This unused Dexter Press postcard promotes Storytown U.S.A., a children's amusement park near Lake George, New York, that was in operation under that name from 1954 until 1983.
According to Wikipedia, Storytown started out as a Mother Goose-themed park geared primarily toward young children. A few years after opening, the operators determined that there was a need to create attractions geared toward older demographics, so the Ghost Town (1957) and Jungle Land (1960) areas — both of which are mentioned on the postcard — were added in expansions. In the 1960s, Storytown purchased and added some attractions from the short-lived Freedomland U.S.A. theme park in The Bronx. An Alice in Wonderland themed area opened in 1967.
Storytown at one point employed a marketing technique that was slightly more controversial than postcards. Staffers would go out in the parking lot and place Storytown U.S.A. bumper stickers on the automobiles. Some grumpy reactions ended that practice before too long.
In 1983, the park was renamed The Great Escape. Today, it is a huge amusement park filled with water slides and roller coasters, and it is operated by Six Flags. If you know what to look for, you can still find some remnant elements of Storytown U.S.A. around the park.
Additional reading
- Storytown USA, A Retrospective
- Storytown U.S.A. Facebook group
- YouTube video of vacation to Storytown USA in 1966
- Summer Memories: Storytown USA, by Chris Woods
- Storytown U.S.A. Postcards
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