A little bit of casual research can really open up a can of worms! I’m still looking in to this, but it looks like we’ll need to add another amusement park to Tracy’s list for containing projects of his!
Rocky Glen Park was a country park in Moosic, Pennsylvania, dating back to 1886. Based on my recent findings, it looks like the owner of that park, Ben Sterling, commissioned Tracy and his company—Amusement Display Associates—to upgrade and streamline attractions of the park over a five-year period beginning in 1969. One of Tracy’s first projects was presumably re-theming the park’s “Laff in the Dark” ride to “The Swamp.” Tracy had also completed a “Swamp” attraction at Canobie Lake Park in Salem, New Hampshire (photo below) in the mid 60’s, and that façade styling was familiar to that of his work recently completed at Rocky Glen. What seals the deal, for me at least, is the giant monster atop Rocky Glen’s Swamp, because it’s nearly identical to the Tracy monster on the façade of “Space Monster” located at Astro Needle Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (façade photo below).
Quick research shows the attraction may have only lasted until the end of the 1971 season, when the park was rethemed to Ghost Town styling which included western facades and buildings. It’s possible, based on Tracy’s earlier scenery work, that he was involved with that construction as well. That confirmation has yet to be unearthed.
In the photo below, Tracy can be seen standing in front of his newly-rethemed Swamp attraction (he’s on the far right) along with Ben Sterling and other associates. Strangely, the article in which the photo was used captions Tracy as being named “Lee Tracy,” but I’m convinced it was a typo because his company name is correct, the façade matches his other work, and the man standing on the right is clearly Mr. Tracy based on other photos we have of him.
Piecing Tracy’s career and projects together has always been a labor of love. More to come!
The Bill Tracy Project 