Long Branch Park
| Long Branch Park | |
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Long Branch Park about 1900
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| Location | 3813 Long Branch Road on north shore of Onondaga Lake Geddes, New York |
| Coordinates | 43°7′3″N 76°14′38″W / 43.11750°N 76.24389°WCoordinates: 43°7′3″N 76°14′38″W / 43.11750°N 76.24389°W |
Long Branch Park is a public park in Onondaga County outside of Syracuse, New York, located in the town of Geddes, New York on Long Branch Road near NYS Route 370 and John Glenn Boulevard. The park is situated on the northern shore of Onondaga Lake and is often misidentified as an extension of Onondaga Lake Park which wraps around the eastern shore of the lake to the south shore.
Founded in 1882 by Ben and George Maurer, Long Branch Amusement Park was originally an amusement park with boxing arenas, an arcade and a trolley. The amusement park closed in 1938.
Syracuse's largest mall, Destiny USA is located to the south of the lake and features an original carousel #18 from the amusement park.
In 1882, Ben Maurer and George Maurer purchased the land and developed Long Branch Amusement Park on the northern shore of Onondaga Lake. The name of the park came from the "famed" Chestnut trees that grew in the area.
In 1925, the welcoming sign to the park boasted "New Long Branch Amusement Park -- Let All Who Enter Here Leave Care Behind."
The park offered attractions that were family oriented including playgrounds, picnic areas, baseball games, skating parties and Fourth of July fireworks. For the sportsman, the park offered ice boating, row boating, bowling alleys, a billiards room and a shooting gallery. Additionally, the park had boxing arenas, an arcade and a trolley.
Other features of the park included; a dance pavilion, a restaurant, an arcade and various amusement rides including a ferris wheel and carousel.
On September 15, 1912, a tornado swept through the park, destroying 40 homes. Ben Maurer rebuilt the park which survived for another 26 years before its final demise in 1938.
A combination of growing pollution in the lake and the fact that trolley services to the lake had been discontinued and the increased popularity of the automobile, all contributed to the final closure of the park.
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