Edgewood Park, in Shamokin, Pennsylvania — also called Indian Park early on was a trolley amusement park that became one of the biggest in eastern PA. From 1893–1900, "Indian Park" existed under that name before Edgewood. In September 1899, the Daily News (Mount Carmel) mentioned that a hotel was to be built at Indian Park. 

Located just west of Shamokin in Coal Township, the park occupied approximately 97 wooded acres. It included a lake, athletic grounds, picnic groves, amusement rides, theaters, dancing facilities, and, eventually, an enormous swimming pool. 

Trolley companies built parks like this as destinations to boost weekend ridership. The Shamokin Electric Railway leased a large tract at the western end of Shamokin and opened it as Indian Park. The original purpose was closely connected with the street railway: a pleasant destination at the end of the trolley line encouraged families to ride the cars during evenings, Sundays, and holidays. The property offered woods, open ground, and a lake, and it quickly became popular for picnics, baseball, and football games.

The man most closely associated with the park’s development was Monroe Henry “Farmer” Kulp, a Shamokin businessman and former member of Congress. Kulp became president of the Shamokin and Edgewood Electric Railway Company and took control of the resort property. Evidence from a history of the trolley company places the change of name from Indian Park to Edgewood Park in May 1900. 

Later accounts sometimes give 1904, 1905, or 1906 as Edgewood Park’s opening date. These dates probably refer to the period when Kulp’s improvements transformed the older picnic ground into a fully developed amusement resort. A 1905 Shamokin promotional booklet already described Edgewood as the city’s chief pleasure resort and credited Kulp with its development. Thus, the most useful chronology is: 1893: Indian Park established by the electric railway; 1900: Kulp takes over, and the name Edgewood Park is adopted; Between 1904 and 1906: the greatly enlarged amusement resort came into full operation. 

The Daily Herald’s 1905 souvenir history of Shamokin provided this description. It portrayed the trolley ride from Shamokin as a journey of approximately two miles into cooler, wooded countryside. The grounds encompassed woodland, fields, and a lake, with enough space for numerous picnic parties. 

By that time, Edgewood offered: Shaded walks beneath large oak trees; Rustic picnic tables and benches; Camp ovens, with ice and fuel supplied to picnickers; A lake covering several acres, with boating; A cafe and restaurant; A large dancing pavilion and orchestra; A baseball field and grandstand; A deer enclosure and Angora goats; The unusual School of Mines attraction; and direct trolley transportation from Shamokin. 

The School of Mines was particularly appropriate to the surrounding coal region. Visitors rode small coaster-type cars through a structure intended to simulate underground mining. It combined amusement with scenes and displays associated with anthracite mining, making it one of Edgewood’s most distinctive attractions. 

An article in the Reading Times in September of 1908 had this description of the park: “No other feature has drawn so many people to Shamokin or elicited more widespread and favorable comment as beautiful Edgewood Park, which, during the past season, was visited by thousands of excursionists from all sections of Central Pennsylvania. In many ways, Edgewood Park is unique--a sort of fairyland of natural scenic beauty and artificial embellishments of recreative sport. The park consists of 97 acres of woodland and lake, with pure, invigorating mountain air and an abundance of clear, sparkling water. “

The article continued, “But no feature is more popular with visitors than the splendid large dancing pavilion with its fine floor, which, too, is available to patrons of the park without expense. A military band of 35 pieces alternates with an orchestra of string music in providing high-class dance and concert selections. There is an abundance of shelter in case of rain and a splendidly appointed ladies' waiting room. No more ideal spot for church or school outings could be found, should one search the whole state of Pennsylvania.

“No liquor is sold or allowed on the grounds; several officers are in constant attendance, who maintain the best of order, and no disorderly conduct or objectionable characters are permitted under any circumstances.” 

Local histories record appearances by prominent touring orchestras, including Duke Ellington in December 1935, as well as Kay Kyser and numerous local bands. The Times' description of the Park included a Ferris wheel, Carousel, shooting gallery, animal exhibits, and a theater.

Other well-remembered attractions included: Touring the Alps, a scenic railway, or an early roller-coaster ride. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by a 60-mph windstorm on March 29, 1923, and never rebuilt due to a $20,000 rebuild cost; The Temple of Mirth, a fun-house attraction; A “chute-the-chutes” water ride into the lake; A miniature steam railway; Vaudeville performances and motion pictures; Restaurants, refreshment stands, and a bazaar; Boating and swimming in the lake. 

Edgewood was also an important athletic center. “Farmer” Kulp organized an Edgewood Park baseball team, and the park later hosted Shamokin clubs in several professional and semiprofessional leagues. Edgewood’s ball grounds were used by teams in the Atlantic, Anthracite and New York–Pennsylvania circuits. 

 Frank Coombe, of Sunbury, told a newspaper reporter in 1975 that he recalled playing with a Shamokin area all-star unit against "Babe" Ruth and the Shamokin Eagle Silks in Edgewood Park in the early 1920's. Coombe, Ralph "Dobbin" Weaver and Roy Shipe, all former Sunbury Cyclones players, participated in the early fall exhibition. Football games were staged there as well, including contests involving regional schools and colleges. 

Excursion parties from Danville, Milton, Lewisburg, Philadelphia, and other communities were regular arrivals at Edgewood. Electric cars moved the crowds between Shamokin and the park, while excursion trains brought additional visitors from outside the coal region. 

In July 1926, Edgewood opened a swimming pool, and it became one of the park’s longest-lasting attractions. The park continued adding rides during the 1920s. A wooden roller coaster called the Wildcat, designed by noted coaster designer Herbert Paul Schmeck, was erected in 1927 for operator Thomas E. Kerstetter. This indicates that the park’s management and concession arrangements evolved after Kulp died in 1911. 

 In 1929, the Shamokin and Edgewood Electric Railway converted from streetcars to motorbus service. Once private automobiles became common, families were no longer limited to destinations served by the local trolley line. They could travel to Knoebels, Hershey, larger cities, and increasingly distant vacation resorts. 

The Depression, changing amusement tastes, the disappearance of excursion traffic, and the cost of maintaining large wooden rides all contributed to Edgewood’s decline. Attractions were removed one by one. By the middle 1950s, much of the old midway had vanished, although the pool, lake, and portions of the grounds remained in use. In 1954, Hurricane Hazel caused extensive damage to the park’s largest trees. 

In 1955, 22-and-a-half acres were purchased for a new school. Ground was broken on January 26, 1958, and the new Our Lady of Lourdes complex was dedicated on Sept 13, 1959. The Shamokin Area School District also built new elementary and high schools on the property. Much of the former amusement area became the Edgewood Gardens housing development.

Edgewood Park formally closed in 1964, but its memory is preserved through postcards, family photographs, the Shamokin Online Museum, and a large mural at 209 East Independence Street in Shamokin. The mural depicts the lake, rides and other features remembered from the resort’s heyday. 

At its height, Edgewood Park was not simply Shamokin’s amusement park. It was one of the principal social and recreational centers of the lower anthracite fields—where generations attended picnics, danced, played ball, rowed on the lake, rode the School of Mines and escaped, for a few hours, the smoke and labor of the coal towns.