This past Saturday, I got out to see the demoliton progress on the former Libertyland amusement park, in Memphis, Tennessee. The crews have waisted no time and already, some of the park is barely recognizable. For those interested, you can see the my current demoliton photos or my May 2009 photos.
Revolution's area and station are graded with piles of cement here and there. The station's foundation and conduits are still there. The nearby Tilt-A-Whirl area is completely flattened.
Over near the front entrance, everything from the old picnic pavillion to Independence Station is ripped up, with a large pile of cement chunks near the gates. Rebellion's old area is completely graded.
I could see additional work going on in the area behind Skeeball Palace and near the Log Flume, but there was no access or vantage point to it. Too, this is private property and a hard hat area. Trespassing is a big no-no.
Surprisingly, the entrance plaza gate was open, though the main gates were locked. For the first and last time, I was able to really visit the park. Obviously, I scurried around the front plaza, taking as many pictures and as much video as possible before Fail Cam lived up to it's name and the battery quit. This, and the magical way the afternoon sun lit up Zippin Pippin, were too very special surprises on the day. Zippin Pippin shown almost golden despite it's age and deterioration. Among the gory details of rusted bolts and splintered, rotting timbers, there was this etherial glow that moved me to tears a couple times. To get those particular shots, at that time, with that lighting was a very special gift. It was like someone above said, "Here, this is for you", with a smile. Indeed, a very spiritual experience.
While I do love documenting parks, it's always sad to cover demolition or ruins of what used to be a happy place for people. Libertyland looked like a fun place and I wish I could have visited while it was operating. It's a shame that it has passed into history, like Opryland USA, Six Flags Astroworld, and several other parks.
Even so, I'm grateful for my own couple visits and the wonderful pictures Libertyland has given me.
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