By Michael Perna Jr.
Contributing Writer
WORCESTER – Shortly after returning from the California Gold Rush, where he had gone to hopefully become a rich gold miner, J. J. Coburn decided to start a new business venture. It was something unlike anything the city of Worcester had ever seen before. He decided to develop the area near the shores of Lake Quinsigamond, close by what was then a dirt causeway that crossed the Lake – now the site of the Burns Bridge (Route 9).
Began as a hotel
As part of his plan, he had a hotel built in the late 1860s on what had originally been an island, but at the time it was connected to the causeway. The hotel, known as the Island House, was a large, three-story building, with a cupola on top. It stood on top of a small knoll (which still exists) and had a driveway that allowed horses and wagons to drive off the causeway and circle the hotel.
His next step was to put steamboats in service on the lake, mostly travelling from the causeway south to various stops.
One of the first amusement parks in the region
The final touch in creating what would become a popular late 19th century tourist destination was Lincoln Park itself, located on the Worcester side of the lake, just south of the causeway. Lincoln Park was one of the earliest amusement parks in the entire New England area. As such, it was not as full of amusement park rides as we might imagine today. There were picnic grounds, pathways, a roller skating rink, a dance hall, and a number of games of chance, in addition to an open-air theater.
People from Worcester would visit the park by taking what was known as “The Dummy” – the Worcester and Shrewsbury Railroad – a narrow-gauge line that ran from downtown Worcester to its terminus right at Lincoln Park. It should be noted that, despite its name, the little train never actually travelled into Shrewsbury itself, despite several attempts to extend the line to what was then basically a little village around what is now the center of the town.
One particular booth at the park was remembered in a 1990 memoir written by the late John Cummings, who had grown up close to the lake. In later years he attended college in Michigan where he later became the director of the Clarke Memorial Library at the University of Michigan. He passed away in Michigan in 2010 at the age of 95.
The particular booth Mr. Cumming mentioned was run by who was described as “a Chinese man,” who would tell people’s fortunes. Sometimes, young “park urchins” would disturb the booth’s operations, resulting in the man chasing them through the park, yelling at them in Chinese.
Other games included a rifle-range type operation, a booth where people would try to knock over bowling pins by throwing balls at them, where they would then win a stuffed animal prize. A number of stands located close by the park sold food. Some restaurants later sprang up along Lake Avenue. A few lasted until fairly recent times, and may still be remembered by some older residents, such as Corey’s Hot Dog stand and the O Sole Mio restaurant.
One popular feature of the park was a carousel, which featured hand-carved horses. It sat close to a bowling alley. Later, a hotel was built on the corner of Lake Avenue and Route 9, known as the Lincoln Park Hotel.
Decline after competition arrives
By 1905, the great White City Amusement Park was built right across the lake in Shrewsbury. The two parks would be in constant competition for many years, but the more modern White City, with its more up-to-date rides and attractions hastened the decline of old Lincoln Park.
By the 1950s, about all that remained was the hotel, with the park and all of its various features having closed. The hotel itself lasted into the 1960s – it participated in what was known locally as “Opening Day” of the fishing season, by holding a fishing derby. This author won first prize in the under-12 age group in 1962’s derby. The prizes, with a 16-inch trout being caught, included a fly-fishing rod (long forgotten about) and a two-foot-high trophy (still on display).
The hotel itself burned down in a huge fire in the early 1970s.
Today, the site of the once hugely popular park is home to a high-rise senior housing apartment tower owned by the city of Worcester, a far cry from the “glory days” of old Lincoln Park.
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