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Even
though it's the post Labor Day season on the boardwalk
of Ocean City, Maryland, there are plenty of tourists
strolling about and stopping to indulge in food, games
and attractions on this early September evening. The
lure of the sand and beach have given way to a vast
variety of nightlife, souvenir shops, arcades, cafes,
and entertainment.
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Just a few buildings down from the end of the boardwalk
is The Haunted House, operated by Granville Trimper.
Behind it is his amusement park, Trimper Rides, a family-owned
landmark in this famous resort city for over a hundred
years.
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Tourists
stop in their tracks as they approach The Haunted House. They’re
bewildered by the crooked clapboard, the giant bat on the
balcony, and the animated headless “barker” from Sally Corporation.
As
the barker gives his spiel on the merits of riding, an unseen
organ (actually a digital sound repeater) plays funeral procession
music. How appropriate, since the 11 ride car fleet consists
of coffins on wheels!
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As most of you know, this ride was designed by Bill Tracy for
the 1962 season. But what you probably didn’t know is that it
originated as a one-story ride and ran that way until 1988 when
Mr. Trimper acquired another Tracy ride, the Ghost Ship, from
the defunct Playland Park, a few miles north.
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In
early 1988, he and his staff completed the “merger”
by removing the stunts and track from The Haunted House,
leveling the building, and installed a new two-story
ride, incorporating the track, three ride cars and most
of the stunts they salvaged from the Ghost Ship. The
nautical-theme stunts, combined with the ride’s original
figures, make this attraction a true spooky seaside
home. Mr. Trimper himself designed the new floor plan
for the reborn Haunted House. But to truly appreciate
the legacy of The Haunted House, let’s go back prior
to 1962 when it was the Windsor Theater. Granville
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Trimper
ran the movie
projector
back
then. After the movie house closed, the building became the site
of the Gay 90s nightclub and later a roller skating rink.
But Mr. Trimper’s 1961 visit to Maryland’s former Glen Echo Park
would spark a new beginning for this boardwalk building.
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The
"Whacky Shack" architecture of Bill
Tracy abounds inside and outside the Haunted
House.
Left:
Ornately carved wooden 'Coffin Cars' lined
up in the main entry.
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Distorted wall decor and demonic portraits adorn
the left wall of the lobby.
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More
Tracy interior design is evident around the
main car queue area.
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The
inside of the ticket booth window affords a
skewed view of the boardwalk and ocean front.
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“I
rode a dark ride up there and I was so impressed, I just
had to have one for my park,” recalls Mr. Trimper. So
he went to that fall’s IAAPA Convention seeking a dark
ride designer. He found Bill Tracy, not at a booth, but
on the convention floor, carrying photos of floats he
had created. “His company (at that time) was called the
Tracy Parade Company and he had these great photos of
floats he’d made for Macys and other parades,” recalls
Mr. Trimper. “He said he also did dark rides, so I was
interested.”
Mr. Trimper recalls meeting Tracy again to seal the deal
at a New Jersey office just across the river from New
York City. Tracy later came to Ocean City in late February
1964 to participate in and supervise installation of The
Haunted House. He was on site for about two weeks.
The one-story Haunted House was an immediate success,
and when Playland’s Ghost Ship became available 16 years
later, Mr. Trimper jumped at the chance to expand his
ride. Mr. Trimper uses three former Ghost Ship cars in
his fleet, restyled to match the other wooden coffin cars
from their original one-piece fibreglass bodies. |
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Above:
Builder's or inspection plate stamped "Tracy
1962" is affixed to entry wall. |
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