0:44 - X-Men arcade spotted. I've actually been falling down a rabbit hole trying to find old footage of Wildwood Arcades and this footage completely paid off. I'm going back tomorrow but I used to go with my family nearly every year starting in the 90s.
It looks like some of your footage made it into this brief Penn Fruit documentary clip... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cNI4BkDglLs.html&ab_channel=EricCProductions
This is from before my parents & I moved to Darby, but I still love seeing how it was. I lived in Darby, from 1983 to 1998. From 1983 to 1986 on Spruce St, between 5th & 6th Sts, and from 1986 to 1998 on Weymouth Rd in the Lansdowne Park section of Darby. But, even prior to moving to Darby, I spent time there, because one of my mom's closest friends lived there on Golf Rd, and my family & I would sometimes go shopping in Darby. I loved living there.
I see a bunch of businesses that aren't there anymore, Pizza Hut is now a medical center, is McD's in WW City still there, NWW closed a while ago, Mobil probably isn't there anymore, Sunoco signs were different then, Sunocos in Canada use that same sign. Wawa was the old type of Wawa, now newer Wawa's are bigger and sell gas. I don't think Texaco exists anymore, and not sure about Getty. Up on the boardwalk classic rides like Golden Nugget and Castle Dracula were there then but are now gone. Dracula burned Jan 16, 2002 and Nugget razed Feb 2009 and rebuilt at Knoebel's as Black Diamond.
RU-vid silenced the video huh? It's amazing what some people could post and get away with while others get totally obliterated with a 25-year-old song that only a subculture of music enthusiasts would remember. And if teenage girls cut their legs and chest and arms, they can post videos of it, but if a grown man like me, posts videos of him cutting his forehead WWF style, his videos get taken down for being too violent. Suicide videos all over RU-vid. But let's delete the guy who cuts his head with a razor blade while Dark Side of the Moon plays in the background. And of course, we have to give him a strike for using copyrighted music as well. Dear RU-vid, Fuck you. Sincerely, Those of us who are not making millions here.
Dracula had satellite TV? I remember there was one female mannequin that survived the fire, unscathed, and I have pictures of it, still stuck to my bedroom wall as it was inside the dungeon. She was laying in front of a demonic head coming up out of the sand. Actually, I have dozens of pictures of all the props in that dungeon boat ride. I used to ride it several times in a row all by myself. To me, it was better than a Caribbean vacation. The last time I went through was in August 2001, five months before the bastards burned down. And I lived my 25 year fantasy-to the actors from the dungeon took me out of the boat and stuffed me inside one of the wooden caskets. I didn't want to come out. I was 32 years old. The memories of my childhood are priceless compared to the memories of adulthood. I felt like I finally achieved a 25 year dream, becoming a temporary prop inside my favorite place in the world. And five months later… Ground Zero. Best or worst timing, I don't know, but Wildwood will never be the same again without hearing toccata and fugue as I approach midway pier. I'll never forget the old grouchy guy who worked to Castle for about 10 years until the end. Former military guy. In real life, he was like the character in Bad Santa. would a grumpy bastard he was. And hearing stories of all the kids who worked there in the 70s and 80s, whose voices were totally destroyed because the owner used to give them salt pills to keep from being dehydrated wearing those hot masks inside the hot Castle. Based on the message boards for the Castle, where a lot of former employees tell all their horror stories about the working conditions, it pretty much was like the real Dracula's Castle.
Thanks for posting. I grew up seeing that place every summer as a child. I remember the roller coaster and the wax museum that used to be there along with the Dracula mannequin that used to come out every hour or so and address the crowd.
some cool years and stuff they had back in 1991 in the mall these years will never be forgotton many will never forgot it we was some miss it we was all born in from different 50 states and nations circa worldwide it was 1991!!! what could say who cares life was good back then a lot were happy it felt good to be alive those years but what mall is this does it still exist they must have Super Nintendo in that joint.
thanks for posting, I had relatives who lived in line of sight to the mall, It was the Stewart Home before the Mall was built. Kids would explore the empty Victoria Plush Mill nearby. I even remember the mill was open and people worked there. ,
What was Wildwood Marketplace anyway? I was there in June 1996 but forget what it was. Is that where the pirate mini golf is now? I miss Dino Beach and Castle Dracula. Dino Beach was a decent revamp of the old Hunt's Pier. Golden Nugget is now rebuilt at Knoebel's.
Terminator 2 and Faith No More...man 1992 was an awesome year! Love the boardwalk footage from the 90's man, even stuff like this. thank you so much for posting it. Would have loved to have worked on the boards then but alas I was too young.
Just yesterday I was trying to figure out what was the other anchor store at the Springfield Mall other than Macy's. Thank you for solving this, as soon as I saw the Wanamaker's sign, I remembered! This is what happens when you move from Clifton to Florida.
The concrete structure is the start of the millrace that fed the Griswold Mills over on 8th...It was "digged thru Blunston's meadow" sometime before 1695. I believe the other side of the creek below the dam is still Darby (Scott Estate, Tyler ave, trolley bridge, Quarry Street, Pine Street, etc. where it becomes Sharon Hill....... This is a piece "Walk along the west side of Darby Creek" ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-re14aOBLY3w.html
Thank you for ALL of your Wildwood videos..I'm a big fan of Wildwood in the 90's, and your videos of the boardwalk for them are priceless...they're amazing.. Glad you are still doing videos of WW!
