A Path from the Past...

The Amusement Park on Burlington Island. 

          The Burlington Island Beach Resort stood from about 1890- 1932. Access was provided to Burlington Island by footbridge on the New Jersey side and Ferry on Pennsylvania. Burlington Island is positioned equidistant from Philadelphia, New York and Washington DC, making it accessible at the time by train or steam boat. The Island was used as a picnic grove before the amusements were added. 

         By the early 1900's, more amusements were added. There were circle, swings, a midway and even a Merry-Go-Round. That same Carousel was on the island for the longest amount of time.  There were sandy beaches added for swimming in the Delaware River, which was not as dangerous as it is today. The number of visitors led to a bath house and ice cream shop being added for Island visitors. Bath Houses were a common recreational pastime in this era. The Island was "Dry"(No Alcohol), so it was a younger, quieter crowd that the amusements were catering to. An Ice Cream Stand makes sense in this light.

          In 1917,George Basser and Robert Merkel purchased the park, which was on the half of Burlington Island controlled by the City of Burlington. Under these young men's direction, a giant roller coaster was added, "The Greyhound", and they continued the transformation from a casual recreation area to a full amusement park, similar to what we think of as an amusement park today. They added rides like the "Ocean Wave", Boat Swings, and a Ferris Wheel. There were also number of other rides, among them were: a tunnel of love, Tumblebug, Steeplechase, Airplanes, Dodge 'em cars, Bumper scooters, caterpillars, a Fun House, and a Miniature Railroad. There were also pony rides, a rifle range, ring-a-cane, air guns and a fish pond, the remains of which can still be seen on the Island today. Even the adults were taken care of with a dance hall, bingo and a baseball field.

          Over 100 acres of the 400 acre Island was covered by Island Beach Park Resort, which saw numerous visitors over the years. Supposedly over 4,000 in one day!

          In the early morning hours of a day 1928 fire broke out. Fire companies from Burlington, and even Bristol were called out. The amusement park was burned completely. As Merkel and Basser did not have the money to rebuild they took what rides that were salvageable and sold or scrapped them. The Carousel was one of these rides. It was lucky, only needed a few animals replaced and in 1932 was erected in Seaside Heights. It continued to be a survivor, also surviving Hurricane Sandy and a fire on the Boardwalk in Seaside that same year. It is still open for rides. 

          The rest of the rides that were not salvageable remained on the island until 1934 when a second fire completely destroyed the remains. All that remains of the once thriving park are pictures, The Carousel and a stone circle on the island, which we now know was the fish pond.

          In 1955, the VanSciver Sand and Gravel Company, (the now owners of the half of Burlington Island which had been Burlington Island Beach Park) had bought the land from Merkel became the Warner Company and began to remove gravel from the center of their half of the Island. This had the ultimate effect of creating a 100 acre lake in the middle of a 400 acre Island in the middle of a river. The only one in the contiguous United States.

          Burlington Island is currently under divided ownership. The City of Burlington owns the half which was once the amusement park and is currently a lake. The other half is in the trust of the Board of Island Managers, the oldest educational fund in the United States. The Charter of the Board of Island Mangers actually predates the United States.(1682) As reorganized in 1852, the Charter states the purpose of the Board of Island Mangers is to raise funds to educate the Youth of Burlington. A charter change in 1998 by Diane Allen stated that any development on the Board of Island Mangers side must be educational,conservastional, historical, or recreational. 

If you have any information you would like to share, please contact us we would love to hear from you! You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook as well!

Some information sourced from here

Scoop Night

Second Annual Clean Up Burlington Island

https://youtu.be/iRcYEtRDSTc

The First Island Clean Up

https://youtu.be/OsmDmEKHL18

Welcome!

IN 1682 a charter was written creating the “Managers and Treasurer of the School Fund for the Education of Youth in the City of Burlington”. Any funds collected would help fund education in the City of Burlington. This makes the Board of Island Mangers older then the United States! The date on our Charter indicates the Board is the oldest established school funding entity in the United States. We have been contributing to the youth of the City ever since.

In the past the Island has been home to many diverse settlements, particularly in the early days. There was a called Fort Wilhemus, established in 1628 by the Swedes. The Island has a rich Indian heritage and used to be called Matinicunk Island. The Island was home to both houses and farms. Later, as any local historian will tell you, there was an amusement park. At the turn of the century most amusement parks were made of wood, after two devastating fires, no one wanted to rebuild.

Few pieces remain of the original amusements. Visitors to the island can still see a cement double circle that was used for a boat ride. However, many items have been removed over the years. The Carousel that once stood on Burlington Island was sold to Seaside Heights New Jersey, where it withstood both Hurricane Sandi and another devistating fire. Eventually the City leased the southern portion of the Island to the Warner Company who dredged the Island for sand…thus creating the 100 acre lake. Of course this is a brief overview of the vast history of the island. We will recommend some books at another time.

In 1992 Senator Diane changed the Board's Charter to make leasing the Island a viable option. Because of that, the City of Burlington and The Board of Island Managers were able to enter into a lease for the first time since 1852. This was the next important step after changing the maximum lease term in our Charter and speed development by reducing red tape. The reason that the lease is a factor; half of the island is owned by the City of Burlington. It is under the Green Acres program.  It will also create problems for developers.

Volunteers have helped clear over two miles of trails on the island. During our first two cleanups debris and trash including metal, cans, plastic and other items were removed. Boy Scout troops have performed tasks as well. We are always looking for more help.

The Board has been granted 501(c)3 status. Although the Board predates the tax law referenced we wished to have official status to allow more donations and apply for grants.

We are currently beginning to move forward on new projects and are looking for new help and volunteers. Please feel free to contact us and your donations are always welcome!