MIDWAY PARK
- Program
- Subject
- Location
- Lat/Long
- Grant Recipient
-
NYS Historic
-
Arts & Culture, Government
- 4863 Park Pl, Bemus Point, NY 14712, USA
- 42.201068, -79.424602
-
Niagara Frontier Chapter NRHS, Inc.
MIDWAY PARK
Inscription
MIDWAY PARKPICNIC AND RECREATION AREA
OPENED IN 1898 BY JAMESTOWN &
LAKE ERIE RWY. VISITORS CAME
VIA STEAM TRAIN, THEN BY
ELECTRIC INTERURBANS 1914-1947
WILLIAM G. POMEROY FOUNDATION 2021
The Jamestown and Lake Erie Railway opened Midway Park in July 1898 on Chautauqua Lake, north of Bemus Point, New York. During July and August of that year, the railway company offered a Sunday excursion to Midway Park at a round trip rate of 25 cents. The Park offered wooded areas, a sandy beach, and recreational activities including bathing, boating, dancing, baseball, tennis, and croquet.
Visitors came to the picnic and recreation area on the railway company’s steam trains. Starting in 1914, visitors came by electric interurbans which had replaced the steam trains. The electric interurbans were in use until 1947, when the switch to buses was made.
As of 2021, the Park operated as a state park owned by the State of New York and included a museum, gift shop, concession stands, games, and an arcade.
