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Clementon Amusement Park

Clementon Park and Splash World, a small amusement park located in Clementon, New Jersey in Camden County, New Jersey, United States right on Clementon Lake and close to the Pine Valley Golf Club. Also known as Clementon Lake Park, it is one of the world's oldest operating amusement parks. It is owned by Adrenaline Family Entertainment which also operates Alabama Adventure Theme Park in Bessemer, Alabama.

Of its 26 rides, its most popular ride is the log flume, King Neptune's Revenge, although the new roller coaster, Hell Cat, is also very popular. Clementon Park & Splash World Waterpark is open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. For the 2008 season, the park will open Laguna Kahuna a 13,000 square-foot Polynesian themed water play zone.

Current Attractions

Laguna Kahuna

New 13,000 square foot interactive water play area that opened 6-18-2008. Free with park admission.

Hell Cat

A steel and wood hybrid roller coaster.

Clementon Belle

A boat modeled after a Mississippi steamboat that tours Clementon Lake.

C.P. Huntington Train

A small Chance-Morgan train that travels around the perimeter of the park and past Hell Cat.

Inverter

A ride thhat spins 360 degrees frontwards and backwards.

Giant Wheel

Clementon's ferris wheel

Thunderbolt

Little boats that go around and around at fast speeds.

Chaos

This ride was removed after the 2007 season. And not much else is known.

King Neptune's Revenge

Log flume ride.

Kiddieland

A small area near Hell Cat which contains many rides for smaller children.

History

The park was founded in 1907 by New Jersey Assemblyman Theodore B. Gibbs (October 17, 1838 - October 27, 1909) and his sons, Edgar B. and Willard. Theodore Gibbs was a Civil War veteran who was a Corporal in Company D, Twenty-ninth New Jersey Volunteers. He held many local offices including Postmaster and Sheriff; he was also a member of the Atlantic City Railroad's Board of Directors.

The amusement park was a popular destination in the early decades of the twentieth century with a trolley running from Camden, New Jersey to the park entrance. In the early twentieth century, amusement parks were built at the end of trolley lines to encourage weekend ridership.

In the 1920s, the park included a nickelodeon movie theater, a "dancing casino", a steam-driven carousel, the Jack Rabbit roller coaster and a "razzle-dazzle" ride.

On June 22, 1931 a fire almost destroyed the amusement park. According to The New York Times, "a vivid pyrotechnic display and the successive reports of exploding cartridges added to the spectacular aspect of a fire which swept through part of Clementon Park, a South Jersey pleasure resort." The fire had reached the cartridge supply of the shooting gallery setting off explosions. Firemen from six adjoining towns fought the fire which was contained to the shooting gallery and a "pretzel ride." The damages were estimated to be $2000.

Socialist Presidential Candidate Norman Thomas campaigned at Clementon Park in 1932. In a July 4 speech in front of 3,500 people, Thomas said, "It is not against foreign domination we must fight, but against a system that denies us bread, security and any assurance of peace. The men of 1776, in convention assembled at Philadelphia, found no successors in the old party conventions at Chicago in 1932."

In 1936, Philadelphia boxer Al Ettore trained at Clementon Park for the heavyweight title fight against Joe Louis to occur in Philadelphia on September 22, 1936. Thousands of fight fans visited the park to see Al Ettore train. On September 20, 1936 a 100-foot section of grandstand collapsed under the weight of about 500 spectators. No one was seriously injured.

In 1977, the Gibbs family sold Clementon Lake Park to Abram Baker (1904-1994). Baker owned a nightclub in Miami, Florida and the Fascination Parlour in Atlantic City, New Jersey (see Fascination). From 1955 to 1968, he owned Glen Echo Park, Maryland.

In 1979, operation of the park was turned over to Larry Baker, Abe's son.

The Jack Rabbit

The park was famous for its wooden roller coaster, the Jack Rabbit, which was built in 1919 by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. On August 5, 1998 three cars of the Jack Rabbit derailed and hit an office building. Six people were injured in the accident. At one point, the Jack Rabbit was the world's oldest operating roller coaster. In 2002 the Jack Rabbit was abandoned. A replacement roller coaster, The Tsunami, was renamed J2 in honor of the original Jack Rabbit. It kept this name until 2008, when it was renamed "Hell Cat".

On December 3, 2007. The Jack Rabbit was torn down

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