Louis Beard
During the summer and throughout the year, residents and visitors are invited to record their Coney Island memories for the History Project's oral history archive. Selected interviews are available on our website as part of our Coney Island Voices exhibit, a record of visitors and their stories. Notable additions to our archive include interviews with Coney Island resident Abe Feinstein, who has been photographing his neighborhood for 48 years, and Louis Beard, who maintains Coney Island's arcade games and enjoys coming here on his days off. We have also recorded interviews with contestants in the Sand Sculpting Contest, Mr Cyclone Contest and the Coney Island Talent Show.
Sydney Cozby
Our youngest interviewee was 6-year-old Sydney Cozby, who visited the History Project with her mother before they went to the circus. Among her favorite things in Coney Island are watching fireworks from the beach at night, eating funnel cake (though it makes her teeth hurt a little) and going on the Dragon coaster. The archive is rich with stories of people who live, work or play in Coney Island. You can find and listen to their stories via our searchable online database, which is organized by theme, place, period and name.
If you have a story to share, stop by during exhibition center hours or make an appointment by emailing info@coneyislandhistory.org. Interviews are conducted throughout the year, both in Coney Island and off-site. The Coney Island History Project's exhibition center is located under the Cyclone Roller Coaster at 824 Surf Avenue just east of West 10th Street. We're open weekends from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day.Hours are 1 to 6 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays.Also open on Labor Day, FREE ADMISSION for One and ALL!