Kennywood

Kennywood is an amusement park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, just southeast of Pittsburgh. The park opened on May 30, 1898, as a trolley park attraction at the end of the Mellon family's Monongahela Street Railway.

It was purchased in 1906 by F. W. Henninger and Andrew McSwigan, both of whom later formed the family-owned Kennywood Entertainment Company. The company later sold Kennywood, along with four other parks, in 2007 to Parques Reunidos, an international entertainment operator based in Spain. In early 2025, the park was sold to Herschend Family Entertainment.

The amusement park features various structures and rides dating back to the early 1900s. Along with Rye Playland Park, it is one of two amusement parks in the United States designated as a National Historic Landmark. Kennywood is also one of thirteen trolley parks in the United States that remain in operation.

Location

Kennywood is approximately 8 miles (13 km) from Downtown Pittsburgh, in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. The park is along Pennsylvania Route 837 (Green Belt), known as Kennywood Boulevard as it passes through the borough. The closest Interstate connection is Exit 77 (Edgewood/Swissvale) on Interstate 376. The Mon–Fayette Expressway will eventually go past Kennywood, which will prompt an expansion of the park when it is built.

Historically, the park is on the location of the July 9, 1755 Battle of the Monongahela, where British general Edward Braddock was mortally wounded, ending his expedition to capture the French Fort Duquesne during the French and Indian War. George Washington was a colonel to Braddock, and fought at the battle before they retreated. Later the land on the bluff above the Monongahela River was part of a farm owned by Anthony Kenny. Around the time of the American Civil War, the site was a popular picnic grove for locals, known as "Kenny's Grove".

History

A tree-filled portion of a farm overlooking the Monongahela River near Pittsburgh owned by Anthony Kenny, known as "Kenny's Grove", was a popular picnic spot for local residents during the American Civil War. In 1898, the Monongahela Street Railways Company, partially owned by prominent banker Andrew Mellon, seeking to increase fare profits on the weekends, leased the land from the Kenny family in order to create a trolley park at the end of their line. The company's chief engineer, George S. Davidson, designed the original layout of the park and served as its first manager. A carousel, casino hall, and dance pavilion were added in 1899. A bandstand was constructed in 1900, while the Old Mill was constructed in 1901, and the park's first roller coaster, the Figure Eight Toboggan, was added in 1902.

After less than a decade, the trolley company no longer wanted to manage the park. The standing manager, Andrew S. McSwigan, along with partners Frederick W. Henninger and A. F. Meghan, leased and operated the park as Kennywood Park Limited beginning in 1906.

From its origin as a working-class picnic entertainment destination, the park grew in the first half of the twentieth century into a popular attraction that combined thrill rides with recreation venues such as swimming pools and dance halls.

Kennywood ceased to be served by streetcar when Mon Street Railways successor Pittsburgh Railways Company converted the route serving it, the lengthy #68 Duquesne-McKeesport line, from trolley to bus on September 15, 1958.

On December 12, 2007, Kennywood Entertainment announced that it would be selling Kennywood Park, along with four other amusement parks in the Northeastern United States, to Parques Reunidos, a company based in Madrid, Spain.

On March 18, 2025, it was announced that Kennywood had been purchased by Herschend Family Entertainment.

Kennywood uses the slogans "Welcome to the family", "America's finest traditional amusement park", and "Make a new memory", although from the 1960s through the early 1990s the slogan was "The roller coaster capital of the world" (a title which is now used by Cedar Point). Kennywood features three wooden roller coasters still in working order (Jack Rabbit, Racer and Thunderbolt), along with three newer steel coasters (Phantom's Revenge, Sky Rocket and Steel Curtain) and one indoor coaster (Exterminator).

The park holds several events throughout the year, including Phantom Fall Fest.

Park timeline

Recognition

For the past several years, Kennywood has been rated the "Favorite 'Dark Attraction Park'" by the Darkride and Funhouse Enthusiasts (DAFE). Kennywood ranked second to Cedar Point in the category of "Favorite Park" in Theme Park Magazine's 2004 Reader's Choice Awards.

The park was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1987.

Attractions

Named areas

• Kiddieland, featuring several child-oriented rides in a compact area located next to the edge of the cliff on the river-view side of the park. It was originally located next to Jack Rabbit before moving to its current location in 1927.
• Lost Kennywood, which was added to the park in 1995. The area references Kennywood's long history, including its short-lived rival Luna Park (1905–1909) and the illusion of old and dangerous rides. The area includes Black Widow, Pittsburg Plunge, Exterminator, Whip, Wave Swinger, and Swingshot.
• Steelers Country, themed after the local Pittsburgh Steelers football team, and its centerpiece is Steel Curtain, which features the tallest inversion in the world and the most inversions on any roller coaster in North America. Steelers Country was introduced in 2019.
• Area 412, an intergalactic alien-themed area, inspired in name by Area 51 and Pittsburgh's area code. This section was officially established in 2023 with the debut of Spinvasion, replacing the former Volcano Valley area. Area 412 currently includes Spinvasion and Cosmic Chaos.
• Kennywood Junction, which was originally named Thomas Town and themed to Thomas the Tank Engine, opened as an extension of Kiddieland on July 27, 2018. The Thomas Town theming was removed following the 2024 season.
• Kenny Lane, which includes Phantom’s Revenge, Potato Smash, Pirate, and Musik Express.
• Kennyville, which includes Ghostwood Estate, Raging Rapids, Thunderbolt, Turtle, and Noah’s Ark.
• The Lagoon, which includes Racer, Aero 360, Auto Race and Merry-Go-Round.
• Goodtime Midway, which includes Sky Rocket, Old Mill, Jack Rabbit and Kangaroo.

Former

• Volcano Valley was established in 2003, and featured several rides, as well as cement volcanoes that spewed smoke. Volcano Valley was removed in 2020.

Roller coasters

Kennywood has made use of the hilly Pittsburgh terrain to create coasters with unique layouts. Thunderbolt and Jack Rabbit, both wooden coasters, place the lift chain in the middle of the ride, not at the beginning. In both cases, the car leaves the station and drops into a valley as its first drop. Phantom's Revenge uses the same valley as Thunderbolt, and its second drop passes through the supports of Thunderbolt's first drop, making Phantom's Revenge's second drop the longest and steepest drop in the ride.

Flat rides

Upcharge attractions

Dark rides

Water rides

Transportation rides

Kiddieland

Kennywood Junction

Kennywood Junction opened in 2018 as an expansion of Kiddieland, and was themed to Thomas the Tank Engine from 2018 to 2024.

Former attractions

Incidents

• On April 24, 1961, the 64-year-old bandstand burned to the ground, hours after the park opened for the season.
• On May 17, 1968, a 15-year-old boy died on Thunderbolt after falling out of the train.
• On June 19, 1975, Ghost Ship burned to the ground. The fire was later found to be caused by an electrical malfunction.
• The 1986 arrest of a park visitor for drug possession went all the way to the Pennsylvania Superior Court in 1988, which ruled in favor of the park's security force. The defendant had unsuccessfully attempted to have the evidence suppressed.
• On July 11, 1999, 30 guests were taken to local hospitals when an operator of Thunderbolt failed to brake an incoming train, resulting in a collision with a train further along in the station.
• On May 31, 2002, a macroburst hit Kennywood, leaving one person dead. The storm, with winds up to 80 mph, knocked the roof off the wooden pavilion which housed The Whip.
• On September 24, 2022, three people were injured during a shooting inside the park during Phantom Fall Fest.

Legacy and media

Pittsburgh locals have often used the phrase "Kennywood is open" in order to tell someone that their the zipper of their pants is down. The phrase is believed by former American Coaster Enthusiasts president Bill Linkenheimer, himself from the Pittsburgh suburb of Ross Township, to be unique to the park, saying that there is no equivalent for other parks like Cedar Point and Disneyland. The origin of the phrase is still shrouded in mystery, though Andy Quinn, himself a descendant of the McSwigan family which co-owned the park, suspects that it may have started as a joke made by park employees which spread relatively quickly. Some locals recall using the phrase as early as the 1940s.

The park has been present in various pieces of media. In 1988, Rick Sebak made a film at the park titled Kennywood Memories, considered a classic WQED film by locals, as well as regarded by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review as one of Sebak's most popular documentaries. The 2009 film Adventureland was filmed at the park, though its appearance was heavily altered for filming.

In 1987, rock singer Freddy Cannon recorded a remade version of his 1962 hit "Palisades Park" called "Kennywood Park", featuring attractions at Kennywood. The song was released on a limited-edition 45 vinyl pressing and sold as a $1.99 fundraising item for Pittsburgh's Children's Hospital through the now-defunct National Record Mart.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
• Incidents at Herschend parks

References

Works cited

• Futrell, Jim (2002). Amusement Parks of Pennsylvania. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-2671-9.
• Hahner, Jr., David P. (2004). Kennywood. Images of America. Foreword by Carol O. Hughes. Portsmouth, NH: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-3563-X. OL 5740387W.

External links

• Official website
• Kennywood at the Roller Coaster DataBase
• Phantom Fright Nights Official Website Archived February 2, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
• Kennywood Park Records, Detre Library & Archives, Heinz History Center
• Kennywood Park Records digital collection, Detre Library & Archives, Heinz History Center