Kennywood's 121st Season Starts With Nod To History

PITTSBURGH, PA - Kennywood opens for 2019 for season passholders this weekend, and the West Mifflin amusement park’s storied past will be honored with a third historical market from the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission.

Through the efforts of the Senator John Heinz History Center and the American Coaster Enthusiasts, a marker commemorating Frederick Ingersoll will join existing museum commission markers for Kennywood and Braddock’s Crossing. The three markers will form a historical marker garden at the park’s entrance.

Ingersoll was a pioneer in the early days of amusement parks and roller coasters, building several of Kennywood’s first roller coasters at the start of the 20th Century, and founding the short-lived Luna Park in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood. The park was operational from 1905 to 1909.

“As we look ahead to an exciting future with Steel Curtain and Steelers Country opening later this season, we begin the year honoring the great history of amusement parks and rides in the greater Pittsburgh area through the dedication of a marker to the man who built Kennywood’s first coasters,” park general manager Jerome Gibas said in a statement.

The dedication will occur at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. The park will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. for passholders Saturday and Sunday and open to the general public beginning May 4.