Babb's Beach Amusement Park - Suffield, CT
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 42° 01.849 W 072° 44.985
18T E 686275 N 4655647
The former Babb's Beach Amusement Park is located on he east shore of the middle pond of Congamond Lake in Suffield.
Waymark Code: WMD8Z1
Location: Connecticut, United States
Date Posted: 12/06/2011
Views: 5
The Babb's Beach Amusement Park was a 7 acre beachfront family owned property. The park opened in 1898. It had a beach and bathouse and, in 1930, a 11,000-square-foot roller skating rink which doubled as a dance floor was added.
The park was in a rural area several miles from the nearest urban centers of Springfield, MA and Hartford, CT. It offered patrons a swimming beach, with bath house facilities, on Lake Congamond, a roller skating rink and dance hall which featured major acts during the Big Band era, boating - including rowboats, outboard motor rental, canoes, and sightseeing boat rides. They also had covered and uncovered picnic facilities, a snack bar, a playground and a ballfield. The indoor Playland area offered shooting galleries, bowling machines, record making machines and photograph machines.
Nelson Babb donated the 7 acre property to the Town in 1977 but had an agreement with the Town of Suffield to continue to operate the skating rink. For a while the town operated a recreation program at the beach, until budget issues caused cutbacks. The rink was close in in June 1996 and the property fell into disrepair. Babb's Beach Amusement Park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. Curently there is a community effort to restore the property.
Data from the National Register of Historic Places:
Babb's Beach (added 2006 - - #06000591)
Also known as Babb's Beach Amusement Park
435 Babbs Rd. , Suffield
Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Babb, Nelson Sr.
Architectural Style: No Style Listed
Area of Significance: Entertainment/Recreation, Architecture
Period of Significance: 1950-1974, 1925-1949, 1900-1924, 1875-1899
Owner: Local
Historic Function: Recreation And Culture
Historic Sub-function: Fair, Music Facility, Outdoor Recreation
Current Function: Vacant/Not In Use
Date Park Opened: 01/01/1898
Date Park Closed: 06/01/1996
Address:
435 Babbs Road
Suffield, CT United States
Current Use or Function:
Vacant - undergoing restoration
Is the park still there?: Yes
If not, what is in its place now?: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
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