sbeveridge@observer-reporter.com
CHARLEROI - Richard W. Rockwell is fascinated by places that no longer exist and what's become of them.
The Charleroi native is especially interested in the former Eldora Park in Carroll Township that was a stop along the Pittsburgh Railways Co. trolley line.
"I really can't explain it," said Rockwell, 55, of New Jersey, whose grandfather, Walter S. Rockwell Sr., was involved in building the amusement park. "The trolley, the park, what it was like and it was so close to where I grew up ..."
He is visiting his hometown for the Fourth of July and going through the Charleroi Area Historical Society archives to add to his vast collection of old photographs that focus on the park and trolleys. The Web developer also maintains a site, www.eldorapark.com, to share his collection with a wider audience.
"I started collecting this stuff and decided I wanted to share them. I wish I could find better photos of Eldora Park," Rockwell said Thursday.
His grandfather was a jack-of-all-trades who worked in carnivals and built carnival rides. After settling in North Charleroi, he helped to establish the local fire department and went on to build a large number of houses with round features in the area.
Rockwell, as a boy, always wondered where the trolley line went from the north end of North Charleroi. From there, it crossed a few high bridges before passing Eldora Park, which was built about 1904.
Former Pennsylvania Gov. John K. Tener of Charleroi had a hand in developing the park with local business leaders, said Nikki Sheppick, secretary of the historical society.
"Back then, all the industrialists worked together," Sheppick said.
The park had a roller coaster that became the forerunner of Kennywood's Jack Rabbit, Rockwell said. Eldora Park also had a large pavilion that was converted into a roller rink before the grounds fell into disrepair and were leased in 1947 to the Girl Scouts.
Today, the old trolley line can be found at the dead end of West Monessen Street, where it turns into Black Diamond Hollow Road, which no longer exists.
"It's now used by kids and all-terrain vehicles," Rockwell said. "Part of the brick path to the park is still there if you know where to look for it."
The park was one of the first places in the Mon Valley, he said, where motion pictures were shown under a tent. It went on to become a popular destination for coal miners.
A number of famous people in history also spoke there, including Mother Jones, a feisty labor organizer in the early 1900s, and the prohibitionist Carrie Nation. Booker T. Washington, a freed slave who became a leader of the black community, also spoke at the park, Rockwell said.