Bronx Boat Was Popular At Quassy Amusement Park

For years, Middlebury was the home for a remnant of the Freedomland U.S.A. American history theme park that had been located in The Bronx.

“Totsie” was one of two recreations of an old time New York City tug boat. It enjoyed a second life on the lake at Quassy Amusement Park, providing more than 30 years of lake rides for park guests before it was decommissioned. The Connecticut-New York connection for this boat is detailed in a new book, Freedomland U.S.A.: The Definitive History, that is available on Amazon, eBay, Barnes&Noble and Goodreads.

Shaped as the continental United States, Freedomland (1960-1964) featured seven themed areas. The Chicago Fire roared with flames many times each day and a bull boat ventured through the untamed wilderness on the Northwest Fur Trapper attraction. Dark rides focused on San Francisco’s earthquake, a buccaneer attraction with connections to Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean, a tornado recreation and a mine ride deep into the earth. Another popular Freedomland attraction allowed guests to witness the early stages of audio-automatronics as they rode on a correspondents’ wagon through the battle lines of rival Civil War armies.

Guests also enjoyed Wild West shoot-outs at Fort Cavalry and staged robberies on vintage steam trains. Young children especially enjoyed a ride aboard Danny the Dragon, the fire-breathing mythical monster with a heart of gold, while teens and older adults were entertained by more than 150 celebrities of the day who appeared at the park.

The Freedomland Facebook memory page boosts close to 10,000 fans. Group presentations

about the history of Freedomland can be arranged by contacting Freedomlandusa@yahoo.com .

Common Waters For Boats

The park created its version of the Great Lakes, a shared waterway with the tug boat rides of Little Old New York and two sternwheelers from the dock in the Old Chicago themed area.

Both sternwheelers enjoyed long post-Freedomland lives in Connecticut—one at Greenwich and then Port Chester and the other at Johnsonville (East Haddam). Both sternwheelers since have been destroyed. The destination remains unknown for the sister tug boat to “Totsie,” which was known as “Pert.”

Quassy owner George Frantzis was four years old when “Totsie” arrived at the family-owned park.

“The boat had a flat bottom,” recalled Frantzis in the new Freedomland book. “It was a great boat and we’ve never been able to find another like it. It had charm.”

Freedomland U.S.A. was conceived and built by C.V. Wood and his Marco Engineering Company. Known to many as Woody, he was Disneyland’s first employee and he brought Walt Disney’s imagination to life by leading the team that built that park. He then created Marco Engineering to build theme parks and other venues across the country. Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington and the community of Lake Havasu, Arizona, continue to prosper today.

In Freedomland U.S.A.: The Definitive History, park memories are provided by Pat Boone, Kathy Lennon of The Lennon Sisters, Sonny Fox of Wonderama and others, including employees, character actors and many baby boomers. The book tells the stories about the creation of the park’s boats, some of which, including "Totsie," originated on City Island in New York City. The book also details the post-Freedomland stories of the boats, except for the elusive “Pert.”