Coney Island - Research SourcesRevised August 27, 1998If I have left out various sources - feel free to E-MAIL me. This Web Site is a work in progress. Hopefully it will benefit both serious researchers and people who are just fascinated by amusement park history. I created it because I want to purchase a Coney Island history book that throughly covers the area's amusement ride history. It has been barely covered in previous books, except for the formation of Steeplechase, Luna and Dreamland parks. I want to see a book that covers all of Coney's unique ride attractions, its designers, and has 3/4 perspective maps of each park and cut-away drawings of places like the Pavilion of Fun. Of course it would be illustrated with hundreds of the finest photographs that are in the hands of museums and private collectors. It is a tall order but one that I'm willing to help fill. I'll share my information through this site and I hope others will too. BOOKSA Pictorial History of the Carousel - by Fredrick Fried - publisher Barnes (1964) [Have book]Amusing the Millions - Coney Island at the Turn of the Century - by John Kasson publisher Hill & Wang (1978) [Have book] Coney Island - by Eugene L. Armbruster privately printed 24 pages (1924) [I Read - many errors] Delirious New York - by Rem Koolhaas - publisher Oxford University Press (1978) [This architectural book has one 40 page chapter on Coney Island] Freak Show: Presenting Human Oddities for Amusement and Profit - by Robert Bodgan - publisher University of Chicago Press (1988) Good Old Coney Island - by Edo McCullough - publisher Scribners (1957) [Have book] Sodem by the Sea: An Affectionate History of Coney Island - by Oliver Pilat & Jo Ransom - publisher Doubleday (1941) [Have Xerox] The Great American Amusement Park - by Gary Kyriazi - publisher Citadel Press (1976) [Have book] The Incredible Scream Machine: A History of Roller Coasters - by Robert Cartmell publisher Bowling Green Press (1987) [Have book] Coney Island: A Postcard Journey Through the City of Fire - by Richard Snow [Have book] The Outdoor Amusement Industry: From Earliest Time to the Present - by William Mangels - publisher Vantage Press (1952) [Have Book] The Nickle Empire - Coney Island and the Creation of Seaside Resorts - doctoral dissertation at Columbia University - by Stephan Weinstein (1984) [Have Xerox] Another Time, Another Place: Coney Island Memoirs - by Michael Onarato - interviews with oldtimers - publisher California State Fullerton - Oral History Program (1988) MAGAZINE ARTICLES & TOURIST GUIDESOverton's Coney Island & Sheepshead Bay Guide & Directory - 1883Souvenir of Joyous Day at Coney Island" - Rumford Printing Co. {Need Xerox] History of Coney Island: List and Photographs of Main Attractions - published by Burroughs and Company (1904) [need Xerox] Magazines such as McClure's, Munsey's, Everybody's, Scribner's, The Century and Harper's Weekly often featured articles about Coney Island. More recent publications such as Amusement Park Journal (1979-1988?) and Roller Coaster Magazine (ACE) have historical amusement park articles. Harpers Weekly- Sept 12, 1891 - "Pilgrimage to Coney Island" [I Read] Scribners - July 1896 - "Coney Island" Munsey's Magazine - Sept 1901 - "Marvelous Coney Island" [have Xerox] Harper's Weekly - May 4, 1901 - "Awakening of Coney Island" [have Xerox] New Metropolitan Magazine - Vol XVIII pp 316-319 (1903) - "Coney Island - New World Wonder" [Need Xerox] Harper's Weekly - Sept 12, 1903 - "End of the Season at Coney Island" Independent - July 21, 1904 - "Amusement Business" [I Read] Century Magazine - August 1904 - "New Coney Island" [have Xerox] Cosmopolitian - July 1905 - "Human Need of Coney Island" [have Xerox] Scientfic American - July 1905 - "Leap Frog Railroad" Harper's Weekly - July 8, 1905 - New York's New Playground" [I Read] Munsey's Magazine - August 1905 - "The Biggest Playground in the World" [have Xerox] Review of Reviews, American Monthly - August 1905 - "Coney Island, the World's Greatest Playground" Outing - August 1906 - "Renaissance of Coney" [Have Xerox] World To-Day (Chicago) - August 1906 - New York's City of Play" Independent - June 20, 1907 - "Summer Show" [have Xerox] World Magazine - Sept 15, 1907 - "The Man Who Made a Million from Laughter {Need Xerox - try Library of Congress] Everybody's Magazine - July 1908 - "The Day of Rest at Coney Island" [have Xerox] Scientfic American - August 15, 1908 - "The Mechanical Joys of Coney Island" [Have Xerox] Everybody's Magazine - September 1908 - "Amusing the Millions" by Fred Thompson [have Xerox] Scientfic American - August 6, 1910 - "Mechanical Side of Coney Island - where the imaginative inventor holds sway. [need Xerox] World's Work - July 1913 - "Amusing America's Millions" [need Xerox] Independent - July 3, 1913 - Island of Giggles & Grins" [Read but worthless] American City - November 1913 - "City's Right to its Bathing Beaches" Polular Science - Sept 1916 - "Mechanical Joys of Coney Island" [I Read] World Outlook - March 1918 - "Competing with Popcorn and Hot Dogs' Scientfic American - October 15, 1921 - "Some New Mechanical Amusement Devices" [need Xerox] New Republic - November 23, 1921 - "Coney Island for Battered Souls" American Magazine - July 1922 - "Human Nature with the Brakes Off; stories of how people act at amusement parks by E.F. Tilyou [have Xerox] Popular Mechanics - November 1924 - "From Cyclones to Houses of Mystery: How the Mechanical Wonders in Modern Outdoor Amusement Parks are Invented and Constructed." [need Xerox] American Mercury - November 1925 - "Coney" Popular Science - August 1927 - "New Thrillers Defy Gravity" [need Xerox] Scientific American - June 1930 - "Coney Island's Museum" Library Digest - July 30, 1932 - "Coney's Biggest Spectacle and its Aftermath" [need Xerox] Christian Science Monitor - February 23, 1938 - "Half a googol, onward! - beach resort to be enlarged and improved." Fortune Magazine - August 1938 - "To Heaven by Subway" Superb article with illustrations [have Xerox] Fortune Magazine - August 1938 - Mr. Mangel's Museum of Public Recreation" Newsweek - July 24, 1939 - "Coney Island Boomned by the Fair' Collier's - July 13, 1940 - "Nickel Empire" [need Xerox] NY Times Magazine - July 3, 1943 - "It's the old Coney, with War Overtones" NY Times Magazine - August 13, 1944 - "Shangri-la of Joe Doakes" Saturday Evening Post - June 9, 1945 - "Ride 'em and Weep" [need Xerox] Life Magazine - August 6, 1945 - "Coney Island" (just photographs] Colliers - November 17, 1945 - "Anti-Riot Squad; task force designed to end racial tensions" Life Magazine - May 26, 1947 - "Spring at Coney" Time Magazine - July 14, 1947 - "Independence Day 1947" Colliers - July 26, 1947 - "Coney Island is a Haul" Architectural Forum - August 1947 - "Coney Island: Its Architecture is the Stuff People's Dreams are Made of" [have Xerox] Popular Science - July 1949 - "How You are Thrilled...But not Killed" [need Xerox] New Yorker - May 8, 1954 - "Its the Illusion That Counts" [actually mostly about Palisades Park, N.J.] New York History - July 1955 - "Coney Island" by Lucy P. Gillman - pg 255- 290 [need Xerox] Holiday - September 1955 - "Coney Island" [have Xerox] American Heritage - June 1958 - "The Master Showman of Coney Island - George Tilyou" [have Xerox] Business Week - July 7, 1962 - "No Lull at Coney" [have Xerox] Hobbies - November 1965 - "I Remember Coney" Sports Illustrated - August 28, 1967 - "Where the Fun Was" National Review - October 13, 1972 - "Coney" New Yorker - April 7, 1973 - "Coney" [terrible article] American Heritage - February 1975 - "Greetings from Coney Island; old postcards" {Have issue] Journal of Popular Culture - Spring 1976 - "Coney Island: A Case Study of Popular Culture and Technical Change" [need Xerox] American Heritage - July 1976 - "Boers come to Brooklyn; renacting the Boer War" [Have Xerox] NY Times Magazine - July 18, 1976 - "Coney Island Forever" Crawdaddy - March 1978 - "Coney Island of the Mind; juvenile crime" New York - Sept 3, 1979 - "Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland by M. Puzo" American History Illustrated - February 1981 - "S.W. Gumpertz - Character of Coney Island" [Have Xerox] New Yorker - August 23, 1982 - "Coney Island Home; Timpano's house beneath the roller coaster" New Yorker - July 18, 1983 - "On the Beach; cleaning the public beach" Rolling Stone - August 2, 1984 - "Aaiieeeeyy!!!; Cyclone roller coaster" New Yorker - July 28, 1986 - "Coney Island Attractions" New Yorker - September 14, 1987 - "Walking the Cyclone; head repairman" Harpers - June 1988 - "Cyclone" Life Magazine - August 1988 - "Coney Island" USA Today - May 1992 - "Ysterday's Playground" New Yorker - June 22, 1992 - "Mr Cyclone; caretaker of Cyclone" Travel Holiday - July 1995 - "Side Show by the Sea" [have article] Smithsonian - December 1996 - "Hurry! Hurry! Step right up for Coney Island" [Have article] Historic Traveler - Summer 1998 - "How Coney Island Became fun land USA" [Have Xerox] DAILY NEWSPAPERSBrooklyn Argus (Articles and news events from 1870's to 1970)Brooklyn Daily (Articles and news events from 1933 to 1963) Brooklyn Daily News (Articles and news events from 1886 to 1947) Brooklyn Eagle (Articles and news events from 1841 to 1955) New York Herald (Articles and news events from 1870's to 1970) New York Sun (Articles and news events from 1870's to 1970) New York Times (Articles and news events from 1870's to 1970)(Is indexed) New York Tribune (Articles and news events from 1870's to 1970) New York World (Articles and news events from 1870's to 1970) WEEKLY NEWSPAPERSBillboard (Weekly from 1894 to 1949) Check pages marked Parks and Resorts This is an important source for announcements of new rides & shows. They sometimes do feature articles on Coney Island. Check ads, too! Note: becomes Amusement Business in 1950.Variety (Weekly from ??? to Present) MAPSSanborn Fire Insurance Maps - available from Library of Congress and probably in the New York City Library - main library and the Brooklyn Library. These are available for various years on microfilm. Known years are 1895, 1906, 1930 and 1950. The original books at the Library of Congress and New York Library are enormous and the pages are at least 26 x 15 inch. Be careful with the 1930 microfilm at the Library of Congress since it doesn't match the maps in the book. It seems to be a paste up revision about the mid-40's.There may be several others years available, especially from 1880 - 1990. Someone claims a more complete set is stored at a university in West Virginia. A competing company also produced map books in small book form, obviously with much less detail. Years available are 1912 and 1922 at the New York Public Library - Map Room. So far I have obtained these Sanborn maps:
Chamber of Commerce tourist brochures often include maps with sights listed. PHOTO COLLECTIONSBettmann Archives [They charge $75 fee to walk in the door]Brooklyn Library Brooklyn Historical Society [closed for remodeling in 1998] Long Island Historical Society Museum of the City of New York [They charge $25 / hour fee] New York Historical Society New York Public Library [Photos viewed on microfiche] Library of Congress [Detroit Publishing Company photo collection - they published numerous postcards of Coney Island - the original negatives are here. Views mostly from 1903-1906 [at least 100 available on their WEB site.] They also have a panorama photo collection that includes two Dreamland photos, two Luna Park photos and two others [all 6 are on the WEB] but there are no copy negatives for both 1903 Luna panoramas. The originals are badly faded, but the contrast should come up in a copy. POSTCARDSMost tourist postcards were printed in color in Germany from about 1900 on. Collectors assure me that there were over 700 different views, and if you count all the variations among publishers, there are over 4000 different cards. I only own 275 views and I've requested collectors to Xerox views that I'm missing. It would be nice if collectors with scanners would digitize them and send them on disk.VIDEO DOCUMENTARIESRic Burns produced a one hour documentary called Coney Island for PBS's American Experience in 1991. It was written by Richard Snow, managing editor of American Heritage Magazine. It was a scholarly show with few errors and lots of movie footage. People have E-Mailed me that it is no longer available for sale by WGBN in Boston. Call you local PBS station and request that they rebroadcast it.There are also two 1 hour videos available of stock movie footage of Coney Island. One is 1903 to 1930 and the other covers the more recent years. I'm not sure who sells them. My advice is search the Internet video sources. PATENT OFFICEThe U.S. Patent Office lists patents from 1797 to present. |