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Roton Point
Roton Point has closed (last season: 1941). This page covers its history and the rides it had.
- Location
- Norwalk, Connecticut
- Closed
- 1941
- Rides listed
- 0
Rides it had
No rides listed for Roton Point yet.
Roton Point closed as an amusement park in 1941, after damage from the 1938 hurricane and the start of World War II. Its main grounds became a family beach club, now the Roton Point Association.
Roton Point was an amusement park on Long Island Sound in the Rowayton section of Norwalk, Connecticut. It began in the 1870s as a picnic and beach destination and operated as an amusement park until 1941. Visitors arrived by steamboat, including day-trippers from New York City, and by trolley from Norwalk and Darien.
History
Over the years the park added a carousel, housed in an octagonal bathhouse; a 7,500-square-foot dance pavilion built over the rocks on the shoreline, described in the park's 1915 season brochure; a hotel with porch dining; picnic groves; and midway rides such as bumper cars. In 1925 the park's management added the excursion steamer Belle Island to carry passengers between New York City and Roton Point. RCDB lists two wooden roller coasters at the park, the Big Dipper and the Skylark.
The hurricane of September 21, 1938, damaged the park. After that damage and the start of World War II, the amusement park closed in 1941, and its main area became a family beach club, today the member-owned Roton Point Association. The former park land is now divided among the association, Bayley Beach and a beach outpost of Wee Burn Country Club. The restored octagonal bathhouse, hotel and gazebo survive, as does the roller coaster entrance at Bayley Beach.
Sources
- rotonpoint.org/history (Roton Point Park operated from the 1870s through 1941; New York Times coverage of outings in 1884 and 1885; octagonal bathhouse built for the first carousel; 7,500 sq ft dance pavilion built over the rocks, described in the 1915 season brochure (no build year given); hotel porch dining; picnic groves; midway rides including an airplane ride, the whip and bumper cars; steamer Belle Island built 1925 by park management for New York City service; first coaster across what is now Bayley Beach, a later coaster replacing the miniature steam train; 1938 hurricane damage and start of WWII led to closing in 1941; family beach club, Roton Point Association since 1984; bathhouse, hotel, gazebo and coaster entry at Bayley Beach restored; mailing address Rowayton, CT.)
- rcdb.com/9611.htm (RCDB: Roton Point, Norwalk, Connecticut, defunct (operating dates not listed); damaged September 21, 1938 by the hurricane; two defunct wood coasters, Big Dipper and Skylark (no years given).)
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowayton,_Connecticut (Rowayton is a coastal neighborhood of the city of Norwalk; steamboats brought day-trippers from New York City; trolley from Darien and Norwalk; Roton Point Association, Bayley Beach and a Wee Burn Country Club outpost together made up the Roton Point Amusement Park; carousel and roller coasters.)
- patch.com/connecticut/norwalk/get-to-know-roton-point-amusem... (Opened in the late 1800s; trolley from South Norwalk and Darien; visitors by boat; carousel and miniature steam train (gives late 1942 as the end, see doubts).)