Benson's Wild Animal Farm - Hudson, NH - Defunct Amusement Parks on Waymarking.com

Benson Animal Farm

The zoo was founded by John Benson in 1924 as an animal-training center, and was opened to the public in 1926 with animal exhibits, a miniature train, games and exhibits. John Benson's career started at Lexington Park in Lexington, Massachusetts in the late 1800s. Although he was not the owner, he ran the amusement park, which was filled with all sorts of exotic animals, a theater, a women's resting building and other facilities. The women's resting house remains and is now a home. At the time trolleys took Bostonians from Massachusetts Avenue to Bedford Street and dropped them off at the park's entrance, located on the Lexington and Bedford town line. The park finally closed in 1921. Benson then went to New Hampshire to open his own animal park. After opening to the public in 1926, Benson's was expanded in 1932-33 with the addition of a permanent Wild Animal Circus. A special "Jungle Train" ran from Boston to Hudson on Sundays, with admission to Benson's included in the ticket price. By 1934 the parking lot could accommodate 5,200 cars. In 1940 animal trainer Joe Arcaris began his association with the zoo, performing acts with lions and other animals till the late 1970s. Benson died in 1943, and Boston Garden Corp. bought the property the next year. The park was closed to the public during WWII, and re-opened in 1945. Starting in the 1960s, it went into a period of decline in maintenance and attendance. It was sold in 1979 to Arthur Provencher, who reversed its decline for a while with an influx of money. Although many people tried to convince Arthur to develop the property into a large paved amusement park, he was determined to preserve its status as an animal farm, with its primary focus being the animals, and not amusement rides. His main interest was always the beauty of the animals, which had inspired him for most of his life. However, the farm remained unprofitable. Toward the end of its existence as a zoo, it had a wide variety of animals, including trained lions, bears of several different species, llamas, a gorilla, elephants, monkeys, and many kinds of birds. With declining finances in the 1980s, the park added features to add family interest. After an unsuccessful association with outside investors, Provencher filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1985. In 1987, in a final effort to save the park, he changed it to an amusement park, whose full name was "New England's Playworld Amusement Park and Zoo," notable for a huge statue of Mighty Mouse. This change failed to stem the decline, and the park went out of business at the end of the 1987 season. Since 2001 there have been efforts by local people to restore the grounds as a park.

A book has been written about the history of the park. One of my gallery pictures is the cover of the book. Also at the auction held in late October, 1987 I bought the two carved marble lions which were at the main entrance to the park. I uploaded pictures showing the lions as they were the day of the auction and one showing one lion in my company's showroom. I have many fond memories of this park, and took all my children there.

Date Park Opened: 01/01/1924 Date Park Closed: 01/01/1987 Address: 27 Kimball Hill Road Hudson, NH 03051 Current Use or Function: vacant- owned by state of Nto be purchased by town of Hudson web site on purchase Is the park still there?: No If not, what is in its place now?: Vacant land

Visit Instructions:
You must post at least one original picture at the posted coords to post a visit log for this waymark. Extra points if you are in the spirit of the park (i.e., in costume, etc.).

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   05/12/2013 Freddie's Pack visited it 11/15/2011 RickAnn visited it 08/22/2011 NH2beers visited it

View all visits/logs