The Tragic Story of Paragon Park: How Boston's Beloved Amusement Park Vanished Without a Trace

Paragon Park, Nantasket Beach in Hull, Massachusetts 👉Hull & Nantasket Beach (Images of America: Massachusetts) https://amzn.to/3OjPbed 👉Hull and Nantasket Beach (MA) (Then & Now) https://amzn.to/4r7jBOx 👉Hull and Nantasket Beach (Postcards of America) https://amzn.to/4qMBmSU 👉Lost Amusement Parks of New York City: Beyond Coney Island https://amzn.to/4kMgvOj As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Paragon Park opened on June 10, 1905, on Nantasket Beach in Hull, Massachusetts — and for 80 years it was the place every kid from Boston's South Shore begged their parents to take them. The Giant Coaster stood 98 feet tall, the tallest roller coaster in the world when it opened in 1917. The hand-carved 1928 carousel had 66 wooden horses. The boardwalk smelled like fried clams and saltwater taffy. And then, in 1984, it was all gone. This is the full story of Paragon Park — from George Dodge's whalebone fortune and the opening day crowds of 1905, through the devastating fires of 1911, 1923, and 1963, the Blizzard of 1978 that put the park under six feet of water, the family divorce that fractured its management, and the $5.5 million condo deal with developer Chester Kahn that finally closed the gates forever. No final season. No goodbye. The Giant Coaster was sold at auction for $28,000, dismantled, and rebuilt as The Wild One at Six Flags America in Maryland. The carousel was saved — twice — and still operates today next to the old clock tower in Hull. Everything else became condominiums. If you grew up riding the Giant Coaster, playing Skee-Ball in the penny arcade, or eating fried clams on the Nantasket boardwalk — this one's for you. — Sources used in research: Chris Haraden, "The History of Paragon Park" — paragonparkbook.wordpress.com (the most comprehensive account of the park's full history, based on archival research) Friends of the Paragon Carousel / Paragon Park Museum — paragoncarousel.com "The Wild One (roller coaster)" — Wikipedia, sourced from Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, Inc. records and Roller Coaster DataBase (RCDB) Paragon Park historical marker text — Historical Marker Database (hmdb.org), Hull, MA "45 Years Later, Blizzard of 1978 Still Evokes Strong Memories" — The Hull Times, February 2023 "A Legendary 108-Year-Old Roller Coaster from Mass. Is Facing Its End — Again" — Boston.com, May 2025 — #paragonpark #nantasketbeach #hull #massachusetts