MESSAGES

You have taken much time and patience to create this website. I have visited

here before, but you did NOT have the photo of the old victorian hotel that

existed to the far right on the shore, where the hill is the last time I viewed

the site. In the 1950's there was a billboard advertising "Sea & Ski" suntan

lotion. I remember it as if it was yesterday, and I remember the smell of the

lotion.

I have read many emails from other visitors and it seems we all have the same

memories, some just pure fun and some bittersweet.

I had an aunt who drownd in an undertoe there in 1960 or 1961. They had

lifeguards then and they tried so hard to save her but could not. Ironically

she was a champion swimmer in the town of Weymouth; olympic quality.

But I spent every summer at Paragon, there was NO other place in the world like

it. I remember it like the back of my hand. The "Flying Horses" as they were

called back then were my absolute favorite. When the "Cups & Saucers" came into

the park, I remember having a tantrum because my parents thought I was too small to ride, but I won the

fight, only to slide off the seat and under it unable to get back up....YES they

had to stop the ride.....

I went to Quincy Market in Boston's Fanuiel Hall a while back and visited a

photo store that had turn-of-the-last-century photos, in order by town. I

pulled up Hull and was ecstatic to find actual photos of Nantasket Beach c.

1900-1920 BEFORE the park existed. Gaslight lanters lined the boardwalk and in

each parking space was a black crank-case auto, and all the women in the photo

had street-length dresses and parisols..........it was just beautiful.

Well I want to THANK YOU - who ever you are, for allowing us old people a chance

to go back in time and dwell on the happy and bittersweet memories of a time

when things were alot better. Thank you so much. I can't look without getting

teary-eyed each time.

Best, Donna

Hi,scott,

Name here is Joel. I guess I am somewhat older than you. I am 63. we

stayed at Nantasket every summer from 1946 to about 1958. the last 3 years, we

spent at rever,e near their park. I have so many things to tell you, I don't

know where to start but I think I will initially tell you about the beach

itself, namely, the sand, etc. Nanatasket from Kemberma to the begining of the

beach where route 228ends(or begins) the beach was much wider. at low tide, you

could walk a couple of hundred feet before you hit the water, there were many

shallow inlets of water, that on a good day, heated up quickly and was

wonderfrul just to lounge in it. at high tide there still was plenty of room for

beacchairs and blankets. no so any more. the last time i was in Nantasket, was

last fall. the tide was just about up to the retaining wall so there was no room

to sit on the sand. at low tide, there was practically no sand, and alot of

rocks. so erosion has taken its toll and the beach

really needs a makover. we would eat clams across from Paragon, the clam shack was on wooden posts with decking. the

seagulls would eat the clams out of your hand. there was an old Paragon bath

house, later torn down and became an aquarium which did not last long as it

could not compete with the one in Boston. the old white bathouse is still there,

across from Joseph's and the merrygoround, which i helped save several years

ago. the old band stand, which the Metroplitan bands used to play, was

reconstructed and is now known as the Bernie King bandstand. incidentaly,

Bernie, played at my wedding with his band in 1968. the vendor stands have all

but disappeared. i used to go to Carl's stand, which was in back of the new

hotel, previously the Surf(where i saw Arnie Ginsburg at a hop.) the apollo and

Bayside theatres only played movies when it rained. most of the time, you had to

call to be sure they would be open.. well, i just covered the beach. oh, Tedeschis

super market

opened there in about 1956 and i can remember my mother rushing to get the opening days goodies. tonic bottles were only quart sized then and you would get

5 cents refund for the large bottles, and 2 cents for the smaller ones. that is

how i made my money to play the slots and go on rides. i picked up bottles and

cans thrwon out. i traverssed the hot sands looking in yellow barrels. if the

bottle had sand it, i washed it out in the public mens room. i can bet. now in

retrospect, the public works probably hated me, i am sure the sand clogged up

the, ahem, receptacles. well, if you answer this, i will give you an idea of the

hotels, the fire department,and all and every ride there was. so hope to hear

from you.

Joel

You have put together a phenomenal web site!

I am 49 years old and have MANY

happy, and similar memories of Paragon Park that you have shared. I remember the

Park had become a little shabby in it's last years, but I still miss the old

place. Over the years I have often wondered why someone hadn't published a book

of Paragon Park, filled with pictures. Now that I have found your site, I don't

have as much desire for such a book; ( but it still would be nice). I get the

feeling that I am older than you, but I was wondering if you remember an old

"slide ride" that was located by the back entrance, near the mini golf. As you

entered and just got past the mini golf, on your left, was a small tower, with a

spiral wooden staircase, that you had to climb to get to the top of the slide.

The slide itself, was also circular, and made out of ridged metal. You sat on a

burlap mat, that was handed to you at the bottom of the ride. In some respects,

it was similar to the bigger, wide, hump slide that was put up in the 70's. Except this one had high sides and was partially enclosed, and circular. I

have never seen or found a picture of this ride. Have any other readers inquired

about this ride to you? The other ride I vividly, and fondly remember, were the

small hand cars that you pedaled with your hands around a small gauge train

track. I hated when I outgrew that ride. Very fun. But then I graduated to the

Turnpike which was many young kids first experience at driving.

Thanks so much for all of your hard work. It is very much appreciated. I will

return, and have already sent your site to many of my Family and Friends.

Sincerely,Tim B.

Subject: Paragon

Date: Sat, 09 Sep 2006 01:16:14 -0700

Hey there,

Stumbled across your site. I grew up in Hanover and frequented Paragon as a

kid. It was a strong fixation for me as long as I can remember. I have a

bunch of slides from 1969 and 1970 which I will have to get scanned.

My grandmother and her sisters used to talk of loving to ride the last car

on the roller coaster b/c it was the roughest ride--felt like the car

lifted off the tracks. This would have been the mid-1920 when they were in

high school (in Weymouth). My mother said she rode the coaster on a field

trip in high school--said that first drop scared the life out of her--was

so steep.

Personally, I rode the coaster AFTER it was moved to Maryland. It was a

rush! But it is out of place in Maryland....it belongs in Nantsaket,

towering over the surf at Nantasket. Oh well. At least they preserved it.

Anyway, thanks for the memories and photos.

Subject: Web-Site- Paragon Park

Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2007

I enjoyed looking at your Paragon Memories Web-Site. I grew up

on Mayflower Ave in Hull, most of my family worked at Paragon Park during the

summer months growing up. I delivered the Newspaper- The Patriot Ledger for

years on Hillside Ave, Fairmont Way and Hampton Circle. I passed your house

daily on my paper route. I delivered the paper to the Gallagher's house, too.

When I read the story on the Web-Site, I realized I had a picture of "The Man

Who Guessed Your Weight" from when my father passed away over 20 years ago. I

found this newspaper article with his stuff and I also have a poster reprint

from a 1942 newspaper advertising activities for Paragon Park. I worked in the

"The Penny Arcade" for/with the Beale family. Fred Beale was my boss and Marion

Beale worked behind the counter for years with the prizes. I knew "Sam the Tankard Man", he was part of "The Penny

Arcade" staff, I think his name was Kitha Brides but I can't remember

everything. I hope you and your family enjoy looking at the newspaper pictures

attached. My Father- Paul Dunphy Sr. is pictured with John Cleverly in the

picture on the lower right showing "In 1965, fire destroyed the rotor, an

amusement ride" John Cleverly is on the left and my dad Paul Dunphy Sr. is on

the right shown from the back, they worked for years in Paragon Park as

electricians. I also, in high school summers worked the concession stands and

rides with all my friends from Hull. Enjoy!

Hi Scott,

Yesterday, July 8, I went to Nantasket Beach. Every year I say to my husband

"I'm going back there this summer." Well, it was his idea yesterday. Brad said

"Let's go south I think we will see some sun there." So, off we went.

I have not been back there for 30 years. The only thing I recognized was the

totem pole. It made me a little sad going back there, but I have so many great

memories! I loved going there!

When I got home, I decided to Google, and I found your site. It was so cool to

read about your memories of the beach and that I also have some of those

memories! Over the years, my brothers and my self have told our spouses about

Nantasket.....it had the best sand and great waves!

I remember walking the long beach with my mom, picking up shells, rocks and of

course seaglass. And digging for quahogs, and how lucky it was to get a quahog

shell that was in one piece, and take it home with you. I remember making the

best sand castles and playing in a boat that your mother and aunt made in the sand. Eating pink popcorn on the beach....it

still tasted good even with the sand on it. John and his "super powers",

jumping off of everything. John and his super cape use to crack up my Dad.

One time, your nana, Mrs. Cooke to me, jumped off Mr Warwick's boat and swam

to the beach. I thought that was sooo cool! Who's grandmother does that! Even

though we had our parents there, Mrs. Cooke seemed to be in charge. I also

remember we went fishing on Mr Warwick's boat. I caught some mean looking fish

that we let go. I think it looked like a sting ray.

And the fun times we had at the park. The music, the people, it was a blast!

One trip to the park, Brian and Christopher went on the helicopters, and

Christopher was afraid to go up, so he held the bar, so Brian could not make it

go up. I remember the expression on Brian's face, just sitting there on the

bottom of the ride as the helicopters all went up. It was priceless! Makes me

laugh every time I think of it! I loved seeing those pictures of the park. Especially, the Congo

Cruise and the Kooky Kastle. I remember every year checking to seem if we were

tall even to go on some of the rides. It really was a great time!

Oh the Candy House, wasn't that great! Walking into that little house, grabbing

the big pail and filling it up. I loved the rock candy I got there.

My family and I had great times at Nantasket Beach.

I'm so glad I found your site.

Take care,

Sue (Cram) White

Subject:love your site

Date:Monday, August 13, 2007 1:28:20 PM

I lived in Hull from birth up to the age of 12, my brothers and I used wait for

summer so we could go to paragon park, during the summer season a walk to

paragon for a slice of pizza, hot dogs (my father once owned my 3 brothers pizza) and rides was a family event...oh yea the salt water taffy, that machine used

to intrigue me. I went to Coney Island and was so content that I was able to

take my 4 year old to such a park before they become completely extinct, as

Coney island is scheduled to close this fall.I have taken my son to storyland

and other similiar parks,and he enjoyed them but at Coney Island we enjoyed

it.Hopefully one day we will see them being erected again, and wont be just a

story we will tell our grandchildren.Keep up the good work I loved your site,

today I woke up 40 years old,after viewing your site I am 10.Thank you !!

frank aiello

Hello,

What a great website and an honor to all the wonderful memories of Paragon Park

and Nantasket.

I grew up in Natick and have some wonderful memories of Summer days in early

June when my Mother would decide to keep me out of going to school, and my best

friend and next door neighbor Stevie and his Mother would pile into our

Chevrolet and head off the Nantasket for the day. Two magical events, I did not

have to go to school and I got to go to Paragon Park with my best friend.

She would make these secret and spontaneous plans at least once every June, then

announce it to me that morning, what a great surprise.

The ride to Nantasket seemed to take forever (even tho my Mom had a "lead foot"

on the gas peddle), and the ride home was uncomfortable, as we were all covered

in salt and sand in an un-airconditioned Chevy, but it was all worth it.

Even tho I have not thought about those days until a friend sent me your

website, I will always have those fond memories of Nantasket and my Mom.

Thank you.

David from Florida

always remember.....

the sound you hear in the dark

is simply

the beat of my heart !

From: Colin Munro (Colin.Munro@vtfitzroy.co.nz)

Sent:Wed 1/30/08 8:43 PM

I have just found your website and it has taken me back to 1970 when I was 22 and living in Hull. I was part of a group of guys from Scotland who worked for the General Dynamics Shipyard in Quincy and lived on the peninsula. Myself and another workmate lived on Porazzo Rd at the corner of Bay St and have many many good memories of our time there we spent about a year in Hull and loved every minute of it. As we had welding and construction skills, we were asked by the owners to help prepare the park to make it ready for the opening of the summer season. We repaired and welded up the roller coaster and did various other work to get the various stalls re assembled and spruced up.

What a surprise it was when I saw the old photos and memories on your site, Thank you so much for bringing these back to me. In 1974 I left Scotland and now live and work in Auckland, New Zealand where my wife and I have 3 children (now into their 30’s) and 3 great grandchildren but I will never forget the days on Nantasket Beach.

Regards

Colin Munro

Project Planning Dept

VTFitzroy Ltd

colin.munro@vtfitzroy.co.nz

Subject:Paragon Park Memories

Date:Tuesday, February 05, 2008 4:07:49 PM

I was led to your website by a post on another site and it brought back many

memories.

I grew up in Weymouth and worked at the park in the fifty's starting in the

kiddies park and

then moving up to the flying scooters and the comet.

1954 -1958 were fun years working there and enjoying the free Sunday dinners at

the food hall, that was one of the perks for working Sundays and the free ride

passes.

Who could ever forget the fried clams at Joseph,s and Fascination playing

ski-ball.

Also all of the fine food and treats on the street side of the park.

In the late 60's I rented a house on Eastern Ave and ate many breakfasts at

Anasto's on the

conner.

It has been many years since I have been to Hull but all of the memories are

still there.

Harry Pike

Westport, Ma.

"ROBERT BUDANO" <robertbudano@msn.com>

Date:Sunday, February 24, 2008 8:05:20 PM

Lots of great memories. also lots of great pictures. one thing out of all the

comments on the rides was there was never any mention of the one ride that lit

up the park from across the bay where we stayed in the late 60's early 70's....

the "SKY DIVER" how I could remember it so vividly. the music that blasted from

its base was tom jones-"whats new pussycat" & elton john's-"honky cat"... my

sisters & I would watch the sky diver spin around from the upstairs window of

our small cottage across the bay from paragon. the lights I remember were yellow

in the middle then green then orange around the edges. we could see it turning

"when we were supposed to be sleeping" across the bay & right through the

rollercoaster. It\ must have been set up next to or near the carousel..? isurprized no one had brought this fabulous beacon of light up yet. you could see

it all the ways down the beach as far as kenburma ave, where my dads sister

lived at the time. we would stand on the beach & you could see the sky diver all

lit up & spinning around. the 2 biggest rides I remember the most were the giant

coaster of course & the brightly lit sky diver... oh and one ride which I never

have seen since or heard anyone mention was the "ski-jump" from what I can

remember, it was nestled behind the himalaya on the east side of the park & just

behind the caterpillar..... would love to know if anyone else remembers these

rides...? wonderful site & excellent pictures & storys... thank you...

Budano.

Subject:Paragon Park

Date:Friday, February 29, 2008 11:33:14 AM

Hi:

I love your site. I clicked through from the Paragon Park article on Wikipedia.

I'm curious how old you are as some of your memories of summer in Hull overlap

with mine. I just turned 38.

I grew up in Pembroke, but my father grew up in Hingham and my grandmother still

lived there. We never stayed at a cottage or anything, but we visited Paragon

Park and the beach many times while I was growing up.

I ended up going to Hingham High School in 1986 through 1988. Paragon, of

course, had closed just prior to that, but there were still some funky things

going on along the boardwalk.

I live in Kingston now. I haven't been to Hull in a few years. If the weather

is nice this weekend, perhaps my wife, daughter and I will head up there for a

peek around.

Adam Stanhope

Kingston, Massachusetts

Subject:Surfside Early Fifties

Date:Friday, March 21, 2008 10:10:44 AM

Being born in Hull in 1945 in the "Surfside" area..Was a witness to many

things long past..Going down the road of memories; Surfside was indeed then

the center of town..There was an A@P...Next door the post office; which was

moved later to Allerton..The Clarion Hotel is partly now on the land that

was the "Revere House"

Across the street was Marions Florist,their windows beautifully always done

up for Holidays. Gladys Dress Shoppe, a Laundromat; George Apostlous;

where the "townies" gathered..Across the street was "Pauls" which later

became Chet's in the late fifties had the best French Fries. Later in the

fifties there was the "grand opening" of Tedeschis; much larger than the one

today.

For recreation there was Bill Murrays Bowling Alley; where I learned

the craft; Rattenbury's made your eyes pop at the assortment of penny candy;

a dime would fill a candy bag easily in those days..Rose and Tony Bonnano

kept everyones hair looking great; along with Ann Hayes Beauty parlor..One

could always count on a homemade warm cookie in winter; at Harry and

Kitty's "Sunderlands"; where the townies could get a large selection of

clothing.Andys Bar for the thirsty over 21 set; with its pink neon lights

lighting the darkness.Frank Fay's bar with the piano-man playing all the old

songs that carried thru the neighborhood; would lull me to sleep on warm

summer nights...

Alas, the famed old "Indian trail" never mentioned in books about Hull; has

just about disappeared.It wandered down the hill from Sagamore Terrace;

parrellel to the sidewalk across from Merlinos.The trail was created by the

Sagamore Indians who camped summers; on what is named after them; as

"Sagamore Hill.long before they put in Nantasket Avenue; old-timers like my

great aunt Mertie Willis.being in her nineties; when I was a child. amazed

me with tales; of her coming to Surfside in the 1880s.

I'm sure many out

there have other memories of Surfside.Wish they would write about when the

boats from Boston pulled up next to my Grandmothers house; long before the

Nantasket Pier and Paragon Park was built..

Wonder too; if in winter anyone

glances over at Bay Street at low tide; when Nature decides to expose the

full length of charred timbers of the "Lilly" that burned along with the

pier shortly after 1900..Know there are people with memories I have long

forgotten.

From:"Rob Larsen"

I stumbled across your web site today and really enjoyed the pictures and memories. I grew up down the street in Hingham where 3A and East Street meet at the Weir River. As a kid in the mid 70's to early 80's I was a golf caddy at Cohasset Country Club. After earning my pay for a round or two of golf, I would ride my bike to Paragon Park and chain it to the fence outside the park by the Putt Putt course. I would spend hours wanderingthe park and arcades. I now live in South Carolina but have often searchedfor Paragon Park and Nantasket beach photo's on e-bay just to look at and remember. Your site is excellent and I now have somewhere to go when I think back on the endless days I spent in the park and on the beach. I vividly remember climbing on the rocks and searching the tide pools for crabs just as you did. I also remember summer afternoons and evenings when the cars trying to get to Nantasket beach were backed up all the way up East Street to our house trying to get thru the light at 3A and down to the beach. The last time I was there was in 1991 when I went home to help my parents move to Wilmington NC for retirement. I was saddened by what I sawbut not surprised. Last summer we vacationed in Myrtle beach as we havefor almost a decade. We took our kids to The Pavilion which was a Paragon Park style amusement park on the Beach there. It was the last week for the park and a month later had been torn down to be replaced by ,, you guessed it, condo's. We have lost our love for things simple and fun. The last thing I did on your site was view the web cam from the building at the south end of the beach. As it panned back to the left I waited anxiouslyfor the view that would show the old park site. Wish I hadn't looked!!

Thanks again for the memories. I'll be back.

John Snover

Scott,

Thank you for bringing back so many memories of Paragon Park. I grew up in

Hull in the '70s and '80s as a year-round resident, and seeing all the

pictures on your website, as well as your videos on YouTube (which is how I

found your site), was a wonderful reminder of just how special a place

Paragon was.

Let me also say that I think you're an awesome story teller! The way you

write about spending your summers in Hull as a child really brings the whole

experience to life. Your stories are as vivid as the pictures on your

website.

I was intrigued to read your post on the Seaglass page, under the heading

"July 2006", where you talk about how Hull has become like a ghost town. I

noticed that too, during "the summer after" the park closed. Nantasket was

always a ghost town in the winter, but from Memorial Day to Labor Day, it

just came right to life, like a flower blooming in the spring. But that

summer, I rode my bike down to where the park used to be (or maybe I walked

- I forget), and I experienced the same eerie feeling that you wrote about.

I was used to Nantasket having its usual festive atmosphere in the summer

months, but now, the whole place seemed quiet, even if there were some

people walking along the boardwalk or Nantasket Ave. Gone was the

carnival-like music, the game operators shouting out to the passers-by, the

hydraulic sounds that some of the rides made, the clickety-clack of the

Comet making its ascent up its long incline, and the roaring sound it made

with all the joyous screams as it raced down the other side of that incline.

And in its place was a desolate construction site. I don't think that Hull

has been the same since.

Today , Hull is more gentrified, but much of its spirit is gone. It just

doesn't seem like the same town that I grew up in, at least not in the

Nantasket section. But at least I can be thankful of your website, with all

its pictures and stories.

As for me, I don't think I went to Paragon nearly as many times as you did.

It was probably because I lived in Hull year-round, and so I just sort of

took it for granted. Like the beach, it was something that was just always

there. Now that it's gone, I wish I had appreciated it more, and gone there

more.

But I did go to the park on many occasions. In the last couple of years of

the park's life, my father and I used to play mini-golf there all the time.

Once, when the Great Coaster was roaring past us, I put my hand on one of

the coaster's support beams, and I remember thinking how cool it was to feel

the rumbling sensation! I also used to enjoy the Kooky Kastle and bumper

cars. I can still smell the ozone and hear the sparks that those cars made

as their power rods would slide along the ceiling. When I was a real little

kid, my favorite ride was the beep-beep cars, the ones that went around in a

circle under the red, blue, and yellow umbrella near the entrance of the

park. In fact, as I write this, a memory just came back to me! I can now

remember the steering wheels in those cars. They were made of a strong,

heavy metal, and they were loosely secured onto their axles with a nut.

Because they were on kind of loose, they made a rumbling sound whenever you

"steered" them. Also, if I remember correctly, the shape of the steering

wheel in some cars was round, and in others it was somewhat rectangular.

It's great how just writing about this magical place is bringing back

detailed memories of it!

I also used to enjoy going into the arcades. My favorite game was skee

ball. In fact, I still have a bunch of skee ball tickets that I won the

last year the park was open, and I saved them as souvenirs. If you'd like

me to mail you a couple of them, let me know. I've got plenty to spare!

By the way, you might be interested to know that although I grew up on

Touraine Ave and Samoset Ave, which are in completely different sections

from where you spent your summers on Sagamore Hill, a little more than ten

years ago, my mother moved right around the corner from you, on Fairmount

Way. Hull certainly is a small town!

Well, thank you again for all the work that you put into your website. I

really enjoy reading all the stories from you and the visitors.

Take care

Steven Coffey

From: Kathy <kathleenvassalotti@yahoo.com>

To: paragonpark79@msn.com

Subject: what memories!

Date: Sun, 13 Aug 2006 21:02:49 -0700 (PDT)

Hi Friend,

I too, spent many wonderful summers at Nantasket Beach. Boy, how I

wish we could go back. I'm 54 years old now, and I still go to the

beach....but we all know it's just not the same. I still look up at the

spot where the Roller Coaster used to be...and the smells and the sounds

are still in my head.

When I was in my late teens..early twenties, I went to "The Surf" and

danced the night away to the sounds of "The Techniques" Do you know where I

can get more info about that old dance club? I remember my younger brother

would be old enough to go to Paragon Park with his friends, and I would go

to the "Surf" with all my girlfriends. It was within walking distance from

our summer cottage on"Bay St."

Boy, I had a blast back then...and your website brought back even more

memories with the beautiful photos.

Thanks for making my day!

Kathy

Hello,

What a great website and an honor to all the wonderful memories of Paragon Park and Nantasket.

I grew up in Natick and have some wonderful memories of Summer days in early June when my Mother would decide to keep me out of going to school, and my best friend and next door neighbor Stevie and his Mother would pile into our Chevrolet and head off the Nantasket for the day. Two magical events, I did not have to go to school and I got to go to Paragon Park with my best friend.

She would make these secret and spontaneous plans at least once every June, then announce it to me that morning, what a great surprise.

The ride to Nantasket seemed to take forever (even tho my Mom had a "lead foot" on the gas peddle), and the ride home was uncomfortable, as we were all covered in salt and sand in an un-airconditioned Chevy, but it was all worth it.

Even tho I have not thought about those days until a friend sent me your website, I will always have those fond memories of Nantasket and my Mom.

Thank you.

David from Florida

THANK YOU FOR THE GREETING ON THE

SITE.

MY YEARS AT PARAGON PARK CONSISTED OF GOING THERE AS A

TEEN AGER MANY MOONS AGO. LIVED IN WEYMOUTH AT THE TIME AND THE AFTER

MARRYING AND SEVEN CHILDREN LATER MOVED TO HULL WHERE I RAISED THEM ON

NANTASKET BEACH AS WE LIVED ON "U STREET" . HAD LOTS OF SEAGLASS ETC AFTER

THE STORMS AND ALL. BEST PLAYGROND IN THE WORLD NOT JUST FOR THEM BUT MYSELF

AS WELL.

THE PARK WAS A WEEKLY TRIP FOR THEM AND THERE WASN'T ANYTHING LIKE IT. MADE

ALOT OF GREAT FRIENDS THERE AND FEEL THEY WERE THE BEST YEARS OF MY LIFE.

THE CHILDREN ARE ALL GROWN AND MARRIED NOW ALTHOUGH TWO OF THEM LIVE IN HULL

THEY ALL COME HOME TO ROOST IN THE SUMMER AND THEIR GRANDCHILDREN NOW HAVE

THE PLEASURE OF THE BEACH AND THE SAME INTEREST THEIR PARENTS HAD. MYSELF,

GO ALL SUMMER LONG TO WALK THE BEACH, COLLECT SEAGLASS, EAT AT THE OLD

SURROUNDINGS OF THE SCENTS OF NANTASKET VISIT MY FRIENDS AND SIMPLY ENJOY.

A FRIEND OF MINE SENT ME THE LINK TO YOUR SITE AND I

HAVE ENJOYED IT IMMENSLY! I THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN AND WISH YOU THE BEST IN

THE FUTURE WITH THIS. I HAVE SENT IT ALONG TO MY GRANDCHILDREN IN N.H., N.J.

AND NO. CAROLINA

SINCERELY,

RITA (CHIRILLO) DALY

Barry P

Monday, 8/10/09, 9:56 AM

I worked at Paragon for three years during the mid-fifties. There were many stories that I could elaborate, but the most memorable was Rosie. Rosie was Larry Stone's mother and probably the wife of the original owner before Larry took over management. In those days, there were several kiosks throughout the park where you could purchase tickets for the rides. Several times a day, Rosie would make her rounds to collect the receipts from these kiosks. She was quite a sight. She was an older, slightly hunched, woman who walked with the help of a cane. The cane looked like it was whittled from a crooked branch and added to her frightening presence. She struck fear into all the employees with her piercing glance. One day during her rounds, she was approached by a robber, who was intent on snatching the canvas bag with the cash. Rosie beat him to within an inch of his life. He escaped, but I don't know if he was ever apprehended. I do know he never returned. There was another interesting person that worked in the park. His name was Ross. He kept everything running. Rumor was that he lived in the park because he was there before opening and there after closing. He maintained every ride and knew all the workings of the machinery. What I found amazing was his ability to check for blown fuses with his bare fingers. His hands were so callused that he had to wet his finger tips and then bridge a fuse to see if there was voltage across it. Most people would be electrocuted doing that. He treated that park like it was his own, while Larry spent most of his day sitting in the office. Ross was a very quiet man but everyone respected him, myself included. Oh, just two of the many stories from my teenage summers in Hull.

Bill .

Thursday, 1/7/10, 11:18 PM

WOW! Paragon Park... How I miss that magical place. Thank you for helping me bring back those great memories! I have searched the web over the years and your site captures the essence of what Paragon Park was for so many of us. I grew up in the late 60's & early 70's all around the South Shore. Scituate, Plymouth, Cohasset.. And oh yes, I lived in Hull. As I search my memory, we lived on 2nd Street a few steps from the beach. I remember the white ice cream trucks would drive up and down the streets in Hull. Absolutely the best Italian Ice in the world. Paragon Park was my childhood home. Those warm summer nights... The lights of the many rides shimmered and sparkled from everywhere... The sounds of people having fun... Laughter,The clickty clack of the Comet chain... The screams of people as they plunged down that first drop on the Comet giant coaster ... The beep, beep cars... The smell of French fries, fried clams and salt water taffy! I will always remember that salt water taffy machine on the corner of the entrance to Paragon... the arms effortlessly intertwining the taffy, over and over again. I would always have to watch that whenever I went to Paragon. I live on the west coast now but my wife and I have been back to the South Shore a few times. During our visits to Nantasket we saw the old Carousel. So awesome it was saved. I actually did a little investigating and searching around the bushes near where the old Comet once stood. I was lucky to find a few artifacts from it including, a piece of white washed hard wood from the coaster structure. I also found a spike that held down the track and a burned out light bulb from the candy cane shaped lights that lit up the contours of the Comet¿ I have them displayed with some other Paragon Park pictures and memorabilia. I will forever miss that magical place. It was a truly special place for so many of us. After all, there's nothing like an amusement park seen through the eyes of a child. Thanks for this wonderful site.

From: Reno, NV

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