to pay an annual rent of $600,000 for the first five years, $750,000 for the next ten years, and $1 million thereafter.[11] In late 1959, Wood presented the plans for the park to Zeckendorf Sr. and his son William Zeckendorf Jr.[12]

The site, in the northeast Bronx, was a former municipal landfill that originally was marshland fed by Rattlesnake Creek and the Hutchinson River. This led to a profusion of mosquitoes during certain periods of the year. The marshland later complicated the construction of the Co-op City housing complex on the site. The construction of Freedomland and the subsequent construction of Co-op City contributed to large areas of salt marsh degradation.[13]

Groundbreaking ceremonies for Freedomland occurred on August 26, 1959.[14][15] The ceremony featured a helicopter ride over the premises for the park's backers, a specially reserved subway train to take people to the ceremony; it was only attended by 19 people, excluding sponsors and performers.[16] Over the next months, more than 2,000 workers were hired, mostly by the two major contractors, Turner Construction and Aberthaw Construction. Work was completed within just under 300 days.[15] Some 10 acres (4.0 ha) of land were excavated to create 10.2 million US gallons (39,000,000 L) of canals.[11] Land was raised by up to 50 feet (15 m) to create the park's natural-looking features.[3] In total, the park had been designed for a capacity of up to 90,000 visitors per day.[3][17]

When announced, Freedomland was supposed to be completed in June 1960 at a cost of $15.5 million, which was paid for through Freedomland Inc's stock issues.[10][12] The final cost was significantly higher, at $65 million;[17][18] the land was valued at $30 million and the scenery another $33 million.[18] The eateries comprised another $1 million of the cost.[11] The actual theme park consisted of 85 acres (340,000 m²) of the 205-acre site leased by the IRC.[5] Prior to opening day, Freedomland launched an aggressive advertising campaign. The first phase, targeting the 10 million people living within 50 miles (80 km) of New York City, consisted of daily advertisements in the city's newspapers, radio and TV stations, and subway cars.[19] On March 24, 1960, six small unfinished buildings were destroyed by fire and were razed; however, this did not affect progress on the rest of the park.[20]

On June 18, 1960, Freedomland was dedicated with 5,000 people in attendance for a ceremony and a special day that raised funds for local youth programs.[21] The following day, June 19, the park officially opened.[22] To draw more visitors, Freedomland started a second advertising campaign on that day, targeting ten major populated areas within a radius of 125 miles (201 km).[19] Admission was $1.50 for adults, with an additional surcharge of up to 50 cents for some rides.[18] On the first day of operation, people lined up to get into the park two and a half hours before its official 9:00 a.m. opening. By 2:05 p.m., Freedomland was forced to stop selling tickets due to traffic jams on highways and local roads leading to the park. Ultimately, the park recorded 61,500 visitors, one-third less than the expected maximum capacity, and closed at 9:00 p.m., three hours before its intended closing.[22][23][12] At the time, Freedomland was described as having an unfinished quality: one security guard was quoted as saying that the drinking functions were non-functional, the restrooms were few and far between, the concessionaires were poorly equipped for operation, and many exhibits were not yet painted or decorated.[24] In total, Freedomland was only 85% complete at the time of its opening.[12]

This section was geographically located at the north end of the park. Attractions included:

• Horseless Carriage - An antique car ride in a 1909 model Cadillac through the New England countryside.[11]
• Grape Juice Bar - A beverage bar located near the New England vineyard.
• New York Harbor Tug Boats "Totsie" and "Pert" – A boat ride from New York Harbor.
• A horse-drawn trolley that operated on tracks and traveled from New York to the Old Chicago area.
• Shops included an ice cream parlor, tea room, print shop to purchase vintage-style posters, apothecary shop, glass blower shop and other stores. Macy's recreated its original Manhattan store, Macy's Herald Square.
• Street shows with musicians and character actors – A live street show that included a German band, an 1880s Tammany speech, political pep rally, campaigning suffragettes and a New York gangland robbery of the Little Old New York Bank.[11]
• F&M Schaefer Brewery – An old-fashioned brewery sponsored by Schaefer Beer.
• Shuntz's Delicatessen – Served New York style pastrami and corned beef sandwiches with cheesecake for dessert.

This section was located on the western border of the park, south of Old New York. Attractions included:

• The Chicago Fire – At scheduled times, a Chicago building would "burn" and the flames were extinguished by character actors portraying firemen along with volunteers from among park quests using the vintage 1800s water pumper. The attraction was based on the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.[1][11][15]
• Chippewa War Canoes – Guests paddle canoes led by Native American guides. Removed after two seasons.
• Hallmark Card Shop and The Relic Shop souvenir shop (located near the Chicago Fire attraction).
• Great Lakes Cruise - A boat ride along the Great Lakes on one of two 110-foot, 400 passenger sternwheel boats with calliopes.[1][11][15]
• Indian Village - A teepee village with Native Americans creating handicrafts for sale and showcasing traditional dances.[11]
• Santa Fe Railroad – One of two stations on the park's 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge Santa Fe Railroad; the ride was approximately six minutes in duration[11]
• The Brass Rail Stockyards Restaurant - A steak restaurant. The Brass Rail, a popular New York City restaurant and food service company at the time, maintained the park's food concession.
• State Fair Midway - Added for the 1962 season with attractions including an Astro-Ride roller coaster and a Wiggly Worm flat ride. A dock was added for the New York Harbor Tug Boats.[29]

This section was located south of Old Chicago. Attractions included:

• Borden's Barn Boudoir – A fully furnished apartment for the Borden Company's mascot, Elsie the Cow.
• Borden's Farm – A working farm exhibit that included horses, cows, sheep, pigs, poultry, corn and hay.
• Cavalry Rifles – A shooting gallery.
• Chuck Wagon Snack Stand – A snack bar.
• Fort Cavalry – A log-by-log replica of a U.S. Army stockade.[26]
• Fort Cavalry Stage Line – A stage coach ride past a buffalo herd and through the Rocky Mountains that included a mock robbery by actors portraying outlaws[11]
• Milk Bar – A beverage bar.
• Mule-Go-Round – A merry-go-round pulled by western mules.
• Pony Express – A rider would pick up a message at the office and deliver it to The Old Southwest section for pick-up by the park guest.[11]

This section was located at the south end of the park. Attractions included:

• Barbary Coast – A recreation of San Francisco's entertainment district.[11]
• Chinatown – A recreation of San Francisco's Chinese district, with shops and a Chinese restaurant sponsored by Chun King.[11]
• Fisherman's Wharf – A snack stand with an actor dressed as an old salt seaman telling stories.
• Hollywood Arena (added in 1961) – An amphitheater with animal acts and big top stunts, it also featured appearances from television personalities such as Sonny Fox, Joe Bolton, Claude Kirchner and Fred Scott.
• Horse-Drawn Surreys – A transportation ride to the Southwest area.
• Indian Trading Post – A souvenir shop.
• Italian restaurant.
• Northwest Fur Trapper – A boat ride adventure through Lewis and Clark territory, similar to Disneyland's Jungle Cruise.[26][30]
• Santa Fe Railroad Station – The second stop on the Santa Fe Railroad.
• San Francisco Earthquake – A dark ride that simulated the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.[11]
• Seal Pool – A display of actual Pacific harbor seals.

This section was located on the eastern border of the park, north of Old San Francisco. Attractions included:

• Burro Trail – An outdoor ride across the park-made Rocky Mountains on actual burros.
• Casa Loca – A walk-through crooked house that defied the law of gravity.
• Gunfight – A live street show with actors engaged in a Western gun fight.
• Mexican Market and Western Trading Post – Souvenir shops.
• Mexican Restaurant – Libby's Hacienda, or Libby's Frito House, that premiered this company's version of sloppy joe on a bun.
• Mine Caverns – A dark ride on an underground mine train through lava pits that revealed giant bats and cave creatures.
• Santa Fe Opera House and Saloon – A soft drink bar that featured a 30-minute stage show with a four-piece band, showgirls, singers and comedians. Some of New York City's radio disc jockeys and program hosts would broadcast from the stage.
• Texas Longhorns – An actual herd of steers.
• Tucson Mining Company – A two-passenger double Von Roll (VR101) sky ride.[11][26] The aerial lift ride in gondolas that replicated ore cars and obtained from the 1958 Brussels World's Fair rose to the top of the Rockies. The attraction was the company's first Double Von Roll 101 sky ride and Freedomland was the first venue to have what appeared to be four cables on a sky ride. In fact, the ride incorporated two extended cables, but park guests visualized four cables with two traveling in one direction and two others moving in the opposite direction.

This section was located north of the Old Southwest. Attractions included:

• Buccaneers – A pirate-themed boat ride based on the original plans for Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean.[11]
• Civil War – A horse-drawn correspondents wagon under a flag of truce brought park guests through recreations of American Civil War battle grounds, camps, derailed trains and burning houses. It ended at the surrender at Appomattox Court House.[26]
• Crystal Maze – The world's first glass-walled house of mirrors maze.
• Danny the Dragon – A tram-like ride on the tail of a 74-foot (23 m) long fire breathing dragon through Storybook Land. Freedomland had a green Danny and a red Danny.[1][11]
• Kandy Kane Lane – A children's play area with a helicopter ride, a swan boat ride, a toy fair and a sand pile.
• King Rex Carousel – A Dentzel merry-go-round dated to circa 1912.
• Mardi Gras Sidewalk Cafe and the Jolly Roger snack area
• Pirate Gun Gallery – A shooting gallery.
• Jesse Jewell Plantation House Restaurant known for its fried chicken.
• Spin-A-Top – A spinning ride similar to Disney's Mad Tea Cups ride.
• Tornado Adventure – A dark ride that simulated driving though a Tornado Alley twister.[11]

This section was located at the northeast section of the park. Attractions included:

• Blast-Off Bunker – An authentic reproduction of a Cape Canaveral control room in which visitors could witness a simulated rocket launch from start to finish.
• Moon Bowl (added 1961) – A stage and 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m²) dance floor that featured celebrity performers and guests.[15][31][32]
• Moving Lake Walk – An automated moving sidewalk across a man-made lake. The lake was removed and replaced by the Moon Bowl for the 1961 season.
• Satellite City Turnpike – A miniature auto ride in futuristic cars.
• Space Rover – A simulation of a space journey in a 250-seat theatre designed to appear as a space ship. Sponsored by British Airways.
• Satellite City Snack Bar.
• Special Exhibits – An area that presented exhibits about modern science and industry.

• Florida – Planned as an area near New Orleans and Satellite City to recreate the Florida peninsula.
• Movie Lot – A recreation of a Hollywood set located near San Francisco.
• Commemoration of the Battle of Bunker Hill - Planned for an expanded New England section.

Freedomland USA plaque in present-day Co-op City

From the start, Freedomland's high cost left it $7 million in debt from opening day,[12] and led it to be described as a "gamble".[11] General manager Frederich V. Schumacher hoped that Freedomland would be as large a New York City icon as Central Park or the Statue of Liberty.[28] However, although optimistic projections called for up to 5 million visitors a year,[11][30] Freedomland would have needed to see two million visitors in its first season in order to break even.[11] Toward the end of the season, first-year visitation projections were decreased by two-thirds, from 4.8 million to 1.7 million;[33] the park ultimately saw 1.5 million visitors, a statistic that was never surpassed in subsequent seasons.[30] For the 1960 operating season, Freedomland was open seven days a week until September 18, when its operating hours were cut to weekends only for the rest of the season.[34] The last operating day of the 1960 season was at the end of October.[35]

On August 28, 1960, three armed men stole the day's receipts of over $28,000, though the thieves were caught soon after and most of the money was recovered.[36][37] A month later, on September 30, The New York Times reported that Freedomland had failed to pay the city a 5% amusement tax totaling $148,200;[38] the unpaid tax was resolved by the following week.[39] The 1960 season was also marked by several incidents involving patron injuries. On June 25, 1960, days after the grand opening, a horse-drawn stagecoach overturned in the Great Plains section of the park and injured 10 people.[40] Another incident occurred on October 24, 1960, when a children's train ride overturned and injured two boys.[41] These patron lawsuits, as well as additional lawsuits from contractors (including a $3.6 million suit from Turner Construction) left the park in debt.[15] By the end of the season, Freedomland was financially troubled, having failed to sell stock. Webb & Knapp bought a 40% share in the project, only for the stock to drop by almost two-thirds, from $17.50 to $6.25 a share.[33][37] Zeckendorf Sr. hired Art K. Moss, a marketing expert who cut costs by decreasing the $150,000 weekly payroll by 20% and forbidding employees from collecting overtime.[30]

At the end of the 1960 season, park operators initially predicted that the park would reopen in May 1961,[35] though the reopening date was later pushed back to June.[42] Freedomland continued to experience financial troubles: before the beginning of the 1961 season, it was $8 million in debt. This led the IRC to propose that Zeckendorf sell the leaseholds on several Manhattan hotels to Freedomland Inc. in exchange for a $16.35 million mortgage note.[43] This plan was approved just prior to the start of the new operating season.[44] Zeckendorf also unsuccessfully attempted a merger with Yonkers Raceway & Empire City Casino.[45] Yonkers Raceway's owners declined, though the IRC was able to purchase a controlling interest in the raceway that October.[46]

The park reopened on June 10, 1961. At that time, admission fees were raised to $2.95 for a park-wide entrance ticket, and pay-per-ride admission was abolished.[15][47] To entice visitors, Freedomland started to add more traditional amusement rides, such as the Moon Bowl dance floor, as well as expanded its schedule of performances.[30][15] A proposed 350-room motel, which had been planned to open in the park's second season, had not started construction.[43] During the 1961 season, over 1.7 million visitors entered Freedomland.[48] The park still had a myriad of issues: for instance, to satiate employees' demands for pay raises, the security budget was decreased, which resulted in people sneaking into the park without an admission ticket.[33] To combat the park's declining reputation, Moss announced that taxicab drivers of New York City and their families would be able to enter Freedomland for free.[30]

Prior to the 1962 season, Freedomland spent $1 million to add and expand its offerings.[15][48] The improvements included a 5,000-seat arena and a midway-themed area with children's rides. [48] as well as the Astro-Ride roller coaster and a Wiggly-Worm caterpillar ride.[29] The 1962 season started on May 27 of that year; it was open weekends only for the first month, expanding its schedule to seven days a week in late June.[48] For the new season, Freedomland had raised admission fees to $3.50 for admission to all rides. It appeared to be doing well economically: after starting a radio campaign, had laid off 700 of its 3,000 workers during that season.[18] Additionally, it had started offering a $2.50 ticket for visitors who entered after 6 p.m.[49] In the long term, there were even plans to make Freedomland into a year-round destination.[18]

The changes also resulted in a lawsuit: on September 5, 1962, Benjamin Moore, a paint company that sponsored an exhibit in Satellite City, unsuccessfully sued Freedomland for $150,000 in damages. The company sought to void its lease for exhibit space, citing "historical and educational" changes to the park's character.[50] The suit was dismissed in the New York Supreme Court.[51] Concessionaires also started complaining of high rents, which had increased to $20 to $25 per square foot ($220 to $270/m²), a price that many vendors could not pay with their low profits. Total admission for 1962 was estimated at 1.4 million.[30]

The 1963 season started on April 21 of that year, at which point it was open weekends only until that June.[52] By that time, the themes of the amusements and events had little to do with history in general, let alone American history.[33] The events advertised at the park included a children's zoo, puppet shows, DJ shows, clown performances, and circus parades.[31] The park also saw the addition of the Meteor single-rail coaster, bumper cars, side shows, a wax display, and a reconstructed carousel from the Dentzel Carousel Company.[53][54] In total, Freedomland earned a combined $3 million from admissions from the 1962 and 1963 seasons.[55] However, Freedomland still had a large amount of debt. In December 1963, Zeckendorf sold a portion of Freedomland's property to a pension fund of the Teamsters Union, which made a mortgage loan of $25 million to the park in December of that year, thus resolving its short-term debt.[56][57]

Freedomland's fifth, and ultimately final, operating season began on May 16, 1964, operating weekends only until June.[58] As Freedomland opened for the 1964 season, its San Francisco themed area already had been walled off to park guests.[30]

During July, the IRC acquired the controlling interest in Freedomland Inc., and National Development Corporation president Hyman Green had bought the controlling interest from Zeckendorf. The transactions were intended to relieve Webb & Knapp of its large debt, which it had incurred after writing off $17.9 million in investments in IRC and Freedomland Inc. the previous year.[56][59] Zeckendorf later said that Webb & Knapp's involvement in Freedomland "hurt the financial position of Webb and Knapp more than anything we've ever done."[30] Toward the end of the 1964 operating season, Freedomland had only collected $738,000 in admissions, but was still expected to reopen the following year. However, in an indication of its deep financial troubles, The New York Times reported that Freedomland Inc. had paid its employees with bad checks totaling $60,000.[60]

In August 2013, a plaque commemorating the park was installed near the site of its flagpoles.[25][76] During mid-2019, remnants of Totsie, one of the New York Harbor tugboats, were placed near the plaque. The remains of Totsie were donated by Rob Friedman, an unofficial archivist of Freedomland history.[77]

A small portion of the former park site, at the northeast corner of Bartow and Baychester Avenues, remains zoned as a C7 district.[78] Such districts are reserved "for large open amusement parks";[79] Coney Island is the only other such district in the city.[80] The zoning district is a holdover from Freedomland's operation.[81][82] Due to its C7 zoning, the lot lacked any restrictions for the surface areas of signs located within its limits,[79] but following a 2019 controversy involving a tall billboard on the lot, Co-op City residents proposed changing the lot's zoning to a standard commercial use.[80][82]

Cedar Point Pirate Ride (formerly of Freedomland)

Many Freedomland attractions and design features were auctioned or sold to other parks. Many no longer exist.[83]

• The Crystal Maze, Danny the Dragon, interior diorama of the Mine Caverns, the Tornado dark ride, and the King Rex Carrousel were moved to The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom, when it was owned by Charles R. Wood and known as Storytown USA, in Lake George, New York. The Tornado briefly operated at Kennywood in 1966 before moving to Lake George in 1967. The Crystal Maze building was converted into a concession stand and then an administration building.[53] Wood also obtained a considerable amount of office equipment such as desks, chairs and file cabinets, and he found records about park income and attendance that were more positive than the information provided for the bankruptcy filing. Wood had stated that Freedomland did not have to close unless there were other motives for the land.
• Two of the three Santa Fe Railroad stations were moved to Clark's Trading Post, a family-owned park in Lincoln, New Hampshire. The park obtained Freedomland's Chicago station and the one-room prop station based in the Old Southwest themed area of Freedomland; it was used for the still-operating White Mountain Central Railroad.[84][85] Other Freedomland items that appear at Clark's include bricks from Little Old New York, seats from the Braniff Space Rover and street lamps from all over the park.[83]
• The Canadian, one of the two sternwheelers, was moved to the Byram River between Greenwich, Connecticut, and Port Chester, New York after the closing of Freedomland, where it still exists as a restaurant.[83][86] The American, the other sternwheeler, was destroyed in late 2018 as it collapsed in a harness while it was lifted to a larger vessel for transport to Asia.
• San Francisco's Earthquake and New Orleans' Buccaneers (renamed Pirate Ride) attractions were moved to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, in 1966. Both attractions are no longer operational at Cedar Point.[87]^:119
• The tugboat Totsie operated for many years at Quassy Amusement Park in Middlebury, Connecticut.[88]
• Other Freedomland objects and attractions were moved to places such as Niagara Falls on the New York-Ontario border and Magic Mountain Site in Colorado.[83]

Freedomland's history has been the subject of several historical writings, including:

• Two books were published by Acorn Press in the Images of America series. The second book, Freedomland: 1960-1964, was published in 2015.[87]
• A detailed book about the park's history, Freedomland U.S.A.: The Definitive History, was published in 2019.[89]
• C. V. Wood's life and contributions to Disneyland are recalled in the book Three Years In Wonderland (2016) by Todd James Pierce.[90]

In 1999, a website dedicated to the history of Freedomland was set up by Friedman. The New York Times reported at the time that "the site quickly became a lightning rod for Freedomland enthusiasts, receiving 6 to 10 E-mail messages a week with reminiscences and offers of material for its creator's growing collection."[91]