Businesses Past...

by Richard D. L. Fulton

Gettysburg Pennsylvania’s Fantasyland

Fantasyland, the memorable amusement park of Gettysburg, was established in 1959 by Kenneth and Thelma Dick after essential acreage was purchased for $21,000 from LeRoy and Esther Apgar.

Kenneth Dick reportedly stated that during the course of a local Kiwanis meeting, he had conceived the idea for a theme park for children when a friend had complained that there was nothing for children to do when families visited Gettysburg, according to the January 10, 1961, edition of The Gettysburg Times, and subsequently, “he and his wife decided to provide such an attraction.”

Upon opening, Fantasyland was in possession of 23 acres of land, which formed the basis for the park. The official opening of the park commenced on July 18, 1959, which was announced along with a definitive write-up of the new attraction, and was published in the July 16, 1959, edition of The Fulton Democrat.

The newspaper had reported, “Fantasyland, the magical wonderland of make-believe, where youngsters and oldsters as well, can see their favorite storybook characters and places… in this marvelous fairyland, a woodland setting…”

Attractions upon opening included Little Miss Muff et, the House that Jack Built, Humpty Dumpty, and “two scores of other wonders,” according to the Democrat.

Those other attractions included Mother Goose, the Little Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe, Santa’s Village (and Elves), the Good Tooth Fairy, Rapunzel’s Castle, a playland featuring a carousel, zoo, pony rides, and farm animals to pet, a scaled down steam-engine ride that was dubbed as being the Cannonball Express, and more.

According to The Fulton Democrat, Thelma Dick had created the conceptual designs for the attractions, which were then “turned over to artists who re-worked her ideas and planned the myriad of display pieces which dot the Fantasyland,” further noting that Rapunzel’s Castle was also designed by Thelma Dick. The newspaper further noted that Fairfield contractor Donald Krause “is building much of Fantasyland.”

The Democrat additionally reported that four “famous artists” had been engaged in the preparation and decorations within Fantasyland, whom the publication identified as having been Manolo Pasqual, Walter Addison, Archie Barnabee, and Peter Reilly.

Mother Goose might prove to be of interest to the reader, aside from the fact that, at the time, the 20-foot-plus tall statue was also believed to have been the tallest Mother Goose fi gurine. Additionally, children could actually hold a conversation with the Mother Goose statue via a microphone located in a nearby building.

Interestingly, one of the women who spoke to the children via the microphone was Anne Eisenhower, (granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower), who worked at the park.

Sadly, at some point, the microphone speaker embedded in the statue shorted out, and Mother Goose’s head caught fire and burned. The head was replaced but, unfortunately, differed a bit from the original.

As the park continued to expand, new attractions continued to be added. By the time the park had closed, it had grown to some 35 acres, with over 100 attractions, which included a Wild West Show, in which “Indians” attacked a stockade fort (and harassed a wagon-train ride transporting park visitors), 11 rides, numerous “characters” in costume, and lakes and boat rides.

By the time the park had permanently closed, it had been visited by over a million individuals.

Why did the park close?

According to Fantasyland – Gettysburg’s Lost Theme Park (YouTube), the National Park Service had offered the Dick family $1.4 million for the Fantasyland site—which would approximate $10 million in today’s money. The family accepted the off er, which also allowed Fantasyland to operate for another 10 years before having to vacate the site.

However, in 1980, another theme park located in Ohio offered to purchase many of the Fantasyland rides and features, and hence that off er was also accepted.

The Gettysburg Times noted in their December 15, 1980, edition that the park had been “60-percent disassembled,” and that the remaining attractions would be removed by the end of the month.

1969 Gettysburg Fantasyland Postcard Folder. Source: Collection of Richard D. L. Fulton