Postcards usually portray a memory – a still photograph or illustration – of a time that once was.
That is for sure when you peruse the postcard collection at the Pitman Memorabilia Museum along with its photograph albums.
On postcards of Alcyon Lake Park, you will find what the park once was in the 19th century and what it is today.
Let’s begin with the sawmill, which at one time was on the site.
Sawmills were quite popular in the area and used for many things such as cutting lumber to assist with constructing buildings.
Charles Wynne owned the sawmill, which was powered by water and used to cut logs into dimensional lumber, according to Debra Higbee, vice chair at the Pitman Memorabilia Museum.
Window sashes were a commonly used product at the mill.
“Mr. Wynne also owned the property surrounding the sawmill including Wynne’s Mill Pond where people could rent boats and enjoy fishing,” Higbee added.
In 1888, the mill pond and sawmill were purchased by brothers Henry and George Carr.
The Carr brothers renamed the pond Halcyon Lake.
“The name Halcyon meaning ‘serene, happy, and peaceful’ was first selected, but the brothers thought the name might be hard to pronounce so they dropped the ‘H,’” Higbee explained.
By 1892, the brothers transformed their purchase of Alcyon (minus the ‘H’) Park into a popular amusement park. It was the ideal spot for boating and fishing and there was a heavily trafficked boardwalk as well, Higbee said.
Along with attractions like the amusement park, there was also a casino, roller-skating rink and toboggan.
Don’t forget the bowling alley and the horse and bicycle races of Alcyon Speedway.
The diverse activities drew in around 35,000 visitors on a daily basis, according to history of the site. However, over time the amusement park eventually closed and so did the Speedway years later in the 1960s.
The quote “all good things must come to an end” may be appropriate at this moment.
The sawmill in particular changed hands several times over the years. Robbin’s Lumber became the owner of the sawmill and the building was taken down in the 1940s due to the lack of water flow.
The Borough of Pitman acquired Alcyon Lake and has upheld its beauty.
These days you can take a stroll with your family and the one you love at the park. You can also sit to have a bite to eat at one of the picnic pavilions serenaded by birds that frequent there.
There is also a playground and breathtaking lakeside trees.
Although the days of the sawmill, amusement park and Alcyon Speedway are no more, that does not mean the history is lost.
Delve right in at the Pitman Memorabilia Museum, located at 71 Circle Ave. There is no charge for admission.
Opening hours are the second Saturday of each month from 1-4 p.m. and the fourth Friday of each month from 5-7 p.m. Private tours can also be scheduled as well.
The museum not only has the postcard collection and photograph albums, but there is also a women’s clothing display, an Alcyon Park display for the children and a wooden water main. There is also a barber chair and a vintage victrola (record player).
For more information visit Pitman Historical Museum on Facebook.
