Luna Park, Johnstown

Originally known as Roxbury Park, Luna Park was an amusement park located near Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA. Located by a loop at the end of the Franklin Street line of the Johnstown Passenger Railway Company, the park was centered on an artificial lake that was surrounded by a racetrack (originally for harness racing, but other forms of racing were presented there over the years) Throughout its existence, the park had picnic facilities. In 1905, the trolley park added amusement rides and attractions, including many that now are considered mainstays for such facilities. Locally popular, the park was beset with an instability of ownership until it was purchased by the City of Johnstown on 18 July 1922. Subsequently, the park's name was reverted to Roxbury Park. Eventually the mechanical rides and the racetrack disappeared from the grounds as Roxbury Park became a municipal park.

History

City founder Joseph Johns set aside land in the Point area of his embryonic town for use as public parks in 1800. Part of that land was Roxbury Park, which, by 1904, was a fenced-off amusement area that contained a horse racing track. When the Tri-County Driving Park Association defaulted on $40,000 in bonds, ownership of the land fell into the hands of stockbroker Frank Cresswell, who then quadrupled the rent on the Roxbury Race Track in 1904. Track manager John Pender responded by moving all of the track's scheduled races to nearby Westmont Race Track, ensuring that Roxbury would have a disastrous 1904 season.