Stories

An Amusement Park on Ballston Lake?
By Town Historian Rick Reynolds
September, 2008

Yes, there was: a merry-go-round, a dance hall, picnic grounds, frequent fireworks! All on Ballston Lake!

In 1902, a large section at the south end of the lake was bought by Schenectady Railway Co. This company had been running trains through Ballston Lake village for many years but, at that time, electric trolley cars were cheaper and much more fashionable. This was also a time when the idea of “leisure time” was becoming much more important in America. So the railway company purchased land, built an amusement park and many small cottages so that its employees could enjoy some time “in the country.” It was named Forest Park.

The park provided much entertainment for its visitors and for local Ballston residents. People loved the dance hall, the refreshment stand, the merry-go-round and especially the boats that took people out on the lake for dinner and drinks. There was also an Inn for people who preferred that to small lakeside cottages.

The Park had a trolley stop right near Ballston Lake Village. If you walk or ride along the Ballston Bike Path, you will see a sign indicating where that stop was located.

The Park lasted only about 20 years when the Schenectady Railway Company sold it off and much of the property fell into private hands. The Ballston Lake Association became the caretaker for some of the properties until they were all sold off about 50 years ago.

However, you can still see remnants of the old park. Besides the sign along the Bike Path, the Inn and the Dining Hall still stand, both now private residences right on the lake. The women’s bathhouse, a concrete structure, still stands on Westside Drive. And the carousel, which went from Ballston Lake to Kaydeross Park many years ago, now sits in Congress Park in Saratoga!

The Town owns many pictures of Forest Park as it was a common site for postcards in the era of tourism in the Town of Ballston.