Happy Holidays from the Coney Island History Project! As 2024 comes to a close, we're grateful for our friends and supporters.
Highlights from this year include:
• Displaying the Spook-A-Rama Cyclops, an original Steeplechase horse, and an...
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Coney Island is the fun place to be on New Year’s Day and the best way to welcome 2025 is with a dip in the Atlantic! Join or watch the Coney Island Polar Bear Club's 122nd Annual New Year’s Day Plunge on January 1st from 11 AM until 1 PM. The party...
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Photos and credits clockwise from top right: Benny Harrison (Charles Denson), John Dorman (Philip's Candy), Ralph Avella, Gloria Nicholson, and John Rea Sr. (Coney Island History Project).
As we near the end of 2024, the Coney Island History...
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It must have been a very slow news week! A few days ago the historic Cyclone Roller Coaster encountered a problem, as amusement rides sometimes do. There were no injuries. There was a successful evacuation of everyone on board. The safety mechanism...
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The beautifully restored motor yacht Nellie Bly operated by the Coney Island Steamboat Company is ready to give nautical tours.
Coney Island native Gerard Thornton has returned to his roots and launched the Coney Island Steamboat Company, based...
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Coney Island History Project director Charles Denson was recently invited to participate in a fascinating new exhibit at the New-York Historical Society titled Lost New York. The exhibition “explores the landmarks, vistas, pastimes, environments,...
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"Watch Her Dance to the End of Love," Benny's storefront on West 12th Street. Photo by Charles Denson.
By Charles Denson
A phone call from Benny always began with a private joke: “Charlie, tell me what’s new in the World’s Playground.” A bit...
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Coney Island has lost one of its most creative and beloved souls. Our good friend and neighbor, Benny Harrison, passed away on the morning of March 11 at the age of 83. For more than 60 years Benny Harrison brought fun and smiles to visitors who...
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Last year, Cynthia Nuara of Queens, New York, sent a query to the Coney Island History Project asking if we had photos or information about her great-grandfather John Polise’s bait and tackle store. John's Bait & Tackle operated from the 1940s...
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Photo: Jimmy Prince, Charles Denson and John Dorman at Ruby's on the Coney Island Boardwalk in 2011.
We're sad to hear that our friend John Dorman, 93, has passed away. John Dorman and Philips Candy were Coney Island landmarks. His smiling face...
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