In 1955, the the invitations read, “You are hereby summoned to
appear before Old King Cole and his court at the wonderful Enchanted
Forest for a special Preview Party, Sunday, August 14, 1955 from 2
to 5 o’clock to be a guest of his Majesty on a trip through
Storybook Land.”
Historically Speaking
The Enchanted Forest in Ellicott City, Maryland was the first Theme
Park in Maryland, the first Theme Park on the East Coast and the
second oldest Theme Park in the USA. Disneyland is the oldest.
Opening Day
The Enchanted Forest in Ellicott City, Maryland opened Monday,
August 15, 1955. Admission was $1 for adults and 50¢ for children.
Disneyland opened Sunday, July 17, 1955,
Who Was There
Everybody was welcome! I was at The Enchanted Forest the first year
it opened and many times over the years including the very last day
the Harrison family owned the park. Even though my memories are very
strong, I have done extensive researched to verify this critical
historical fact. The Enchanted Forest was INTEGRATED from the very
first day it opened. Sadly, history reminds us that Disneyland and
most other amusement parks were SEGREGATED in those days. The
Harrison family saw color in paint but not in people's skin.
Howard E. Harrison Sr., Said of His Enchanted Forest
“The are no mechanical rides in the park. Instead we hope that the
children will enjoy the make-believe figures that are before their
eyes. I say children, but actually, we think that many grownups will
enjoy seeing the famous old figures that they knew when they were
children.” (The Baltimore News American, 1955)
The Big Idea Grows & Shrinks Like Alice
The park began on 20 acres, later expanded to 52 acres and then it
reduced to 32 acres after Bethany Woods was built. In 1988 the park
was purchased from the Harrison family for $4.5 million by Jeffery
Pechter, Vice President of JHP Development. In 1994 the park was
re-opened by JHP Development. 1997 Mid-Atlantic Realty Trust (MART)
became the owners and in late 2003 Kimco Realty Corporation merged
with MART making them the current caretakers for The Forest.
The Howard Connection
HowardE. Harrison Sr., his
son Howard Jr. and his daughter-in-law, Geraldine C.
Harrison dreamed of The Enchanted Forest. They hired Howard
L. Adler, the owner of the Adler Display Company, who had already
made so many dreams come true with his famous animated Christmas
displays in the department store windows on Howard
Street in Baltimore, Maryland to help bring this dream to life in Howard County, Maryland. The phone number for The
Enchanted Forest was Howard 5-0707.
14 Enchanted Forest Parks
The Enchanted Forest, the Adirondacks
The Enchanted Forest, British Columbia
The Enchanted Forest, Cedar Point, Ohio
The Enchanted Forest, Chesterton, Indiana
The Enchanted Forest, Ellicott City, Maryland
The Enchanted Forest, Hope Valley, Rhode Island
The Enchanted Forest, Great Adventure, Jackson, New Jersey
The Enchanted Forest, Old Forge, New York
The Enchanted Forest, Rochester, New York
The Enchanted Forest, Salem, Oregon
The Enchanted Forest, San Bernardino Mountains, California
The Enchanted Forest, Turner, Oregon
The Enchanted Forest, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
The Enchanted Forest, York Beach, Maine
Was There an Enchanted Forest Connection?
Were they early franchise?
Did Walt Disney's vision for Disneyland on TV trigger these?
Did park owners do this to save money on customized souvenirs?
Were they copycat parks?
Was it coincidence?
Were the parks named for the Enchanted Forest in Hansel & Gretle?
The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same
Both The Enchanted Forest (TEF) and Clark's Elioak Farm (CEF) were
formerly a dairy farms.
Come One, Come All