The Wizard of the Pike
“…the history of Coney Island is populated by extraordinary individuals whose stories are no less fascinating for being obscure.”
1880 Souvenir Album of Coney Island
Before George Eastman and his Kodak camera made photographers of us all…
The Igorot Village of Coney Island
In the Spring of 1905, New York newspapers regaled readers with the summer’s upcoming spectacles and attractions to be hosted at the city’s amusement center, Coney Island. But one particular “exhibition” caught the attention of most New Yorkers. On May 9, 1905, The Standard Union reported: “A band of fifty-one Igorrotes from the Bontoc Province, Island of Luzon [Philippines] is coming across the continent, bound for Luna Park, where they will provide an attraction entirely different from anything ever seen in a Coney Island amusement resort.”
Coney Island’s Quirky Amusements
It’s a fair bet that not all of these attractions would make anyone’s top 10 list:
The Diaries of James Onorato
“The diaries of James Onorato are among the Coney Island Museum’s most significant holdings.This collection of hand-written volumes and supporting materials chronicle the tenure of James “Jimmy” Onorato, the longtime General Manager of Steeplechase Park.”
Weegee’s Coney Island
Learn about Weegee’s history with Coney Island. Throughout the 1940s, he captured the people that occupied the Coney Island beaches, which included everything from lost children during the day, to lovers in the pitch-black night.
RE: COLLECTIONS
RE: COLLECTIONS- Some of the items donated to the Coney Island Museum come to us with a very personal or family-related history, a story all of its own that gets woven into the broader narrative we present to our visitors, and endeavor to preserve for posterity.
Mardi Gras
Long before the Mermaid Parade, rowdy revels ruled at Coney Island’s Mardi Gras.