Chuck Schmidt Knows Theme Parks

The back of Chuck Schmidt's theme park bubble gum card features Disneyland, Walt Disney World, a number of other Disney parks and the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair. Blogs and books about several of these entertainment venues also are part of Schmidt's professional and personal world.

Schmidt grew up in New York City. He is enjoying retirement now in Beachwood. In between, he was a sports reporter/editor, a travel editor and news editor at the daily Staten Island Advance. During those editorial days, Schmidt attended many press events orchestrated by The Walt Disney Company. He became not just a Disney park fan but an expert about all things Disney. Schmidt was named an honorary citizen of Walt Disney World during 1986.

Countless articles written by Schmidt were read by Staten Island residents over the years. The wealth of his theme park knowledge and personal experiences eventually led to four books (Disney’s Dream Weavers, On the Disney Beat, An American in Disneyland Paris and Animal Kingdom: An Unofficial History) published by Theme Park Press. Schmidt also is an active blogger and his Still Goofy About Disney appears on AllEars.net while his Goofy About Disney is featured on SILive.com .

Back In The Bronx

Freedomland U.S.A. also played a significant role in Schmidt’s theme park world. He visited the park several times as a boy and he included Freedomland, because of its connections to Disneyland, in his Disney’s Dream Weavers book. More recently, Schmidt's memories about Freedomland have been featured in a new Theme Park Press book that tells the comprehensive story about this 1960s American history theme park in The Bronx. Freedomland U.S.A. – The Definitive History documents the entire story from conception to bankruptcy of one of the most innovative and beloved theme parks in America. It is available on Amazon, Goodreads, eBay and other sites at the suggested retail price of $24.95.

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To arrange a group presentation about Freedomland U.S.A., send a message to Freedomlandusa@yahoo.com .

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Freedomland U.S.A. (visit the Facebook group) was celebrated as the "Disneyland of the East." While it survived only five seasons (1960-1964), to this day the park is recalled by many guests who enjoyed its history-themed attractions. Contrary to what has become an urban legend, Freedomland's failure was not caused by the grand opening of the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair.

Among Schmidt's memories of Freedomland are “being ‘robbed’ by masked bandits while on board a horse-drawn stagecoach…furiously pumping water with other kids to help fight the raging Chicago fire…and my personal favorite, seeing Robert E. Lee surrender to Ulysses S. Grant in front of Appomattox courthouse.”

What Happened To Freedomland?

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. Several continue to prosper.

Unknown to Woody and the general public at the time, Freedomland property owner William Zeckendorf, Sr., local politicians, city planners and construction unions considered the park a "placeholder" until variances permitted significant development on marshland. The variances provided the green light for the construction of Co-op City, the largest cooperative housing community in the world. A shopping center was added about a decade later and an indoor mall was constructed on the remaining undeveloped land during 2012.

Freedomland was an experience, according to Schmidt's personal and professional theme park expertise, “the likes of which the world likely will never see again.”

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Mike Virgintino is the author of Freedomland U.S.A.: The Definitive History, the story about America's theme park located in The Bronx. Published by Theme Park Press, it can be found on Amazon, eBay and Goodreads.