June 9, 2025 • 49 mins
Welcome Back B-oo's Crew! This week we head to the great state of Rhode Island to visit the ruins of a once might east coast titan...Rocky Point Amusement Park. Starting back in the 1800's, this happy place where locals and travelers alike gathered to create happy memories was also no stranger to murder and accidental deaths through its years. From crashing rides and a drug addicted father murdering his daughter it seems this park really did have it all.
But is it really haunted? Thats the question! Join us for a deep dive into what was once one of the most popular theme parks on the east coast. Get ready B-oo's Crew for a strange trip through history (and steve's memories) as we visit Rocky Point Amusement Park!
But is it really haunted? Thats the question! Join us for a deep dive into what was once one of the most popular theme parks on the east coast. Get ready B-oo's Crew for a strange trip through history (and steve's memories) as we visit Rocky Point Amusement Park!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Hey, everybody, and welcome back to for the Booze.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
For the Booze. That's right. Oh man, it's it's encoded enough.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
It really is. It really really is.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Even after talking to a live chat, I can't get it.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Hey.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Anyways, this week we're back. We took a little time
to build up some writing of episode DES so we
could have stuff to fall back on when times got hard,
and I kind of sort of came across something about
a place that I knew as a kid, and there
(01:14):
were rumors online of it being haunted, and now we haven't.
It's an amusement park, and we haven't done an amusement
park since Disney. I believe that's the only thing we've done,
isn't it. So I thought, man, it would be pretty
cool if we could do an amusement park and one
that I remember. I'm so that way I can be like, oh,
(01:35):
this was cool or this sucked. Now I'm going to
throw it out there. I'll read it again later in here.
But it's been closed since nineteen ninety five. Wow. So
the last time I was there, oh, I want to say,
I was like eleven or twelve. Wow. And I'm old now,
So that's a long time, but the place does still
exist in some capacity. It's a very it's a very
(02:00):
memory as a child because I spent my summers going
up to Massachusetts to be with my dad and this
was one of the things that we would do. I
just wish it would have lasted longer so I could
kind of remember it more, right, But you know, it
closed in ninety five. What am I going to do?
And it had one of the only real roller coasters
(02:21):
that ever scared me as a kid.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
What was it?
Speaker 2 (02:24):
It was called the Corkscrew. Oh, but it was like
an old roller coaster and it had like loops in it.
And even back then, I was like, this thing doesn't
look safe. Yeah, it just didn't look safe to me.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
When do you think the like, what year do you
think was the last time you went there?
Speaker 2 (02:40):
I real, I said, I was about twelve, nineteen ninety two. Okay,
do you remember how old?
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Yes? I remember? I missed that part, so you remember
more than I do.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Let's get let's get into this not hard.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
You were born on a zero I know.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
No. That's why I was like, are you kidding me?
Because I literally said the last time I was I
was eleven or twelve.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
I didn't.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
So this place closed when you were nine?
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Yeah, because I am not born on a ten years
so I have to be like.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Does that make you nine? Yeah? Nine? I nailed it,
and then I second guess nailed it. But let's get
into this all right, let's do it now. Warwick is
a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, in the United States,
of course, and this is the third largest city in
the state, with a population of eighty two eight hundred
(03:35):
twenty three as far as the twenty twenty census goes.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
It's a big town.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
It is a big town. This is also there's a
crossover here for anybody listening. Warwick, Rhode Island is actually
where TAPS started.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Was it in Warwick?
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Shot? Uh?
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Oh yeah, I mean I knew it was out of
Rhode Island.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
It's in Warwick. I believe it's still there. Oh wow,
I believe their main headquarters is still in Warwick.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
That is super cool.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
But yeah, this is the same town ghost Hunters originated.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
I've been to Rhode Island. I mean, technically we just
flew into the Providence airport and drove to Massachusetts, but
I've been there.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Did we not go to the Providence place small.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
No, we drove by it and you wanted to, but
we didn't go.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
I thought we did. I've been there a million times.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
I know you have.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
I've even been. I've even done delinquent stuff on the
roof of that place.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
I bet you have.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
I did. Now. Warwick is located approximately twelve miles south
of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, sixty three miles south west
of Boston, and one hundred and seventy one miles northeast
of New York City. The thing about people don't really
understand if you've never been there is New England is
(04:45):
I know people associate that with Massachusetts because of the
football team. Yeah, but New England is a collective of states,
and it's pretty small.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
It is very small. There's very small states, very small.
But there's multiple, very small multiples.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Okay, multiple small states. You're killing it.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
What is Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York No, New York.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
No, I don't know if people consider New York as
part of New England. You have like New Hampshire, Maine.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
New Hampshire and Maine. That's my other two. But then
I said New York and it I was like, I
don't know.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Yeah, I think that's I think Vermont might be included
in there. Okay, I'm not sure that's a much of
small states. I know the surrounding ones because I'm from Massachusetts,
you know. I know like New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut.
I know those for sure. Sometimes I hear like Jersey
and stuff included, but I don't know.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
I don't know about Jersey's more New York, Yes, very
much so.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Warwick was founded by Samuel Gorton Gorton in sixteen forty
two and has witnessed major events in American history. Now.
It was decimated during kids Pillip's War. Do you remember
we talked about that. Yeah, that was in the triangle
helped me. Not for me a Bridgewater. They couldn't get
(06:11):
that out of my mouth, which was from sixteen seventy
five till sixteen seventy six, and was the site of
the Gaspy Affair, the first act of armed resistance against
the British, preceding even the Boston Tea Party, and a
significant prelude to the American Revolution. Now, Warwick was also
(06:31):
the home of Revolutionary War general Nathaniel Green, George Washington
second in command and Civil War General George S. Green,
a hero of the Battle of Gettysburg. Not surprising. This
whole area is full of Revolutionary War people because the
birthplace of America. And I mean, honestly, if Rhode Island
(06:57):
was somehow absorbed into massachuse, I don't think anybody would
skip a beat.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Yeah, nobody would notice.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
They're so small, and everybody from Massachusetts goes to Rhode Island.
Everybody from Rhode Island goes to Massachusetts.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
It's not far drive at all whatsoever.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
It's like forty five minutes.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Yeah, it's crazy.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
That's to Providence. That's not even to like the line.
It's just such a short distance. It's weird.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Today it is home to Rhode Island's main airport, TF
Green Airport, which serves the Providence area and also functions
as a reliever for Logan International Airport in Boston. Warwick
was also home to Rocky Point, which closed in nineteen
ninety five and is now a state park. And you've
been a t F Green. That's where we flew in
when we went to visit.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Yeah, because it was cheaper than flying into logan.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
Flying into Logan. I won't do it, and.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
It is way less chaotic.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
I will not. I just won't. I refuse to do it.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
I bet it is a ginormous airport.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
It sucks. Well, it's a poorly laid out airport. Oh yeah,
and it's just it's all the hecticness of Orlando without
any of the structure or like forethought.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Oh yeah, it's terrible, really because Orlando International Airport is.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
But it's laid out well, so you you know, it's
easier to find where you're going. Busy, But then you
think it's busy, fight your way out a logan. I
know you got to go through Boston.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
It Rocky Points history dates back to pre European times,
when the site was reportedly inhabited by members of the
Narragansett tribe of Native Americans in the summer months now
the property. The property's modern history begins, however, with the
advent of leisure time for nineteenth century working class Rhode Islanders,
(08:47):
who by the late eighteen forties were able to leave
the industrial centers in the state and travel south along
Narragansett Bay for pleasure. Now Narraganset at Bay I've been there.
I love it, and before we came here, it's where
I wanted to move.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Is that where the TV show? Okay, okay, that was
Bob Vila.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Bob Vila. Yeah, they were working on a house and
narraganst at Bay and I watched it. I watched the
whole thing. Nar Against at Bay is beautiful. I don't
know so much about the surrounding areas, but the bay
itself is it's beautiful.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
It's beautiful, it's gorgeous.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Anything anything in New England with coastline is really nice.
But then the outskirts are usually pretty bad. They're not
usually great.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Yeah, they're a little trash.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
I mean, look at you know, like Boston Harbor, cool area,
but then as soon as you go out into the
city and southeast stuff, it is hot garbage. And that's
I say that with all the love Boston. I've been
to Boston. You know, I family from there. I've been there.
I'm part of your people. I love it, but it's trash.
(09:58):
It is. Since it was first used for nature outings
in eighteen forty seven, Rocky Point has been Rhode Island's
working class shoreline resort. Its development as a summer resort
was praised by The New York Times in eighteen seventy two,
when it was described as quote one of the most
delightful places upon our New England coast, a place quote
(10:20):
exceedingly popular with the masses as a delightful spot to
spend a few days from the hurry and hustle of
daily life. This place is delightful, this delightful, and it's just,
you know, to get away from the I wanted them
to say hustle and bustle, but that really threw me off.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Yeah. Well they used delightful twice, so.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Yay, Magane. It's eighteen seventy two.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
I like the word delightful now.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
In that era, before the Midway rides that made Rocky
Point famous for later generations of Rhode Islanders and young
Massachusetts Massachusetts.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Hmmm, I don't like Gailer though, what would that be?
Speaker 2 (11:02):
I don't know, Tontonians. The allure of Rocky Point was
the land itself, over one hundred and twenty acres of
beach meadows, wetlands, woods, and dramatic rocky elevations overlooking the
entire Upper Narrogant Bay. Sexy dang. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
For the whole area.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Yes, it's beautiful. It is. I love I love New
England beaches.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
It is.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
They're rocky, they're a little chili, some of them have
some beach sand. But it's different than Florida, where when
you go to a New England beach, depending on where
you go, you can look out over the Rocky Beach
and see a lighthouse. In Florida, if you look out,
you see trash. And I don't mean people, I just
(11:50):
mean trash, physical trash. Yeah, I hate it.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
And a bunch of busy boating and just drunken boating
water just hammered riding boats as far as you can say, Yeah,
it's awful.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Yeah. Now, in eighteen ninety three, what was supposed to
be a fun outing between a dad and his daughter
turned tragic. Five year old Maggie Sheffield visited Rocky Point
Amusement Park with her father, Frank Sheffield. In the late
eighteen hundreds, opium and cocaine were legal drugs, and doctors
prescribed Frank Sheffield these drugs at that time due to
(12:25):
an unstable mental condition and a freak head injury that
occurred around the time of Maggie's birth. What now even
after multiple confessions to his doctor that he would kill
his daughter, nobody expected it now. That day, after a
meal at the Shore Diner Hall, Frank walked his daughter
towards the shore and bashed her head with a rock,
(12:48):
killing her. Oh Strangely, the community of Warwick seemed more
concerned about Frank than they did about what happened to
the little girl. Even after the murder, Rocky Point Amusement
Park gained popularity and continued to thrive. Oh my god,
(13:08):
let that sink in. Is that not crazy?
Speaker 1 (13:15):
That is awful, That is so tragic.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
I just when I first read that ere, I was like,
huh wow. Now Frank Sheffield stood trial shortly after the murder.
He was rumored to be insane or addicted to drugs,
and as a result, he was found not guilty because
of insanity.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
Mm.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
He beat his daughter to death with a rock with
a rock after saying to his doctor that he would
indeed kill his.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
Daughter, and his doctor was like, nope, just keep taking
your quote unquote medication, sir.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
We're gonna need you to take this opium and cocaine.
It'll fix it all together.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
At the same time, you know, I've.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Noticed a trend because it certainly fixes everybody's problems today.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Oh, you know, that's it.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
By nineteen hundred, amusements had been added so that it
had become quote the Coney Island of Rhode Island, according
to The New York Times, and John Jacob Astor organized
a whimsical visit by his wealthy Newport friends to sample
popular entertainments. Over the decades, attractions at Rocky Point have
come and gone. Nature trails, ferry pier and observation tower, hotels,
(14:27):
clam bakes, restaurants, swimming pool rides, games, and concerts, but
the attraction of one hundred and twenty acres of land
for public use within ten miles of downtown Providence has
been a consistent draw since those first visits in the
late eighteen forties. I mean, it's a beautiful parson.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
You know, it's a nice park man, have all the things.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
You know. What's funny about this, though, what clam bake
means something totally different now it does.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
I refrained from giggling when you said it.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
Caardadkara to explained Nope. As a nearby quote day trip
shoreline resort, Rocky Point was the place that Rhode Islanders
wanted to be in the summer, and they came and droves.
Factory workers from as far away as Taunton, Attleborough and
Fall River or the Dirty Riv would enjoy their companies'
(15:18):
annual outings at the park, and not to mention the
workers from Rhode Islands mill villages from woon Socket to
Olneyville to West Warwick.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
I've been to those places you mentioned.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
You've never been to Wonsacket.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
I've never been to Addleborough, have I.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
I don't think we went.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
To Attleborough, Definitely, Fall River, definitely Totten.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Yeah, we went to the Dirty Riv because we went
and saw the battleship Cove.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Yeah, so so cool.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
You've been. I think you've been to Taunton before.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
Oh you think. Yeah, it's literally where our hotel was, That's.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
Literally where I was born. I know it's my home field.
I always say that, but honestly, my home field is Florida.
I grew up in Florida. I'm from there. My family
still lived there, and I've lived there back and forth.
But the majority of my life was spent in Florida.
But I get dual citizenship.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
You do get, you really do.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
It's mostly because of my last name. So every time
I go back there, people are like, oh, yeah, yeah,
we know you. Now. When labor strife in the eighteen
nineties caused the Rhode Island Central Labor Union to choose
a destination for thousands of workers to hold rally, they
chose Rocky Point, calling all available ferries from Providence in
a service now. Later, when national and local politicians wanted
(16:31):
to or wanted a place to stage rallies for their campaigns,
they also chose Rocky Point. They Rocky Point was It's
been popular for over one hundred.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
Years, obviously. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
Indeed, Rocky Point was the site of the first use
of a telephone by a United States president, when in
eighteen seventy seven, Alexander Graham Bell called from Providence to
President Rutherford B. Hayes at Rocky Point. What that's so much?
That is so if anybody has ever made a phone call,
(17:04):
you can think this area, yeah, because it was part
of that whole thing.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
That's super super cool.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
But I mean as cool as it is. What did
Rutherford B. Hayes do? I don't know exactly wasted, man,
I don't know. Baseball too became a draw for Rhode
Islanders to visit Rocky Point. Those who were at Rocky
Point for a nineteen fourteen game of the Providence Grays
(17:33):
would have seen Babe Ruth hit a home run into
Naragansea Bay. What well, whoa Babe Ruth famously for the
New York Yankees. Yeah, started in Boston. Wow, he's more
famously a Boston Red Sox. And that's why they call
it the Curse of the Bambino because when he left,
they could never seem to win. Wow. And people did
(17:56):
get to see him hit a home run into Narraganty Bay,
that is, And I think that's incredible. I'm not super
into baseball now, but when I was a kid man,
I was super into baseball. I loved it and stuff
like that always made me happy.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Yeah, that's amazing.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Now. In addition to these major historical events, virtually every
adult Rhode Islander has some personal memory of Rocky Point.
As children, parents, and grandparents, we can all remember spending
happy times at Rocky Point, whether it was first jobs,
first dates, riding the Corkscrew, cyclone floom and Music Express.
(18:31):
I got to remember the Music Express, eating clam cakes
and chowder at the world's largest shore diner hall, or
attending concerts on the Midway. The Music Express, you know
those rides that just kind of go in a circle,
but they're going to go up and down. There's loud
music playing. Yeah, it's like one of the first ones.
And that's what that is. The Cyclone, I believe, is
(18:53):
what you would know as the gravitron.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Okay, I was thinking more like tilta whirl, but I
know it's a gravitron.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
And the corkscrew is Oh. Another ride that scared me
here was the Flume. It's the log ride. That's what
they're really called, are flumes. Oh, I don't know, but
it had this drop in it that it made you
feel like you were gonna fly out of your seat. Yeah,
I didn't like it. Yeah, I bet these are all
(19:21):
great rides. Though many of Rhode Island's notable political events
were held at the Palladium, which was also home to
many weddings, sports banquets, and other events, the openness of
the amusement park allowed fishermen free access to the point
with its renowned striped bass catches, and older Rhode Islanders
parked along the shoreline for a superb view of Narragansett Bay.
(19:45):
What former US Senator from Rhode Island, John Chaffey called
a quote three bridge view spanning from the Mount Hope
Bridge to the Newport pell Bridge to the Jamestown Verrizano Bridge.
Mouthfuls those names man amidst the joy and excitement. The
park has also experienced several tragic incidents that resulted in
(20:09):
the loss of lives. These deaths have left a lasting
mark on the park's history and the hearts of those affected. Now,
A lot of times we do these and I can
never find stuff, you know, I did for this one.
I did find actual accounts of things that have happened here. Yes,
it's not a lot, but I was able to find some. Hey,
(20:31):
and you can remember, this is a tiny amusement park
in the grand scheme. This is a tiny amusement park.
This is not big. It's I mean compared to like
a Disney It's like Main Street of Disney. Wow, it's
not big. It's just not very big at all. The
Cyclone roller coaster tragedy, one of the most notable incidents
(20:53):
at Rocky Point, occurred on June seventh, nineteen thirty six,
when the iconic Cyclone roller coaster malfunctioned leading to a
horrifying accident. As the coaster was climbing up the first hill,
its lift chain snapped, causing two cars to plummet to
the ground. The devastating crash resulted in the death of
(21:14):
six individuals and injured several others. The incident sent shockwaves
to the community, forever changing the perception of the amusement
park's safety. Six people who the who would ride a
roller coaster in nineteen thirty six? It was bad news,
bad news written all over. It got me no, he
(21:38):
I just see no now. The free fall tragedy, another
dark day in Rockies Points. Rocky Points history unfolded on
June thirty, nineteen ninety six. Now, I know it closed
in ninety five, but I think some rides stuck around
even after. I'm not sure how this, honestly, honestly, how
this worked. But I found many instances where I think
(22:02):
they might even have a ride or to today.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
Wow. Yeah, they just kind of runs as just a
ride and not a full park.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
Yeah. Yeah, it's a state park, and I think some
of the rides are just there there. I'm not sure. Right.
June thirtieth, nineteen ninety six, during the operation of the
Freefall ride. This towering drop tower, it's freefall.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
Heck yeah, no, I don't like those. Heck yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
Standing at about two hundred feet, was designed to provide
exhilaration and swift adrenaline rush to the riders. However, the
mechanical malfunction caused the rides breaks to fail, resulting in
a fatal accident. Ye One rider lost their life and
several other sustained injuries, leaving visitors traumatized and questioning the
parks safety protocols. You know what this reminds me.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
Of, right, yes, I sure do. The what I forget
the name of it, The tower in Orlando.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Yeah, I think it was also maybe called the Freefall
or something. I don't remember, but that kid who died
it was. And then they tried to blame the kid
because he was a big kid.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
Yeah he was like a big high school football player.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
Yeah, but he was like fourteen, but he exceeded the
height and weight. But they let him on, let him on,
and it killed him. Yep.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
Hit his thing I guess didn't clip all the way
and on the way down, it like stops halfway, I guess,
and just just like boom, and then it goes back
up and then just kind of goes down and on
that stop drop.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
Yeah, he came out and spotted it came out. Yeah,
and there was video. I remember seeing it on TV.
I do too, in all of its uncensored glory, and
it was horrifying.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
It was so rough. Yeah, poor kid and his poor family.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
And the fact that they this was like a couple
of years ago. They said any like they I don't know, man,
it's just wild. They closed the ride down.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
Yeah, good as they should.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
Now. The Haunted House tragedy. Even the tamer attractions at
Rocky Point weren't entirely immune to accidents. August eighteenth, nineteen
sixty three, tragedy struck within the park's Haunted House ride.
A fire broke out within the dark and eerie interior,
and engulfing the entire scene in chaos and panic as
(24:11):
visitors dashed for the exits. Two young sisters, aged six
and eight, tragically lost their lives in the fire. The
incident highlighted the importance of fire safety regulations at amusement
parks across the country. Uh huh. Now, because of stuff
that happened here, though, we did get stricter amusement park
protocols throughout the entire country, right, you.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Know, but that was like the time where amusement parks
were like growing too.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
Yeah. I mean still, who would ride anything in the sixties.
I don't think I would have touched anything until like
the nineties. I don't know. I say that, but I
wrote a lot of rides in the eighties. So I
guess I'm lying, but I don't know. Just I guess
looking back now, it's just not very safe. No, now
we know, and now we know, yeah, because except for Disney,
(25:00):
Disney was always different because they had all the funding. Yeah,
and Disney's always been that multi billion dollar machine, you know.
So I don't know, but this place was a little rickety,
like I remember it because I remember when you first
walked in, they had a giant carousel, and the carousel
looked like it was probably from the eighteen hundreds. I
(25:21):
don't know if it was, but I mean it did
look old, oh man. And then you had the corkscrew
like off, I want to say, it was like right
behind it, but kind of to the right. I mean,
I'm struggling to remember. This was like almost forty years ago,
thirty years ago. Thirty five years ago. I don't know,
it's a long time ago.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
It's like thirty years ago.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
Yeah, but yeah, a lot of the stuff that happened,
unfortunately happened. But they did give us, you know, new
ways to look at how to do this stuff, guidelines
and rules and ultimately regulations. We ended up you know,
doing better from it. But unfortunately children had to die. Yeah, Now,
(25:59):
drowned incidents in the saltwater pool. Rocky Point Amusement Park
had a saltwater pool where visitors could cool off and
enjoy a swim. However, there were unfortunate instances of drowning
within the pool's depths. In nineteen fifty six, a twenty
year old woman drowned in the pool, followed by another
incident in nineteen sixty eight where a young boy lost
(26:22):
his life. These events emphasized the need for strict lifeguard
supervision and safety measures and around water attractions. You think
about that they didn't have lifeguards.
Speaker 1 (26:34):
I mean pretty much everywhere you go that's like a
public like like built. I'm not saying like they're going
to be at all the rivers and the lakes and
things like that sometimes, but in amusement parks or at
like a recreation buildings for like neighborhoods and things like that.
There's always like guards always.
Speaker 2 (26:57):
I think even at most public parks and stuff there. Yeah,
there's stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
Now, yeah, because there needs to.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
Be yeah, I mean obviously because children can drown.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
Now, some Rhode Islanders spent many summers living in their
cottages in the small resort community on the northern end
of the property known as Rocky Beach. Now, Rocky Point
had something for everyone, and everyone has his her own
his or her own personal Rocky Point memories. Obviously you did,
I do now. When the amusement parks succumbed to the
(27:34):
pressure of its debts and closed in nineteen ninety five, however,
Rocky Point and its scenic shoreline was closed to the
public access. It remained generally inaccessible to any use whatsoever
because landward access was blocked by the portion of the
property held in receivership under the US Small Business Administration,
(27:56):
so you couldn't even go near it. Yeah, it was
this once renowned place.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
And shut down down offline.
Speaker 2 (28:04):
And now everybody was just like, you can't be here. Wow,
just out of the blue, which is crazy.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
It is crazy now.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
The SBA, the Small Business Administration, and furtherance of its
duty to try and repay the amusement parks debts, tried
for years to sell the property for residential development, but
those efforts they failed. Indeed, residential development was just not
the right answer for the property because it would have
provided only a few Rhode Islanders with access to what
(28:32):
is properly the patrimony of everyone in the Ocean State.
So they people didn't want to live here. They wanted
to visit here. This is a place from their childhood.
Speaker 1 (28:46):
This is a visiting destination, not much more.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
It would be like anybody if they went into Orlando
and shut Disney down, was like, you want to buy
a house here? No, because now it's going to suck. No,
we don't want to build houses here. We love this place,
so stop it.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
Man.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
And the same thing happened for this But this has
been around since the eighteen hundreds, and you know, generations
of families came, so it was very hard for them
to do anything with this place. Cut my hair today
and I had to trim my nose hairs and then
my nose is it where the short nosehairs of Poken.
It's driving me crazy. In two thousand and eight, the
(29:24):
City of Warwick, through a complicated transaction involving federal, state,
and city efforts, acquired title to forty one acres of
the property, mostly wetlands, but importantly including a strip of
land along the entire mile long shoreline of the property.
The visionary purchase assured eventual public access to the unrivaled
(29:46):
resource of properties coast now. The acquisition was made possible
through the herculean efforts of many parties, through a federal
grant of over two million dollars obtained by Senator Jack Reed,
who was an early proponent of public access to the
property along with Congressman Jim Langevin. I don't know if
(30:08):
that's how you say that, but that's what we're gonna
go with.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
Sure that sounds good.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
Through necessary matching funds from the City of Warwick and
the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management or the dem
under the leadership of Mayor Scott Avid's Vegan ave evedize
whatever and Director Michael Sullivan, and through the corporation of
(30:31):
other city and state officials in the SBA. So there
trying to do something with it. Yeah, but nothing.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
Is nothing's sticking, nothing's happening.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
They're having a hard time.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:42):
The following the City of Warwick's purchase Mayor Avedisian, the
Mayor Avedijian, with the support of the Deem and the SBA,
arranged several occasions when the public could drive and walk
through the city on property. Thousands of Rhode Islanders took
advantage of these one day events in two thousand and
eight and two thousand and nine to show their interest
(31:04):
and enthusiasm for a public rocky point. Anyone who attended
these events could attest to the incredible response of the
public to once again be able to visit their rocky Point.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
They're like, no, this needs to be the New England.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Northeast area is very big on family and like the
general because people's family's there. They it's not really a
place that like you were born somebody else and you
move to like I know that's what you're used to
growing up in Florida, because Florida's a melting pot, yep.
But generations and generations and generations of family lived in
(31:45):
the Northeast. My family started there in the sixteen hundreds,
so crazy, you know, So like it's almost like the
rest of the world it exists, don't get me wrong,
but it couldn't and everybody would be fine in there.
That's that's their place. And they take everything to harp
(32:05):
there because they because it's a their place. It's hard
to describe the feeling, but I get it. But I
also understand the other side of it because I grew
up in Florida, and Florida is just like it's like
a pass.
Speaker 1 (32:17):
Through it is, and it's such a melting pot for
so many different kinds of people, ages of people. And
then you get like you get Snowbird Season. I don't know.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
What's going on.
Speaker 1 (32:36):
It might not be all the way in almost Lost you.
Speaker 2 (32:47):
I almost wasn't going to be able to continue on
with the episode.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
But it's such just a diverse group of people that
live in Florida. And then Snowbird Season. I don't know
if anybody knows what.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
That is, but I think every he knows what that is.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
It's a weird time.
Speaker 2 (33:02):
It is.
Speaker 1 (33:03):
It's a weird time. Don't be out on the roads
and expect to get anywhere fast. No, just put it
that way.
Speaker 2 (33:09):
But the Northeast is not like them, you know, families
are there for hundreds of years. After the public's appetite
for a fully reopened Rocky Point was wetted, efforts to
cause the state to purchase the remaining eighty plus acres
of the property gained a lot of traction. Now, the
case for the state purchase pursued by the Rocky Point
(33:32):
Foundation following its formation in two thousand and nine was
easy to establish. They even had their own little foundation
built up around this.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
Man.
Speaker 2 (33:42):
That's impressive, it is. I mean, that's how much everybody
loved this place. Yeah, a Rocky Point is less than
ten miles by direct measurement from down from downtown Providence,
which would make it the closest state park for anyone
in or around Providence who wants to reach swimmable bay waters.
The meaning of this successibility could be overstated, as a
(34:04):
visit to the Goddard Park Beach on hot summer days
would demonstrate. Now, there is an incredible demand in Rhode
Island's urban center for shoreline recreation on clean water that
is accessible without a longer drive to South County. Some
of the water there sucks. Some of it's really nice, though,
so they want the nice stuff.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
Well of course, who wouldn't.
Speaker 2 (34:27):
Well, it's like people in New York. They don't go
swimming in Hudson Bay, you know, it's freaking disgusting, So
they'll go out of their way to the Jersey shore
to find better water swimming. It's the same thing here.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (34:38):
In Rocky Point, with its two sandy beaches, not to
mention saltwater fishing, nature trails, rock climbing, and open spaces
for family sports, is precisely where this demand can be met.
Near the southern terminus of the current RIPTA bus line
are Line three. The trip to Rocky Point from Kennedy
Plaza takes just over half an hour. Hmmm, half an
(35:01):
hour drive and you're there.
Speaker 1 (35:02):
That's crazy.
Speaker 2 (35:03):
By boat, the trip is more direct, and the possibility
of rebuilding the deep water dock at Rocky Point is
a major advantage to the accessibility of the property by car.
The trip from Providence is also brief, and the prior
development of Rocky Point makes virtually any amount of shoreline
adjacent parking possible without any disruption to existing natural habitats.
(35:25):
It's the perfect freaking location. It's like anything they want
to do, it can be done. Yeah, that's so so
it's like, it's just a no brainer. Man. It's incredible
by any means, a family sitting in their home in
Providence could decide to go to Rocky Point on a
Saturday morning and be there by noon without having to
worry about filling the car with gas or beach traffic
(35:47):
or whether there is parking space when they get there. So,
I mean, it's it's just it's not like going to Disney.
Speaker 1 (35:56):
Yeah, you know, because it's way smaller.
Speaker 2 (36:00):
Well yeah, because, but.
Speaker 1 (36:01):
It's I feel like this is more like neighborhood friendly.
Speaker 2 (36:06):
This is like an intimate amusement park.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
What I was saying, it's not.
Speaker 2 (36:11):
What everybody else is used to when you think of
amusement park. So I I know that the very first
thing everybody thinks of when you hear amusement park. I mean, technically,
Disney is not an amusement park. No, it's a theme park.
It is a theme park, but it's still.
Speaker 1 (36:24):
The first thing that has amusement rides.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
No, it has theme park rides. There's a difference. Amusement
park rides are like a giant, overgrown carnival.
Speaker 1 (36:36):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (36:37):
Theme park rides are like when you go and you're
riding Mister Toad's Wild Ride because it's fashioned after a
character from a Disney movie.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
I mean, I get that, okay, but.
Speaker 2 (36:49):
The theme park ride, we'll do it like this. A
theme park ride could be four million dollars to build.
An amusement park ride could be forty grand. Huge difference.
Speaker 1 (37:00):
Wow, Okay, it's.
Speaker 2 (37:03):
Like an It's just like an overpriced carnival versus the
theme park. I mean, nobody matches Disney.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
But but I like the way you put that. It's
an intimate thing for the community.
Speaker 2 (37:14):
It is it is, and it it helped their little
bubble that I was talking about, because now you have
this amusement park that you can go visit and you
don't even have to leave town. You don't have to
take that twelve hundred mile trip to Florida.
Speaker 1 (37:28):
You're on the shore, you can see the water like and.
Speaker 2 (37:31):
There's still parks like this in the Northeast.
Speaker 1 (37:34):
There's just so many good things about it.
Speaker 2 (37:36):
Northeast. They don't have theme parks, but they have lots
of amusement parks. You know. FunTown, USA is another one
that I have fond memories of and stuff like that,
and six Flags six six or six Flags is an
amusement park. There you go, there's I don't know, I
didn't think of that. Six Flags is an amusement park.
Disney's a theme park.
Speaker 1 (37:54):
Okay, I've been to six Flags.
Speaker 2 (37:57):
It was fun. I've never been. The accessible location of
Rocky Point has another advantage that makes the property unique
its ability to serve as the keystone property for a
marine link between the East Bay and the West Bay
and for an inland link to the other open space
in Warwick and beyond. Now on the east of the property,
(38:17):
Rocky Point looks straight across to Colt State Park about
four miles away, and Northern that's supposed to say, oh no,
maybe it is Prudence Island. I've never heard of it,
and Northern Prudence Island and Patience Island, Ptience, Patience. I
wonder if anybody will get that reference. God, we're all
(38:38):
references are about two miles to the southeast. This set
of properties calls to mind the quote Bay Island Parks
System idea that has been on the drawing board for decades,
with a potential ferry service running a short loop across
the bay to Newport with its Ford Adams State Park.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
That's super cool. Oh my god, they can make so cool.
Speaker 2 (39:02):
We make them all connectable.
Speaker 1 (39:04):
Yeah, quick, little ten to fifteen in a ferry riding.
Speaker 2 (39:07):
And boom boom, boom boom wouldn't even be that long,
I know. I mean, have you ever been on a ferry?
Speaker 1 (39:12):
Nope?
Speaker 2 (39:12):
Other fun You ever hit your face on the microphone?
Speaker 1 (39:15):
I just did.
Speaker 2 (39:17):
Likewise, on the west of Rocky Point, the property buts
a network of wetland and uh inform informed Oh my god,
let me take a breath. Here network of wetlands and
informal trails that connects to the old Rocky Point trolley
line right of way. There was a trolley there. Tell
(39:39):
the connection could be utilized to link Rocky Point to
the system of bike trails that the state has so
effectively pursued in the last two decades. And accessibility by
a bike path would add to the utility of a park,
a public park at Rocky Point. So this place has
all these ways in and so cool things can do
(40:00):
with it. I want to know for sure, though, if
they still have rides up because I think they saw
a Ferris Will.
Speaker 1 (40:06):
I love Farris Whales.
Speaker 2 (40:07):
I think they still have Affaris Will with all with
all these thoughts in mind and at the insistence of
the Rocky Point Foundation. In partnership with Save the Bay,
the Rhode Island Land Trust Council, and other organizations and volunteers,
the Rhode Island General Assembly approved a statewide bond referendum
(40:28):
in the November twenty ten election, seeking approval to borrow
ten million dollars to purchase the remaining eighty acres of
Rocky Point to establish Rhode Island's new estate park.
Speaker 1 (40:39):
Heck yeah, and that happened. Heck yeah, it happened. That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (40:44):
The referendum was overwhelmingly approved by Rhode Island voters. After
several years of negotiations and court proceedings that followed, the
remaining Rocky Point acreage was finally purchased by the state
in early twenty fourteen, and by the end of twenty fourteen,
the entire property had been cleaned up in preparation for
(41:04):
full public access. Yay, As any visitor to Rocky Point
will attest, the park is already being used robustly by
a variety of Rhode Islanders. The mile long walking and
biking path is heavily traveled, and the beach is used
for swimming caution, no lifeguards.
Speaker 1 (41:23):
Uh oh, watch out now.
Speaker 2 (41:25):
Sea glunking, which I didn't know what that was. It's
collecting sea glass.
Speaker 1 (41:30):
Sea glunking, that's the word.
Speaker 2 (41:31):
I'd never heard it before, but apparently that's a thing.
Speaker 1 (41:34):
OK.
Speaker 2 (41:35):
And others are just enjoying the view.
Speaker 1 (41:37):
I want to find sea glass like cool sea glass.
Speaker 2 (41:41):
There's no ocean for hundreds of miles of us I know.
People come to see the remnants of the old amusement park,
the Hallmark Arch transplanted from the nineteen sixty four to
sixty five Worlds Fair, the Skyliner ride stanchions, the Circle
Swing Tower. I've been on that, and the Water Cistern
(42:01):
Foundation to tell stories about their memories at Rocky Point,
and to walk on the boundless grass lawn and into
the Rocky Woods. The park has been the site of
several Rocky Point five K road races, Rhode Island Natural
History serve a bio Blitz event, and several Quote movie
nights on their great Lawn. Plans for a possible new
(42:23):
doctor being pursued. Composting toilets have been installed, and an
extension of the pathways is and works. The exact future
of Rocky point is still in the making, which is
consistent with the ever changing but also always highly valued
nature of this treasured Rhode Island landscape. And oddly enough,
(42:47):
that's the end of the story I could find. All right,
this is what made this weird. I could find all
kinds of stuff that talked about people thinking this place
was haunted, but could find nobody talking about.
Speaker 1 (43:05):
It, but like, no actual claims.
Speaker 2 (43:07):
You mean, So it's kind of like it's kind of
like a locally believed thing that locals believe this place
to be haunted, but there's really nothing to find about it.
And I think, but I think it's for a reason.
I think it's because people don't want to think of
this place as creepy. I think they want to think
(43:29):
of this place.
Speaker 1 (43:29):
As fully friendly.
Speaker 2 (43:32):
They want to keep the memories and not have a
bunch of people treating it as something else. So even
if it was haunted, it would be haunted by the
loving memories of everyone's past.
Speaker 1 (43:42):
Ah.
Speaker 2 (43:43):
And there was another death that I forgot to put
in here from two thousand and eight. It was on
the ferris wheel. Somebody died on the ferris wheel, or no,
they didn't die. One of the one of the bucket
seats detached and people got hurt, but nobody died. But
there have been and quite a few deaths here, and
there was a murder here.
Speaker 1 (44:03):
That's scary.
Speaker 2 (44:04):
So I mean, obviously there's going to be people who
think that this place is haunted, but.
Speaker 1 (44:10):
There's like trauma and death and just terror really because
you got to think, like when these accidents are happening,
like on these coasters and these rides and things like that,
and like people are there around it, and like cars
flying off and people crashing to the ground, like there's
gonna be other people down there. That's traumatizing.
Speaker 2 (44:33):
Well not only that, but think about all the deaths
that weren't recorded, right for one hundred years. But anyways,
I have to ask you a question, okay, and it goes.
That was my voice, very loudly, asking do you think
this place is haunted.
Speaker 1 (44:56):
I want to say yes, because I re like this
place a lot. I thoroughly enjoy this amusement park, this
nature of bringing neighborhoods together and just generations of families
going there. But I feel like I want to say
no only because I want it. I want to leave
(45:19):
it to the people. I want to leave it to
the people of the area because they care so much
for this place. What do I know?
Speaker 2 (45:27):
You know, what do you know?
Speaker 1 (45:28):
I don't know. I know that this place is adorable.
Speaker 2 (45:31):
But what is your answer?
Speaker 1 (45:33):
No?
Speaker 2 (45:33):
Okay? Is that no? Okay?
Speaker 1 (45:36):
What about you ben? No okay?
Speaker 2 (45:39):
No? And even if it was, I'd say no okay,
because the only thing this place is haunted by are
good memories people.
Speaker 1 (45:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (45:46):
Absolutely, you know, I was scared of most of the
rides here because I was a little kid, But yeah,
I still have good memories to come in here, and
I don't think anybody from that area would tell you
anything different. Yeah, Rocky Point is a very beloved place
by generations upon generations of families. And while tragic things
happen there, and who knows, maybe somebody did stick around.
(46:08):
I mean, if I died at Rocky Point, I'd want
to stick around. Heck, yeah, you know, because even though
the rides are gone, the memory of them are still there.
But the bay, the Bay View is forever be there.
Speaker 1 (46:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (46:19):
Absolutely, Rocky Point was amazing and I'm glad I got
to talk about it. And I know it kind of
sucks because there wasn't a whole lot on the paranormal side.
But there are people locals who talk about it possibly
being haunted, and I just wanted to talk about it
because it was a it's a good memory, you know what.
Speaker 1 (46:33):
I absolutely freaking love this place. Yeah, this adorable and
I love it so much. It's darling.
Speaker 2 (46:39):
So it's yeah, so Kia. So while it's not going
to get the big old seal of approval or anything,
it still gets my seal of approval.
Speaker 1 (46:49):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (46:49):
I love this.
Speaker 1 (46:50):
Oh my goodness, this place is awesome.
Speaker 2 (46:52):
Yeah, but uh, where can they find us? Well, it
doesn't matter. Anywhere you can find for the Booze, that's
where you can find it. I mean, do my thing
for what. I don't even post on anything most of
the time anymore. I post you want to, you want
to see me post a lot, Come join our Patreon
That's where I post pretty much everything now fine and Facebook,
which hey, there could be more social media stuff if
(47:14):
somebody else would do it. She's not going to do it.
Uh yeah, check us out. Just look up for the
Boost podcast. A bunch of stuff will pop up. We're
on there, and if you feel so inclined, please leave
us a review on Apple podcast because we've had the
same fourteen for years now.
Speaker 1 (47:33):
Yeah, Apple podcasts, Spotify, anything, all the things. I don't know.
Speaker 2 (47:38):
Anywhere you can find podcasts.
Speaker 1 (47:41):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (47:42):
But uh, I think that's it.
Speaker 1 (47:45):
I think that's it. Well, if you have a listener's
suggestion or a listener's story you've spread on the show then.
Speaker 2 (47:54):
Four years and I am terrible at this.
Speaker 1 (47:56):
You can write us at for the Boost twelve at
gail dot com. That's right, that's.
Speaker 2 (48:01):
Right, And if you really want to make an impact
on the show, come check us out on Patreon. Uh huh,
And that's for the Booze Underscore podcast, I believe. Yeah,
for the Booze Underscore podcast on Patreon. Yeah, one, five
or ten, depends on where you're at, how much pull
you get. But you can tell us to do something
and we will do it.
Speaker 1 (48:20):
And we do extra content over there just for our patreons.
And they got lots and lots and say in our show.
Speaker 2 (48:27):
Get to record after this.
Speaker 1 (48:28):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (48:29):
But I guess I guess we'll go ahead and leave. Well,
let's let's get let's let's get out of here. You
take us.
Speaker 1 (48:36):
Out, Well, thank you everybody so much for listening, and
we will see you in the next one.
Speaker 2 (48:42):
Bye me, take us out. What's wrong with you? It's absurd.
Speaker 1 (49:10):
Hey,
Hey, everybody, and welcome back to for the Booze.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
For the Booze. That's right. Oh man, it's it's encoded enough.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
It really is. It really really is.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Even after talking to a live chat, I can't get it.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Hey.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Anyways, this week we're back. We took a little time
to build up some writing of episode DES so we
could have stuff to fall back on when times got hard,
and I kind of sort of came across something about
a place that I knew as a kid, and there
(01:14):
were rumors online of it being haunted, and now we haven't.
It's an amusement park, and we haven't done an amusement
park since Disney. I believe that's the only thing we've done,
isn't it. So I thought, man, it would be pretty
cool if we could do an amusement park and one
that I remember. I'm so that way I can be like, oh,
(01:35):
this was cool or this sucked. Now I'm going to
throw it out there. I'll read it again later in here.
But it's been closed since nineteen ninety five. Wow. So
the last time I was there, oh, I want to say,
I was like eleven or twelve. Wow. And I'm old now,
So that's a long time, but the place does still
exist in some capacity. It's a very it's a very
(02:00):
memory as a child because I spent my summers going
up to Massachusetts to be with my dad and this
was one of the things that we would do. I
just wish it would have lasted longer so I could
kind of remember it more, right, But you know, it
closed in ninety five. What am I going to do?
And it had one of the only real roller coasters
(02:21):
that ever scared me as a kid.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
What was it?
Speaker 2 (02:24):
It was called the Corkscrew. Oh, but it was like
an old roller coaster and it had like loops in it.
And even back then, I was like, this thing doesn't
look safe. Yeah, it just didn't look safe to me.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
When do you think the like, what year do you
think was the last time you went there?
Speaker 2 (02:40):
I real, I said, I was about twelve, nineteen ninety two. Okay,
do you remember how old?
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Yes? I remember? I missed that part, so you remember
more than I do.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Let's get let's get into this not hard.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
You were born on a zero I know.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
No. That's why I was like, are you kidding me?
Because I literally said the last time I was I
was eleven or twelve.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
I didn't.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
So this place closed when you were nine?
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Yeah, because I am not born on a ten years
so I have to be like.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Does that make you nine? Yeah? Nine? I nailed it,
and then I second guess nailed it. But let's get
into this all right, let's do it now. Warwick is
a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, in the United States,
of course, and this is the third largest city in
the state, with a population of eighty two eight hundred
(03:35):
twenty three as far as the twenty twenty census goes.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
It's a big town.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
It is a big town. This is also there's a
crossover here for anybody listening. Warwick, Rhode Island is actually
where TAPS started.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Was it in Warwick?
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Shot? Uh?
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Oh yeah, I mean I knew it was out of
Rhode Island.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
It's in Warwick. I believe it's still there. Oh wow,
I believe their main headquarters is still in Warwick.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
That is super cool.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
But yeah, this is the same town ghost Hunters originated.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
I've been to Rhode Island. I mean, technically we just
flew into the Providence airport and drove to Massachusetts, but
I've been there.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Did we not go to the Providence place small.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
No, we drove by it and you wanted to, but
we didn't go.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
I thought we did. I've been there a million times.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
I know you have.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
I've even been. I've even done delinquent stuff on the
roof of that place.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
I bet you have.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
I did. Now. Warwick is located approximately twelve miles south
of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, sixty three miles south west
of Boston, and one hundred and seventy one miles northeast
of New York City. The thing about people don't really
understand if you've never been there is New England is
(04:45):
I know people associate that with Massachusetts because of the
football team. Yeah, but New England is a collective of states,
and it's pretty small.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
It is very small. There's very small states, very small.
But there's multiple, very small multiples.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Okay, multiple small states. You're killing it.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
What is Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York No, New York.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
No, I don't know if people consider New York as
part of New England. You have like New Hampshire, Maine.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
New Hampshire and Maine. That's my other two. But then
I said New York and it I was like, I
don't know.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Yeah, I think that's I think Vermont might be included
in there. Okay, I'm not sure that's a much of
small states. I know the surrounding ones because I'm from Massachusetts,
you know. I know like New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut.
I know those for sure. Sometimes I hear like Jersey
and stuff included, but I don't know.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
I don't know about Jersey's more New York, Yes, very
much so.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Warwick was founded by Samuel Gorton Gorton in sixteen forty
two and has witnessed major events in American history. Now.
It was decimated during kids Pillip's War. Do you remember
we talked about that. Yeah, that was in the triangle
helped me. Not for me a Bridgewater. They couldn't get
(06:11):
that out of my mouth, which was from sixteen seventy
five till sixteen seventy six, and was the site of
the Gaspy Affair, the first act of armed resistance against
the British, preceding even the Boston Tea Party, and a
significant prelude to the American Revolution. Now, Warwick was also
(06:31):
the home of Revolutionary War general Nathaniel Green, George Washington
second in command and Civil War General George S. Green,
a hero of the Battle of Gettysburg. Not surprising. This
whole area is full of Revolutionary War people because the
birthplace of America. And I mean, honestly, if Rhode Island
(06:57):
was somehow absorbed into massachuse, I don't think anybody would
skip a beat.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Yeah, nobody would notice.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
They're so small, and everybody from Massachusetts goes to Rhode Island.
Everybody from Rhode Island goes to Massachusetts.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
It's not far drive at all whatsoever.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
It's like forty five minutes.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Yeah, it's crazy.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
That's to Providence. That's not even to like the line.
It's just such a short distance. It's weird.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Today it is home to Rhode Island's main airport, TF
Green Airport, which serves the Providence area and also functions
as a reliever for Logan International Airport in Boston. Warwick
was also home to Rocky Point, which closed in nineteen
ninety five and is now a state park. And you've
been a t F Green. That's where we flew in
when we went to visit.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Yeah, because it was cheaper than flying into logan.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
Flying into Logan. I won't do it, and.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
It is way less chaotic.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
I will not. I just won't. I refuse to do it.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
I bet it is a ginormous airport.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
It sucks. Well, it's a poorly laid out airport. Oh yeah,
and it's just it's all the hecticness of Orlando without
any of the structure or like forethought.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Oh yeah, it's terrible, really because Orlando International Airport is.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
But it's laid out well, so you you know, it's
easier to find where you're going. Busy, But then you
think it's busy, fight your way out a logan. I
know you got to go through Boston.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
It Rocky Points history dates back to pre European times,
when the site was reportedly inhabited by members of the
Narragansett tribe of Native Americans in the summer months now
the property. The property's modern history begins, however, with the
advent of leisure time for nineteenth century working class Rhode Islanders,
(08:47):
who by the late eighteen forties were able to leave
the industrial centers in the state and travel south along
Narragansett Bay for pleasure. Now Narraganset at Bay I've been there.
I love it, and before we came here, it's where
I wanted to move.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Is that where the TV show? Okay, okay, that was
Bob Vila.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Bob Vila. Yeah, they were working on a house and
narraganst at Bay and I watched it. I watched the
whole thing. Nar Against at Bay is beautiful. I don't
know so much about the surrounding areas, but the bay
itself is it's beautiful.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
It's beautiful, it's gorgeous.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Anything anything in New England with coastline is really nice.
But then the outskirts are usually pretty bad. They're not
usually great.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Yeah, they're a little trash.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
I mean, look at you know, like Boston Harbor, cool area,
but then as soon as you go out into the
city and southeast stuff, it is hot garbage. And that's
I say that with all the love Boston. I've been
to Boston. You know, I family from there. I've been there.
I'm part of your people. I love it, but it's trash.
(09:58):
It is. Since it was first used for nature outings
in eighteen forty seven, Rocky Point has been Rhode Island's
working class shoreline resort. Its development as a summer resort
was praised by The New York Times in eighteen seventy two,
when it was described as quote one of the most
delightful places upon our New England coast, a place quote
(10:20):
exceedingly popular with the masses as a delightful spot to
spend a few days from the hurry and hustle of
daily life. This place is delightful, this delightful, and it's just,
you know, to get away from the I wanted them
to say hustle and bustle, but that really threw me off.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Yeah. Well they used delightful twice, so.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Yay, Magane. It's eighteen seventy two.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
I like the word delightful now.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
In that era, before the Midway rides that made Rocky
Point famous for later generations of Rhode Islanders and young
Massachusetts Massachusetts.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Hmmm, I don't like Gailer though, what would that be?
Speaker 2 (11:02):
I don't know, Tontonians. The allure of Rocky Point was
the land itself, over one hundred and twenty acres of
beach meadows, wetlands, woods, and dramatic rocky elevations overlooking the
entire Upper Narrogant Bay. Sexy dang. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
For the whole area.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Yes, it's beautiful. It is. I love I love New
England beaches.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
It is.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
They're rocky, they're a little chili, some of them have
some beach sand. But it's different than Florida, where when
you go to a New England beach, depending on where
you go, you can look out over the Rocky Beach
and see a lighthouse. In Florida, if you look out,
you see trash. And I don't mean people, I just
(11:50):
mean trash, physical trash. Yeah, I hate it.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
And a bunch of busy boating and just drunken boating
water just hammered riding boats as far as you can say, Yeah,
it's awful.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Yeah. Now, in eighteen ninety three, what was supposed to
be a fun outing between a dad and his daughter
turned tragic. Five year old Maggie Sheffield visited Rocky Point
Amusement Park with her father, Frank Sheffield. In the late
eighteen hundreds, opium and cocaine were legal drugs, and doctors
prescribed Frank Sheffield these drugs at that time due to
(12:25):
an unstable mental condition and a freak head injury that
occurred around the time of Maggie's birth. What now even
after multiple confessions to his doctor that he would kill
his daughter, nobody expected it now. That day, after a
meal at the Shore Diner Hall, Frank walked his daughter
towards the shore and bashed her head with a rock,
(12:48):
killing her. Oh Strangely, the community of Warwick seemed more
concerned about Frank than they did about what happened to
the little girl. Even after the murder, Rocky Point Amusement
Park gained popularity and continued to thrive. Oh my god,
(13:08):
let that sink in. Is that not crazy?
Speaker 1 (13:15):
That is awful, That is so tragic.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
I just when I first read that ere, I was like,
huh wow. Now Frank Sheffield stood trial shortly after the murder.
He was rumored to be insane or addicted to drugs,
and as a result, he was found not guilty because
of insanity.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
Mm.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
He beat his daughter to death with a rock with
a rock after saying to his doctor that he would
indeed kill his.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
Daughter, and his doctor was like, nope, just keep taking
your quote unquote medication, sir.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
We're gonna need you to take this opium and cocaine.
It'll fix it all together.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
At the same time, you know, I've.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Noticed a trend because it certainly fixes everybody's problems today.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Oh, you know, that's it.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
By nineteen hundred, amusements had been added so that it
had become quote the Coney Island of Rhode Island, according
to The New York Times, and John Jacob Astor organized
a whimsical visit by his wealthy Newport friends to sample
popular entertainments. Over the decades, attractions at Rocky Point have
come and gone. Nature trails, ferry pier and observation tower, hotels,
(14:27):
clam bakes, restaurants, swimming pool rides, games, and concerts, but
the attraction of one hundred and twenty acres of land
for public use within ten miles of downtown Providence has
been a consistent draw since those first visits in the
late eighteen forties. I mean, it's a beautiful parson.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
You know, it's a nice park man, have all the things.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
You know. What's funny about this, though, what clam bake
means something totally different now it does.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
I refrained from giggling when you said it.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
Caardadkara to explained Nope. As a nearby quote day trip
shoreline resort, Rocky Point was the place that Rhode Islanders
wanted to be in the summer, and they came and droves.
Factory workers from as far away as Taunton, Attleborough and
Fall River or the Dirty Riv would enjoy their companies'
(15:18):
annual outings at the park, and not to mention the
workers from Rhode Islands mill villages from woon Socket to
Olneyville to West Warwick.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
I've been to those places you mentioned.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
You've never been to Wonsacket.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
I've never been to Addleborough, have I.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
I don't think we went.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
To Attleborough, Definitely, Fall River, definitely Totten.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Yeah, we went to the Dirty Riv because we went
and saw the battleship Cove.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Yeah, so so cool.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
You've been. I think you've been to Taunton before.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
Oh you think. Yeah, it's literally where our hotel was, That's.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
Literally where I was born. I know it's my home field.
I always say that, but honestly, my home field is Florida.
I grew up in Florida. I'm from there. My family
still lived there, and I've lived there back and forth.
But the majority of my life was spent in Florida.
But I get dual citizenship.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
You do get, you really do.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
It's mostly because of my last name. So every time
I go back there, people are like, oh, yeah, yeah,
we know you. Now. When labor strife in the eighteen
nineties caused the Rhode Island Central Labor Union to choose
a destination for thousands of workers to hold rally, they
chose Rocky Point, calling all available ferries from Providence in
a service now. Later, when national and local politicians wanted
(16:31):
to or wanted a place to stage rallies for their campaigns,
they also chose Rocky Point. They Rocky Point was It's
been popular for over one hundred.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
Years, obviously. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
Indeed, Rocky Point was the site of the first use
of a telephone by a United States president, when in
eighteen seventy seven, Alexander Graham Bell called from Providence to
President Rutherford B. Hayes at Rocky Point. What that's so much?
That is so if anybody has ever made a phone call,
(17:04):
you can think this area, yeah, because it was part
of that whole thing.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
That's super super cool.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
But I mean as cool as it is. What did
Rutherford B. Hayes do? I don't know exactly wasted, man,
I don't know. Baseball too became a draw for Rhode
Islanders to visit Rocky Point. Those who were at Rocky
Point for a nineteen fourteen game of the Providence Grays
(17:33):
would have seen Babe Ruth hit a home run into
Naragansea Bay. What well, whoa Babe Ruth famously for the
New York Yankees. Yeah, started in Boston. Wow, he's more
famously a Boston Red Sox. And that's why they call
it the Curse of the Bambino because when he left,
they could never seem to win. Wow. And people did
(17:56):
get to see him hit a home run into Narraganty Bay,
that is, And I think that's incredible. I'm not super
into baseball now, but when I was a kid man,
I was super into baseball. I loved it and stuff
like that always made me happy.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Yeah, that's amazing.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Now. In addition to these major historical events, virtually every
adult Rhode Islander has some personal memory of Rocky Point.
As children, parents, and grandparents, we can all remember spending
happy times at Rocky Point, whether it was first jobs,
first dates, riding the Corkscrew, cyclone floom and Music Express.
(18:31):
I got to remember the Music Express, eating clam cakes
and chowder at the world's largest shore diner hall, or
attending concerts on the Midway. The Music Express, you know
those rides that just kind of go in a circle,
but they're going to go up and down. There's loud
music playing. Yeah, it's like one of the first ones.
And that's what that is. The Cyclone, I believe, is
(18:53):
what you would know as the gravitron.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Okay, I was thinking more like tilta whirl, but I
know it's a gravitron.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
And the corkscrew is Oh. Another ride that scared me
here was the Flume. It's the log ride. That's what
they're really called, are flumes. Oh, I don't know, but
it had this drop in it that it made you
feel like you were gonna fly out of your seat. Yeah,
I didn't like it. Yeah, I bet these are all
(19:21):
great rides. Though many of Rhode Island's notable political events
were held at the Palladium, which was also home to
many weddings, sports banquets, and other events, the openness of
the amusement park allowed fishermen free access to the point
with its renowned striped bass catches, and older Rhode Islanders
parked along the shoreline for a superb view of Narragansett Bay.
(19:45):
What former US Senator from Rhode Island, John Chaffey called
a quote three bridge view spanning from the Mount Hope
Bridge to the Newport pell Bridge to the Jamestown Verrizano Bridge.
Mouthfuls those names man amidst the joy and excitement. The
park has also experienced several tragic incidents that resulted in
(20:09):
the loss of lives. These deaths have left a lasting
mark on the park's history and the hearts of those affected. Now,
A lot of times we do these and I can
never find stuff, you know, I did for this one.
I did find actual accounts of things that have happened here. Yes,
it's not a lot, but I was able to find some. Hey,
(20:31):
and you can remember, this is a tiny amusement park
in the grand scheme. This is a tiny amusement park.
This is not big. It's I mean compared to like
a Disney It's like Main Street of Disney. Wow, it's
not big. It's just not very big at all. The
Cyclone roller coaster tragedy, one of the most notable incidents
(20:53):
at Rocky Point, occurred on June seventh, nineteen thirty six,
when the iconic Cyclone roller coaster malfunctioned leading to a
horrifying accident. As the coaster was climbing up the first hill,
its lift chain snapped, causing two cars to plummet to
the ground. The devastating crash resulted in the death of
(21:14):
six individuals and injured several others. The incident sent shockwaves
to the community, forever changing the perception of the amusement
park's safety. Six people who the who would ride a
roller coaster in nineteen thirty six? It was bad news,
bad news written all over. It got me no, he
(21:38):
I just see no now. The free fall tragedy, another
dark day in Rockies Points. Rocky Points history unfolded on
June thirty, nineteen ninety six. Now, I know it closed
in ninety five, but I think some rides stuck around
even after. I'm not sure how this, honestly, honestly, how
this worked. But I found many instances where I think
(22:02):
they might even have a ride or to today.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
Wow. Yeah, they just kind of runs as just a
ride and not a full park.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
Yeah. Yeah, it's a state park, and I think some
of the rides are just there there. I'm not sure. Right.
June thirtieth, nineteen ninety six, during the operation of the
Freefall ride. This towering drop tower, it's freefall.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
Heck yeah, no, I don't like those. Heck yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
Standing at about two hundred feet, was designed to provide
exhilaration and swift adrenaline rush to the riders. However, the
mechanical malfunction caused the rides breaks to fail, resulting in
a fatal accident. Ye One rider lost their life and
several other sustained injuries, leaving visitors traumatized and questioning the
parks safety protocols. You know what this reminds me.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
Of, right, yes, I sure do. The what I forget
the name of it, The tower in Orlando.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Yeah, I think it was also maybe called the Freefall
or something. I don't remember, but that kid who died
it was. And then they tried to blame the kid
because he was a big kid.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
Yeah he was like a big high school football player.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
Yeah, but he was like fourteen, but he exceeded the
height and weight. But they let him on, let him on,
and it killed him. Yep.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
Hit his thing I guess didn't clip all the way
and on the way down, it like stops halfway, I guess,
and just just like boom, and then it goes back
up and then just kind of goes down and on
that stop drop.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
Yeah, he came out and spotted it came out. Yeah,
and there was video. I remember seeing it on TV.
I do too, in all of its uncensored glory, and
it was horrifying.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
It was so rough. Yeah, poor kid and his poor family.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
And the fact that they this was like a couple
of years ago. They said any like they I don't know, man,
it's just wild. They closed the ride down.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
Yeah, good as they should.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
Now. The Haunted House tragedy. Even the tamer attractions at
Rocky Point weren't entirely immune to accidents. August eighteenth, nineteen
sixty three, tragedy struck within the park's Haunted House ride.
A fire broke out within the dark and eerie interior,
and engulfing the entire scene in chaos and panic as
(24:11):
visitors dashed for the exits. Two young sisters, aged six
and eight, tragically lost their lives in the fire. The
incident highlighted the importance of fire safety regulations at amusement
parks across the country. Uh huh. Now, because of stuff
that happened here, though, we did get stricter amusement park
protocols throughout the entire country, right, you.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Know, but that was like the time where amusement parks
were like growing too.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
Yeah. I mean still, who would ride anything in the sixties.
I don't think I would have touched anything until like
the nineties. I don't know. I say that, but I
wrote a lot of rides in the eighties. So I
guess I'm lying, but I don't know. Just I guess
looking back now, it's just not very safe. No, now
we know, and now we know, yeah, because except for Disney,
(25:00):
Disney was always different because they had all the funding. Yeah,
and Disney's always been that multi billion dollar machine, you know.
So I don't know, but this place was a little rickety,
like I remember it because I remember when you first
walked in, they had a giant carousel, and the carousel
looked like it was probably from the eighteen hundreds. I
(25:21):
don't know if it was, but I mean it did
look old, oh man. And then you had the corkscrew
like off, I want to say, it was like right
behind it, but kind of to the right. I mean,
I'm struggling to remember. This was like almost forty years ago,
thirty years ago. Thirty five years ago. I don't know,
it's a long time ago.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
It's like thirty years ago.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
Yeah, but yeah, a lot of the stuff that happened,
unfortunately happened. But they did give us, you know, new
ways to look at how to do this stuff, guidelines
and rules and ultimately regulations. We ended up you know,
doing better from it. But unfortunately children had to die. Yeah, Now,
(25:59):
drowned incidents in the saltwater pool. Rocky Point Amusement Park
had a saltwater pool where visitors could cool off and
enjoy a swim. However, there were unfortunate instances of drowning
within the pool's depths. In nineteen fifty six, a twenty
year old woman drowned in the pool, followed by another
incident in nineteen sixty eight where a young boy lost
(26:22):
his life. These events emphasized the need for strict lifeguard
supervision and safety measures and around water attractions. You think
about that they didn't have lifeguards.
Speaker 1 (26:34):
I mean pretty much everywhere you go that's like a
public like like built. I'm not saying like they're going
to be at all the rivers and the lakes and
things like that sometimes, but in amusement parks or at
like a recreation buildings for like neighborhoods and things like that.
There's always like guards always.
Speaker 2 (26:57):
I think even at most public parks and stuff there. Yeah,
there's stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
Now, yeah, because there needs to.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
Be yeah, I mean obviously because children can drown.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
Now, some Rhode Islanders spent many summers living in their
cottages in the small resort community on the northern end
of the property known as Rocky Beach. Now, Rocky Point
had something for everyone, and everyone has his her own
his or her own personal Rocky Point memories. Obviously you did,
I do now. When the amusement parks succumbed to the
(27:34):
pressure of its debts and closed in nineteen ninety five, however,
Rocky Point and its scenic shoreline was closed to the
public access. It remained generally inaccessible to any use whatsoever
because landward access was blocked by the portion of the
property held in receivership under the US Small Business Administration,
(27:56):
so you couldn't even go near it. Yeah, it was
this once renowned place.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
And shut down down offline.
Speaker 2 (28:04):
And now everybody was just like, you can't be here. Wow,
just out of the blue, which is crazy.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
It is crazy now.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
The SBA, the Small Business Administration, and furtherance of its
duty to try and repay the amusement parks debts, tried
for years to sell the property for residential development, but
those efforts they failed. Indeed, residential development was just not
the right answer for the property because it would have
provided only a few Rhode Islanders with access to what
(28:32):
is properly the patrimony of everyone in the Ocean State.
So they people didn't want to live here. They wanted
to visit here. This is a place from their childhood.
Speaker 1 (28:46):
This is a visiting destination, not much more.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
It would be like anybody if they went into Orlando
and shut Disney down, was like, you want to buy
a house here? No, because now it's going to suck. No,
we don't want to build houses here. We love this place,
so stop it.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
Man.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
And the same thing happened for this But this has
been around since the eighteen hundreds, and you know, generations
of families came, so it was very hard for them
to do anything with this place. Cut my hair today
and I had to trim my nose hairs and then
my nose is it where the short nosehairs of Poken.
It's driving me crazy. In two thousand and eight, the
(29:24):
City of Warwick, through a complicated transaction involving federal, state,
and city efforts, acquired title to forty one acres of
the property, mostly wetlands, but importantly including a strip of
land along the entire mile long shoreline of the property.
The visionary purchase assured eventual public access to the unrivaled
(29:46):
resource of properties coast now. The acquisition was made possible
through the herculean efforts of many parties, through a federal
grant of over two million dollars obtained by Senator Jack Reed,
who was an early proponent of public access to the
property along with Congressman Jim Langevin. I don't know if
(30:08):
that's how you say that, but that's what we're gonna
go with.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
Sure that sounds good.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
Through necessary matching funds from the City of Warwick and
the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management or the dem
under the leadership of Mayor Scott Avid's Vegan ave evedize
whatever and Director Michael Sullivan, and through the corporation of
(30:31):
other city and state officials in the SBA. So there
trying to do something with it. Yeah, but nothing.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
Is nothing's sticking, nothing's happening.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
They're having a hard time.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:42):
The following the City of Warwick's purchase Mayor Avedisian, the
Mayor Avedijian, with the support of the Deem and the SBA,
arranged several occasions when the public could drive and walk
through the city on property. Thousands of Rhode Islanders took
advantage of these one day events in two thousand and
eight and two thousand and nine to show their interest
(31:04):
and enthusiasm for a public rocky point. Anyone who attended
these events could attest to the incredible response of the
public to once again be able to visit their rocky Point.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
They're like, no, this needs to be the New England.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Northeast area is very big on family and like the
general because people's family's there. They it's not really a
place that like you were born somebody else and you
move to like I know that's what you're used to
growing up in Florida, because Florida's a melting pot, yep.
But generations and generations and generations of family lived in
(31:45):
the Northeast. My family started there in the sixteen hundreds,
so crazy, you know, So like it's almost like the
rest of the world it exists, don't get me wrong,
but it couldn't and everybody would be fine in there.
That's that's their place. And they take everything to harp
(32:05):
there because they because it's a their place. It's hard
to describe the feeling, but I get it. But I
also understand the other side of it because I grew
up in Florida, and Florida is just like it's like
a pass.
Speaker 1 (32:17):
Through it is, and it's such a melting pot for
so many different kinds of people, ages of people. And
then you get like you get Snowbird Season. I don't know.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
What's going on.
Speaker 1 (32:36):
It might not be all the way in almost Lost you.
Speaker 2 (32:47):
I almost wasn't going to be able to continue on
with the episode.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
But it's such just a diverse group of people that
live in Florida. And then Snowbird Season. I don't know
if anybody knows what.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
That is, but I think every he knows what that is.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
It's a weird time.
Speaker 2 (33:02):
It is.
Speaker 1 (33:03):
It's a weird time. Don't be out on the roads
and expect to get anywhere fast. No, just put it
that way.
Speaker 2 (33:09):
But the Northeast is not like them, you know, families
are there for hundreds of years. After the public's appetite
for a fully reopened Rocky Point was wetted, efforts to
cause the state to purchase the remaining eighty plus acres
of the property gained a lot of traction. Now, the
case for the state purchase pursued by the Rocky Point
(33:32):
Foundation following its formation in two thousand and nine was
easy to establish. They even had their own little foundation
built up around this.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
Man.
Speaker 2 (33:42):
That's impressive, it is. I mean, that's how much everybody
loved this place. Yeah, a Rocky Point is less than
ten miles by direct measurement from down from downtown Providence,
which would make it the closest state park for anyone
in or around Providence who wants to reach swimmable bay waters.
The meaning of this successibility could be overstated, as a
(34:04):
visit to the Goddard Park Beach on hot summer days
would demonstrate. Now, there is an incredible demand in Rhode
Island's urban center for shoreline recreation on clean water that
is accessible without a longer drive to South County. Some
of the water there sucks. Some of it's really nice, though,
so they want the nice stuff.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
Well of course, who wouldn't.
Speaker 2 (34:27):
Well, it's like people in New York. They don't go
swimming in Hudson Bay, you know, it's freaking disgusting, So
they'll go out of their way to the Jersey shore
to find better water swimming. It's the same thing here.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (34:38):
In Rocky Point, with its two sandy beaches, not to
mention saltwater fishing, nature trails, rock climbing, and open spaces
for family sports, is precisely where this demand can be met.
Near the southern terminus of the current RIPTA bus line
are Line three. The trip to Rocky Point from Kennedy
Plaza takes just over half an hour. Hmmm, half an
(35:01):
hour drive and you're there.
Speaker 1 (35:02):
That's crazy.
Speaker 2 (35:03):
By boat, the trip is more direct, and the possibility
of rebuilding the deep water dock at Rocky Point is
a major advantage to the accessibility of the property by car.
The trip from Providence is also brief, and the prior
development of Rocky Point makes virtually any amount of shoreline
adjacent parking possible without any disruption to existing natural habitats.
(35:25):
It's the perfect freaking location. It's like anything they want
to do, it can be done. Yeah, that's so so
it's like, it's just a no brainer. Man. It's incredible
by any means, a family sitting in their home in
Providence could decide to go to Rocky Point on a
Saturday morning and be there by noon without having to
worry about filling the car with gas or beach traffic
(35:47):
or whether there is parking space when they get there. So,
I mean, it's it's just it's not like going to Disney.
Speaker 1 (35:56):
Yeah, you know, because it's way smaller.
Speaker 2 (36:00):
Well yeah, because, but.
Speaker 1 (36:01):
It's I feel like this is more like neighborhood friendly.
Speaker 2 (36:06):
This is like an intimate amusement park.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
What I was saying, it's not.
Speaker 2 (36:11):
What everybody else is used to when you think of
amusement park. So I I know that the very first
thing everybody thinks of when you hear amusement park. I mean, technically,
Disney is not an amusement park. No, it's a theme park.
It is a theme park, but it's still.
Speaker 1 (36:24):
The first thing that has amusement rides.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
No, it has theme park rides. There's a difference. Amusement
park rides are like a giant, overgrown carnival.
Speaker 1 (36:36):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (36:37):
Theme park rides are like when you go and you're
riding Mister Toad's Wild Ride because it's fashioned after a
character from a Disney movie.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
I mean, I get that, okay, but.
Speaker 2 (36:49):
The theme park ride, we'll do it like this. A
theme park ride could be four million dollars to build.
An amusement park ride could be forty grand. Huge difference.
Speaker 1 (37:00):
Wow, Okay, it's.
Speaker 2 (37:03):
Like an It's just like an overpriced carnival versus the
theme park. I mean, nobody matches Disney.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
But but I like the way you put that. It's
an intimate thing for the community.
Speaker 2 (37:14):
It is it is, and it it helped their little
bubble that I was talking about, because now you have
this amusement park that you can go visit and you
don't even have to leave town. You don't have to
take that twelve hundred mile trip to Florida.
Speaker 1 (37:28):
You're on the shore, you can see the water like and.
Speaker 2 (37:31):
There's still parks like this in the Northeast.
Speaker 1 (37:34):
There's just so many good things about it.
Speaker 2 (37:36):
Northeast. They don't have theme parks, but they have lots
of amusement parks. You know. FunTown, USA is another one
that I have fond memories of and stuff like that,
and six Flags six six or six Flags is an
amusement park. There you go, there's I don't know, I
didn't think of that. Six Flags is an amusement park.
Disney's a theme park.
Speaker 1 (37:54):
Okay, I've been to six Flags.
Speaker 2 (37:57):
It was fun. I've never been. The accessible location of
Rocky Point has another advantage that makes the property unique
its ability to serve as the keystone property for a
marine link between the East Bay and the West Bay
and for an inland link to the other open space
in Warwick and beyond. Now on the east of the property,
(38:17):
Rocky Point looks straight across to Colt State Park about
four miles away, and Northern that's supposed to say, oh no,
maybe it is Prudence Island. I've never heard of it,
and Northern Prudence Island and Patience Island, Ptience, Patience. I
wonder if anybody will get that reference. God, we're all
(38:38):
references are about two miles to the southeast. This set
of properties calls to mind the quote Bay Island Parks
System idea that has been on the drawing board for decades,
with a potential ferry service running a short loop across
the bay to Newport with its Ford Adams State Park.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
That's super cool. Oh my god, they can make so cool.
Speaker 2 (39:02):
We make them all connectable.
Speaker 1 (39:04):
Yeah, quick, little ten to fifteen in a ferry riding.
Speaker 2 (39:07):
And boom boom, boom boom wouldn't even be that long,
I know. I mean, have you ever been on a ferry?
Speaker 1 (39:12):
Nope?
Speaker 2 (39:12):
Other fun You ever hit your face on the microphone?
Speaker 1 (39:15):
I just did.
Speaker 2 (39:17):
Likewise, on the west of Rocky Point, the property buts
a network of wetland and uh inform informed Oh my god,
let me take a breath. Here network of wetlands and
informal trails that connects to the old Rocky Point trolley
line right of way. There was a trolley there. Tell
(39:39):
the connection could be utilized to link Rocky Point to
the system of bike trails that the state has so
effectively pursued in the last two decades. And accessibility by
a bike path would add to the utility of a park,
a public park at Rocky Point. So this place has
all these ways in and so cool things can do
(40:00):
with it. I want to know for sure, though, if
they still have rides up because I think they saw
a Ferris Will.
Speaker 1 (40:06):
I love Farris Whales.
Speaker 2 (40:07):
I think they still have Affaris Will with all with
all these thoughts in mind and at the insistence of
the Rocky Point Foundation. In partnership with Save the Bay,
the Rhode Island Land Trust Council, and other organizations and volunteers,
the Rhode Island General Assembly approved a statewide bond referendum
(40:28):
in the November twenty ten election, seeking approval to borrow
ten million dollars to purchase the remaining eighty acres of
Rocky Point to establish Rhode Island's new estate park.
Speaker 1 (40:39):
Heck yeah, and that happened. Heck yeah, it happened. That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (40:44):
The referendum was overwhelmingly approved by Rhode Island voters. After
several years of negotiations and court proceedings that followed, the
remaining Rocky Point acreage was finally purchased by the state
in early twenty fourteen, and by the end of twenty fourteen,
the entire property had been cleaned up in preparation for
(41:04):
full public access. Yay, As any visitor to Rocky Point
will attest, the park is already being used robustly by
a variety of Rhode Islanders. The mile long walking and
biking path is heavily traveled, and the beach is used
for swimming caution, no lifeguards.
Speaker 1 (41:23):
Uh oh, watch out now.
Speaker 2 (41:25):
Sea glunking, which I didn't know what that was. It's
collecting sea glass.
Speaker 1 (41:30):
Sea glunking, that's the word.
Speaker 2 (41:31):
I'd never heard it before, but apparently that's a thing.
Speaker 1 (41:34):
OK.
Speaker 2 (41:35):
And others are just enjoying the view.
Speaker 1 (41:37):
I want to find sea glass like cool sea glass.
Speaker 2 (41:41):
There's no ocean for hundreds of miles of us I know.
People come to see the remnants of the old amusement park,
the Hallmark Arch transplanted from the nineteen sixty four to
sixty five Worlds Fair, the Skyliner ride stanchions, the Circle
Swing Tower. I've been on that, and the Water Cistern
(42:01):
Foundation to tell stories about their memories at Rocky Point,
and to walk on the boundless grass lawn and into
the Rocky Woods. The park has been the site of
several Rocky Point five K road races, Rhode Island Natural
History serve a bio Blitz event, and several Quote movie
nights on their great Lawn. Plans for a possible new
(42:23):
doctor being pursued. Composting toilets have been installed, and an
extension of the pathways is and works. The exact future
of Rocky point is still in the making, which is
consistent with the ever changing but also always highly valued
nature of this treasured Rhode Island landscape. And oddly enough,
(42:47):
that's the end of the story I could find. All right,
this is what made this weird. I could find all
kinds of stuff that talked about people thinking this place
was haunted, but could find nobody talking about.
Speaker 1 (43:05):
It, but like, no actual claims.
Speaker 2 (43:07):
You mean, So it's kind of like it's kind of
like a locally believed thing that locals believe this place
to be haunted, but there's really nothing to find about it.
And I think, but I think it's for a reason.
I think it's because people don't want to think of
this place as creepy. I think they want to think
(43:29):
of this place.
Speaker 1 (43:29):
As fully friendly.
Speaker 2 (43:32):
They want to keep the memories and not have a
bunch of people treating it as something else. So even
if it was haunted, it would be haunted by the
loving memories of everyone's past.
Speaker 1 (43:42):
Ah.
Speaker 2 (43:43):
And there was another death that I forgot to put
in here from two thousand and eight. It was on
the ferris wheel. Somebody died on the ferris wheel, or no,
they didn't die. One of the one of the bucket
seats detached and people got hurt, but nobody died. But
there have been and quite a few deaths here, and
there was a murder here.
Speaker 1 (44:03):
That's scary.
Speaker 2 (44:04):
So I mean, obviously there's going to be people who
think that this place is haunted, but.
Speaker 1 (44:10):
There's like trauma and death and just terror really because
you got to think, like when these accidents are happening,
like on these coasters and these rides and things like that,
and like people are there around it, and like cars
flying off and people crashing to the ground, like there's
gonna be other people down there. That's traumatizing.
Speaker 2 (44:33):
Well not only that, but think about all the deaths
that weren't recorded, right for one hundred years. But anyways,
I have to ask you a question, okay, and it goes.
That was my voice, very loudly, asking do you think
this place is haunted.
Speaker 1 (44:56):
I want to say yes, because I re like this
place a lot. I thoroughly enjoy this amusement park, this
nature of bringing neighborhoods together and just generations of families
going there. But I feel like I want to say
no only because I want it. I want to leave
(45:19):
it to the people. I want to leave it to
the people of the area because they care so much
for this place. What do I know?
Speaker 2 (45:27):
You know, what do you know?
Speaker 1 (45:28):
I don't know. I know that this place is adorable.
Speaker 2 (45:31):
But what is your answer?
Speaker 1 (45:33):
No?
Speaker 2 (45:33):
Okay? Is that no? Okay?
Speaker 1 (45:36):
What about you ben? No okay?
Speaker 2 (45:39):
No? And even if it was, I'd say no okay,
because the only thing this place is haunted by are
good memories people.
Speaker 1 (45:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (45:46):
Absolutely, you know, I was scared of most of the
rides here because I was a little kid, But yeah,
I still have good memories to come in here, and
I don't think anybody from that area would tell you
anything different. Yeah, Rocky Point is a very beloved place
by generations upon generations of families. And while tragic things
happen there, and who knows, maybe somebody did stick around.
(46:08):
I mean, if I died at Rocky Point, I'd want
to stick around. Heck, yeah, you know, because even though
the rides are gone, the memory of them are still there.
But the bay, the Bay View is forever be there.
Speaker 1 (46:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (46:19):
Absolutely, Rocky Point was amazing and I'm glad I got
to talk about it. And I know it kind of
sucks because there wasn't a whole lot on the paranormal side.
But there are people locals who talk about it possibly
being haunted, and I just wanted to talk about it
because it was a it's a good memory, you know what.
Speaker 1 (46:33):
I absolutely freaking love this place. Yeah, this adorable and
I love it so much. It's darling.
Speaker 2 (46:39):
So it's yeah, so Kia. So while it's not going
to get the big old seal of approval or anything,
it still gets my seal of approval.
Speaker 1 (46:49):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (46:49):
I love this.
Speaker 1 (46:50):
Oh my goodness, this place is awesome.
Speaker 2 (46:52):
Yeah, but uh, where can they find us? Well, it
doesn't matter. Anywhere you can find for the Booze, that's
where you can find it. I mean, do my thing
for what. I don't even post on anything most of
the time anymore. I post you want to, you want
to see me post a lot, Come join our Patreon
That's where I post pretty much everything now fine and Facebook,
which hey, there could be more social media stuff if
(47:14):
somebody else would do it. She's not going to do it.
Uh yeah, check us out. Just look up for the
Boost podcast. A bunch of stuff will pop up. We're
on there, and if you feel so inclined, please leave
us a review on Apple podcast because we've had the
same fourteen for years now.
Speaker 1 (47:33):
Yeah, Apple podcasts, Spotify, anything, all the things. I don't know.
Speaker 2 (47:38):
Anywhere you can find podcasts.
Speaker 1 (47:41):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (47:42):
But uh, I think that's it.
Speaker 1 (47:45):
I think that's it. Well, if you have a listener's
suggestion or a listener's story you've spread on the show then.
Speaker 2 (47:54):
Four years and I am terrible at this.
Speaker 1 (47:56):
You can write us at for the Boost twelve at
gail dot com. That's right, that's.
Speaker 2 (48:01):
Right, And if you really want to make an impact
on the show, come check us out on Patreon. Uh huh,
And that's for the Booze Underscore podcast, I believe. Yeah,
for the Booze Underscore podcast on Patreon. Yeah, one, five
or ten, depends on where you're at, how much pull
you get. But you can tell us to do something
and we will do it.
Speaker 1 (48:20):
And we do extra content over there just for our patreons.
And they got lots and lots and say in our show.
Speaker 2 (48:27):
Get to record after this.
Speaker 1 (48:28):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (48:29):
But I guess I guess we'll go ahead and leave. Well,
let's let's get let's let's get out of here. You
take us.
Speaker 1 (48:36):
Out, Well, thank you everybody so much for listening, and
we will see you in the next one.
Speaker 2 (48:42):
Bye me, take us out. What's wrong with you? It's absurd.
Speaker 1 (49:10):
Hey,
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