Bristol

About Bristol, Connecticut: It's History and Geography

Originally an agricultural village called New Cambridge, the town was incorporated in 1785 and given the name Bristol. In the mid-19th century, the town flourished with the rise of manufacturing companies like J.H. Sessions and Son and Ingraham Clocks. It incorporated as a city in 1911.

The city of Bristol, located in Hartford County, is in central Connecticut and has several distinct sections within its boundaries, including Forestville and Edgewood. Originally an agricultural village called New Cambridge, the town was incorporated in 1785 and given the name Bristol. In the mid-19th century, the town flourished with the rise of manufacturing companies like J.H. Sessions and Son and Ingraham Clocks. It incorporated as a city in 1911. Today, Bristol is mostly residential and best known as the home of ESPN, the American Clock & Watch Museum, and Lake Compounce, America’s oldest operating theme park.

Lake Compounce Amusement Park

Bristol’s Lake Compounce is the oldest continually operating amusement park in the US and has been open every summer since 1846. The park continues to operate despite a long and checkered history brought on by dramatic shifts in American culture. Today, the park offers more than 50 rides, the largest water park in the state, live shows, and many other forms of entertainment.

History of Lake Compounce

Different from other forms of entertainment, amusement parks offered the public opportunities for participation. As John Kasson documented in his study of amusement parks at Coney Island, visitors found an artificial world that seemed to challenge the authority of traditional Victorian culture, with its emphasis on morality and control.

Though Lake Compounce did not capitalize on this to the same extent as other amusement parks, it nonetheless created an escape from reality, employing new technologies of the time in the form of thrilling and fanciful rides. In 1914, the park added a carousel and its first electric roller coaster. As mass culture continued to develop, Lake Compounce fared well, with its success peaking in the 1920s.

https://connecticuthistory.org/lake-compounce-bringing-amusements-to-the-states-residents-since-1846

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