Dorchester Atheneum
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Search
Site Tips
> Home
> Agriculture
> Architecture
> Artists
> Authors
> Books
> Cemeteries
> Churches
> Dorchester Historical Society
> Entertainment
   > Roller Skating
   > Oriental Theatre
   > Strand Theatre
   > Theatres
   > Puritan Mall Cinema
   > Oakland Garden Amusement Park
   > More on Entertainment..
> Entertainers
> Industry & Commerce
> Institutions
> Maps
> Monuments
> Myths
> Postcard Images
> Public Figures
> Schools
> Town History
> Walking Tours
> 
Oakland Garden Amusement Park
Oakland Garden Amusement Park
Click image for more information
 The Oakland Garden Amusement Park was established in the early 1880s, showing up on the 1884 atlas. Although Franklin Park opened in 1883, not all the land for the park had been acquired by that time, and the park was not completed for several years. Therefore the success of Oakland Garden Amusement Park must have resulted partly from its proximity to Franklin Park, offering additional attractions for visitors to Franklin Park.

The park shows up in the 1889 atlas, but by 1894, the land has been subdivided for residential development.

continued
map detail showing Oakland Garden
Click image for more information
 
The amusement park was bounded by Columbia Road and Erie Avenue (now Street) and the back property lines of houses on Seaver Street and Michigan Avenue.


continued
Horse-drawn car to Oakland Garden
Click image for more information
 Evening performances included mini-theatricals, operettas and concerts, while circuses and sideshows amused local children during the day. So popular were the attractions of Oakland Garden that horse-drawn cars were chartered from the Highland Railway.

continued
Oakland Garden Amusement Park ticket
Click image for more information
 Thus "if you wish to spend a pleasant evening," all you had to do was purchase a ticket. Large numbers of visitors not only took the cars but walked from miles around.


Source: Anthony Mitchell Sammarco. Dorchester in the Images of America series. 1995.

Related Images: showing 8 of 1498 (more results)
Here are some images from the Atheneum archive related to this topic. Click on any of these images to open a slideshow of all 1498 images.
Town House rear view Town Hall rear view Baker storeLibrary, Franklin ParkTown Hall interiorSt. Peter's School
Philip Albret HouseThird Unitarian ChurchF W G May HouseFowler Clark Farm
Feedback
Do you know something about this topic? Do you have other pictures or items or knowledge to share? What about a personal story? Are you a collector? Do you have questions? Contact us here.
Created: November 3, 2013   Modified: November 3, 2013