Savin Rock Museum, History museum in West Haven, United States
The Savin Rock Museum is a history museum in West Haven holding artifacts from Savin Rock Park, the amusement park that drew crowds to this shoreline until it closed in 1966. Displays gather original ride cars, photographs and memorabilia from the park's decades of operation.
Savin Rock's amusement park grew from a 1870s shoreline picnic and bathing spot into a trolley-served park with rides, a boardwalk and a ballroom. After the 1950s fire and hurricane damage, it closed in 1966. The Savin Rock Museum opened in 2001 in a former West Haven building to hold the park's surviving rides and signs.
The site's name comes from Savin Rock, the rocky point where the park stood; the museum keeps that name alive for West Haven residents. Displays of postcards, souvenirs and ride tickets show how a shoreline trolley stop became a summer meeting place. Former park workers have recorded their memories for visitors to hear.
The museum is located on Rock Street and is easy to reach on foot or by car, situated near other local businesses in the area. Visitors should expect moderate admission costs and the facility offers a good overview of park history in a compact space.
The museum houses original ride vehicles from the park, including a Chambers car and a Harry Traver Auto Race car, which stand as testimony to the engineering of that era. These vehicles are rare examples of amusement park machinery that scarcely exists today.
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