No more gorilla candidates to run in the New Hampshire presidential primary. Owner Arthur Provencher, who ran the park from 1979 to 1987 and rebranded it "New England Playworld" for its last season, wants to sell his memorabilia to the town for a possible Benson's Animal Farm museum. Rival Canobie Lake Park in Salem has also focused on teens, but never had to worry about the costs of housing and feeding animals year-round. This year's volunteer clean-ups have occasionally uncovered relics such as a buttoned red monkey costume from one of the animal acts. John T. Benson, born in England in 1879, was an animal trainer and dealer who traveled extensively and became United States manager of German's Hagenbeck Company prior to World War II. They then donated the coins to charity. "It's phenomenal to see everyone get involved to making it look nice again, but 23 years of neglect won't go away overnight.". Given the renewed interest in Benson's, Goldsack is now in late stage talks with Arcadia Publishing to write an updated revised edition. If you lived here in New Hampshire in the 1980's, there's no way that you didn't know about these events, people and places. Bensons became a popular place to visit on the weekends. A special Jungle Train ran from Boston to Hudson on Sundays, with admission to Bensons included in the ticket price. But, that never happened. Bensons Wild Animal Farm The Strangest Farm onEarth, The Beginners Guide to the History of Lowells Neighborhoods, Then and Now: Merrimack Mills New Block andLHS, Trolley Parks: The Merrimack Valleys First AmusementParks, 500-lb. Local residents began to stop by the property trying to glimpse some of the exotic creatures-definitely not ordinary farm animals! The Boston and Maine Railroad Station was located behind what is now known as the Wattanick Grange Hall, so it was not unusual to see a mini parade of animals from the train station in Hudson Center to nearby Bensons. Bensons Wild Animal Farm was a long-running private zoo and amusement park in Hudson, N.H. John Benson opened the park in 1924 as an animal-training center. Remember Benson's Wild Animal Farm in Hudson, New Hampshire? Neither could the Incredible Hulk or Mighty Mouse. Ron Dube, a Nashua native and former science schoolteacher (Pepperell) who now lives in Mason, has a unique perspective about Bensons. Glad to see people have brought back some nostalgia. We also would take my grandsons with their remote control vehicles and use the small track that was made by the Boy Scouts years ago, but was getting overgrown with weeds, so we would clean it up and have hours of fun, before going across from it to the huge playground. If you remember going to Bensons between the 1960s and 1987, you probably remember Colossus, the huge silverback gorilla who lived in the smallish cage in the middle of the park. This low price is due to a lengthy list of covenants and restrictions placed on the land by the State. Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Remembering Benson's Wild Animal Farm The animals at least the ones more exotic than turtles, frogs and deer are never coming back. Benson died in 1943, and Boston Garden Corp. bought the property the next year. He brought in tigers, zebra, fleas for a real-life flea circus, and . It opened to the public in 1926 and closed in 1987, after having been renamed New England Playworld for its final year. Call 603-886-6011 or 911 if an emergency. To get him ready to meet and interact with other gorillas, they had to show him videotapes from National Geographic. By 1934 the parking lot could accommodate 5,200 cars. Brown, Charles I. Keene, and Harry G. Collier. What Ron and I both find impressive is how a small town could safely contain a zoo filled with more than 500 wild animals of 175 different species and maintain its status as a regional tourist attraction. Crumbling staircases were covered with thick layers of brush. Bensons was sold and continued to be a major tourist attraction until it began its slow decline in the 1960s. 5:00 AM- 5:00PM [3] His career started at Lexington Park in Lexington, Massachusetts, in the early 1900s. The pond where hippopotamus paddle boats once swam will now be open for fishing. The park was closed to the public during World War II and re-opened in 1945. They're spirits of loved ones, Editorial: Community shares grief of Annas loss. Ryan, thank you for the update about Bensons Animal Farm. The Bensons Master Plan includes detailed project phasing prioritization spreadsheets, focusing on the historic Bensons area as the first priority, as well as preliminary cost estimates for the various projects. Toward the end of its existence as a zoo, it had a wide variety of animals, including trained lions, bears of several different species, llamas, a gorilla, elephants, monkeys, and many kinds of birds. Do you recognize any of the people in these Sun archive photos? No more dancing elephants. He also did handstands with one palm balancing on each of the lion's backs. WWE Superstar Goes Undercover to Scare People as Wolfman at Clarks Trading Post in New Hampshire, Get Excited: Your New Hampshire Summer Freebies, Deals, & Steals, These Are the Worst Jobs to Have in New Hampshire When Its Hot Out, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Restaurant Closing to Build Housing for Employees on Second Level, These Are 30 of the Best Places for Chicken Wings in New Hampshire, Learn Something New at These 15 New Hampshire Museums, This New Hampshire Town is One of the Most Charming Small Towns in America, According to HGTV, 13 Stores That Could Replace Christmas Tree Shops in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Heres 50 Restaurants That Mainers Say Have the Best Outdoor Dining. In yesterday's post about Benson's I promised some photos. Let's take a look back at other New Hampshire things you'll remember if you lived in the '80s. Benson's has been reincarnated as another park, a more passive recreational park where picnic tables and hiking paths have replaced arcades and bumper cars. The original Bensons Committee: two Selectmens representatives, three citizens representatives, one Recreation Department representative, one Historical Society representative. It opened to the public in 1926 and closed in 1987, after having been renamed New England Playworld for its final year. Bensons literally put the quiet community of Hudson, New Hampshire on the map and was a treasure to Hudson and the entire State of New Hampshire. Mr. Benson purchased over 200 acres of land in Hudson, New Hampshire in 1922 to house the various animals he obtained, as Hudson is conveniently located approximately one hour north of Boston, Massachusetts. Last owner of Bensons Animal Park. Remembering Benson's Wild Animal Farm, Hudson, New Hampshire byRobert J Goldsack Write a review How customer reviews and ratings work Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them. He also worked around the small snakes, and he and the crew performed various tasks such as feeding the animals at 8 a.m., raking the pens and getting the place tidy before visitors arrived. In addition, there are numerous grants, matching funds and other opportunities available to achieve these long-term goals. [4] The park was closed to the public during World War II and re-opened in 1945. Benson's Wild Animal Farm was a private zoo and amusement park in Hudson, New Hampshire, United States. Benson's was open from 1927 to 1987, and had many animals and shows over the years. With declining finances in the 1980s, the park added features to add family interest. Remembering Benson's Wild Animal Farm, Hudson, New Hampshire by Robert J Goldsack, 1998, Midway Museum Publications edition, Unknown Binding in English - 1st ed edition However, the farm remained unprofitable. For some of you, this will be a nostalgic blast from the past that tugs at your heartstrings. Benson soon discovered that he make more money running a sort of zoo. Although he was not the owner, he ran the amusement park, which was filled with all sorts of exotic animals, a theater, a womens resting building and other facilities. Today when I take my kids to Santas Village and we ride the roller coaster there. Benson's Wild Animal Farm Facts for Kids "The legend of Benson's will live on for quite a number of years. Mr. Benson died in 1943. Due in part to the evolution of the automobile, the attraction grew in size and attendance to become one of New England's major family destinations. Local Eagle Scouts are restoring the original ticket booth at the park entrance and bringing back a motor raceway for radio-controlled cars. For others, you might not have any clue what this place is, orperhaps itexistedbefore your time. Change). For example, NHDOT stated that the Town could rebuild the red barn which was one of the buildings chosen to remain on the property, but was burned in an arson incident several years ago. Benson's Wild Animal Farm - 1967 - YouTube So, let's take a look back and learn more about Benson's Wild Animal Farm. The park finally closed in 1921. Benson's Park - Hudson, New Hampshire Even today, where else can you get ice cream, walk your dog, climb around in a restored gorilla cage, and visit a 9/11 memorial that includes a piece of steel from the elevator shaft of the World Trade Centers North Tower? He eventually learned to live with other gorillas, although zookeepers were never successful in getting him to mate with female gorillas to expand the gene pool with one of the last wild gorillas held in captivity. We would run through the narrow, hilly pathways visiting our favorite zoo friends like Liz, Ruth, and Tania at the elephant barn, Tony the Gorilla, the adorable Gibbon monkeys that would stretch their tiny arms through the cage to reach for a treat from visitors, the languid camels and the roaring lions with their fearless, legendary trainer Joe Arcaris. Benson's Wild Animal Farm will likely never be reborn as a zoo or amusement park, but people with fond memories of the place have two options to help keep the legacy alive. Benson's Wild Animal Farm (Images of America) Come by and see it! Toward the end of its existence as a zoo, it had a wide variety of animals, including trained lions, bears of several different species, llamas, a gorilla, elephants, monkeys, and many kinds of birds. See more ideas about my pictures, animals wild, farm animals. The passive recreation area lists picnic areas, concert area, gardens, paved trails, canoeing, playgrounds, open play fields, soccer fields. According to Nashua's Bob Goldsack, a circus historian and author of "Remembering Benson's Wild Animal Farm (1927-1987)," Hudson once served as kind of an Ellis Island for all zoo, circus and entertainment animals when they arrived in the United States.
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