Why Chicago’s greatest treasure now lives in Atlanta’s backyard

Riverview Park’s 1908 Carousel Finds New Life in Georgia

Chicago’s Riverview Park once thrilled 200 million guests across its 74-acre grounds from 1904 to 1967. When the Schmidt family sold to developers, the park shut down with no warning.

The news hit front pages as six roller coasters, including the famous Bobs, were sold for scrap. Yet one treasure survived – a 40-ton carousel built in 1908.

Six Flags rescued it from storage in Galena, spent 26,000 hours on restoration, and gave it new life in Georgia by 1972.

Today, this National Historic Place stands proudly on Carousel Hill, the last witness to Riverview’s golden age.

German Guys Started a Shooting Club in Chicago

In 1879, Wilhelm Schmidt opened Schützen Park at Belmont and Western as a private shooting range. German club members shot at targets on an island in the North Branch Chicago River.

Deer roamed freely through the wooded 74-acre grounds where members hunted and shot clay pigeons. The men enjoyed their shooting activities, but their wives and children complained they had nothing to do.

The Owner’s Son Brought Back Fun Park Ideas from Europe

After visiting famous parks like Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen and the Prater in Vienna, George Schmidt returned from Europe in 1903. He talked his dad Wilhelm into turning the shooting range into an amusement park.

The family called it Riverview Sharpshooters’ Park in 1904, then just Riverview Park by 1913. They hired the Philadelphia Toboggan Company to build their first big attraction.

Skilled Workers Hand-Carved Every Horse on the Carousel

In 1908, Swiss and Italian woodcarvers from the Philadelphia Toboggan Company handmade 70 horses and 4 chariots. The 40-ton carousel got the name PTC #17 and stood out as one of only three five-row carousels ever made.

Workers added tiny details on each horse using old European woodworking methods. This beautiful wooden carousel turned the hunting club into a place families wanted to visit.

Chicago Families Loved the Growing Amusement Park

From just 3 rides on 74 acres in 1904, the park grew to 120 rides by the 1960s.

Riverview claimed it was the “world’s largest amusement park” with more attractions than Coney Island. Over 200 million visitors walked through the castle-like entrance during its 63 years.

Famous guests like President Warren G. Harding, William Randolph Hearst, and Al Capone rode the historic carousel.

Scary Rides Like The Bobs Made Riverview Famous

The Bobs roller coaster opened in 1926 with an 85-foot drop, becoming America’s scariest coaster. Other popular rides included The Comet, Silver Flash, Fireball, Aladdin’s Castle funhouse, and Pair-O-Chutes.

The park gave jobs to over 1,000 workers during busy seasons in the 1950s. Riverview became a must-visit spot for Chicago youth and drew visitors from all over the Midwest.

Money Problems Put the Park in Danger

By the 1960s, rising property taxes and higher real estate values hurt the park’s profits. The Schmidt family learned their 74-acre property was worth more as building land than as an amusement park.

Fewer people came as Chicago’s neighborhoods changed and white families moved to suburbs. Park owners quietly looked for buyers in the mid-1960s without telling workers or the public.

News of the Park’s Closing Upset Chicago

The park announced on October 3, 1967, that it wouldn’t reopen for the 1968 season after 63 years of fun. The story made front-page headlines in the Chicago Tribune, upsetting longtime fans.

Riverview historian Norm Cherry remembered there was no warning or chance for final goodbye rides. A LaSalle Street investment firm bought the property for $6.5 million and planned to tear it down right away.

Nobody Wanted to Buy the Famous Roller Coasters

Soon after announcing the closure, the Schmidt family held an auction for rides and attractions. Fifty buyers showed up but showed no interest in big attractions like the world-famous Bobs roller coaster.

The Pair-O-Chutes, Space Ride, Flash High Ride, and other popular rides found no buyers. Traveling carnivals bought smaller rides like the Ferris wheel for small amounts of money.

Wrecking Crews Destroyed Almost Everything in the Park

Workers tore down The Bobs and five other roller coasters and sold them as scrap metal. They also knocked down Aladdin’s Castle funhouse and its giant genie head entrance.

Only the carousel, a few small children’s rides, and some carnival games survived the demolition. The carousel went to Galena, Illinois, where it sat in storage for several years.

Six Flags Spent Thousands of Hours Fixing the Old Carousel

Six Flags bought the forgotten carousel and moved it to Georgia in 1971. Teams of skilled workers put in over 26,000 hours carefully restoring the 1908 masterpiece.

The company built a Victorian building modeled after the original Riverview structure. Every horse, chariot, and decorative piece was fixed up to match the original look.

The Last Piece of Riverview Still Spins in Georgia Today

The fixed-up Riverview Carousel opened at Six Flags Over Georgia in 1972 on the park’s highest hill. On January 27, 1995, the U.S. Department of the Interior added it to the National Register of Historic Places.

The carousel keeps running today as the only surviving ride from Chicago’s beloved Riverview Park. During holiday times, it transforms into the “Candlelight Carousel” with nearly 94,000 lights and holiday decorations.

Visiting Riverview Carousel at Six Flags Over Georgia

The Riverview Carousel at Six Flags Over Georgia is at 275 Riverside Parkway SW in Austell.

This 1908 carousel survived Chicago’s famous Riverview Park demolition and took over 26,000 hours to restore for its 1972 Georgia opening. It’s one of only two 5-row carousels left worldwide with 69 hand-carved horses.

The park only accepts cards, no cash. During Holiday in the Park, it becomes the Candlelight Carousel with 94,000 lights.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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