At the start of the 20th century, one Brunswick location grew to become an economic boon to our area and a destination for thousands of Mainers and tourists alike. Though it lasted just short of a decade, this behemoth-sized amusement park became legendary in our local history.

On Sunday, July 17, 1898, electric trolleys with “every car packed to the limit,” saw 10,000 people rush toward what is today Cook’s Corner. It was opening day for the all-new Merrymeeting Park, and visitors were dressed in their best attire.

Men in “double-breasted suits and high-laced patent leather shoes” escorting their “lady friends” dressed “in a gown with a high lace collar, sack coat, and polliwog spring heels” mingled with parents and wide-eyed children, who were all amazed by the majesty of the 140 acres of “broad lawns and flower beds,” nestled on the banks of the Androscoggin River.

The location, once called Humphrey’s Point, was formerly a shipyard and sawmill, purchased by the Lewiston, Brunswick and Bath Street Railway Company for a new tourist destination, giving people more reason to ride the trolleys, better known as “the Electrics.” The 5-cent fare included admission to the park.

People also came “by foot … by horse and buggy” and even by boats that docked at the river’s edge. Steamships, including the steamer Gardiner, also made regular excursions to Merrymeeting Park.

Once inside the park, the wafting scent of freshly made popcorn  drew visitors to the refreshment pavilion where they could buy “soda, ice cream, salted peanuts, fruit, candy … and a 5-cent Merrymeeting cigar.” A sack of the park’s homemade candy, “Merrymeeting Kisses,” cost just 20 cents a pound.

A huge zoo offered views of antelope, snakes, timber wolves, peacocks and elk. The “king and queen” of the zoo, two bison named Bismark and Julia, amazed children and adults alike. There were also moose, caribou, deer and two black bears named Major and Josie.

Boats were available for romantic rowing on the pond, and many walkways allowed tourists to stroll leisurely under the canopy of “hemlocks, spruces, pines, maples, elms and white birches.” Live music drew many for picnics, as couples twirled together inside the large dance pavilion.

A “three-and-a-half-story, 200-foot-long” casino building housed “large, open verandas, two huge fireplaces, and a rooftop garden.” On a clear day, the White Mountains of New Hampshire could be seen from “the observatory” atop the casino.

If hungry, seven dining rooms offered a “European menu for 75 cents,” or a “shore dinner for 50 cents,” all enjoyed while orchestral music filled the air.

A 4,000-seat outdoor amphitheater hosted entertainment, including “plays, minstrel shows, bands, jugglers, acrobats and vaudeville acts” in the “theater in the woods.” Early Sunday services featured outdoor sermons by famed clergy, such as Harpswell’s Elijah Kellogg.

Other attractions included “a pair of diving horses,” that leapt into a pool of water from a platform high above. Hot air balloons; a fireworks show; “greased pig contests, dances, meetings”; and much more represented the best and most modern attractions of the era.

Merrymeeting Park provided “a source of income for 50 or so locals” and a number of seasonal employees. Area hotels were filled by guests and tourists, and local stores and shops also saw “a profitable season.” Many people saved all winter “just to spend a day at Merrymeeting Park.”

For nearly a decade, the park opened its doors each May and closed in late September. But within just eight years, the trolleys of the Lewiston, Brunswick and Bath Street Railway saw a dwindling ridership as the “new-fangled” automobile competed against “the Electrics” and the “flickers,” or silent films shown at local theaters, now consumed the public’s ravenous entertainment appetites.

By the end of the 1906 summer season, the once profitable Merrymeeting Park became “a losing interest,” and the decision was made to close the famed tourist attraction. “The casino was eventually vandalized and torn down” by 1915.

In 1937, the era of “the Electrics” had come to an end, as “the last of the trolley lines, between Lewiston and Bath … had been abandoned.” The expansive property that once drew tourists by the tens of thousands was eventually cut in half as the creation of route one ripped through the land.

For decades, hopes were held that Merrymeeting Park could rise again as “a Mecca for pleasure loving tourists.” But no such dreams were ever realized. The remaining land is today owned by the Town of Brunswick, for people to once again visit, relax and enjoy.

Today, Brunswick’s once-popular Merrymeeting Park still lives on as a treasured historic memory proudly discovered within the pages of our legendary Stories from Maine.

Lori-Suzanne Dell has authored five books and publishes the “Stories From Maine” Facebook page and weekly podcast on Spotify and YouTube.