In 1875, a local businessman named Erastus Ross gifted 90 acres of land to the City of Binghamton to create a park that could be enjoyed by the entire community. Amusements like the wooden roller coaster seen in today’s throwback Thursday photo made Ross Park a popular recreation destination and it continues to serve that function to this day. The park includes the fifth oldest zoo in the country and is home to the oldest of Broome County’s six carousels, a gift given to the local community by George F. Johnson in 1919.
Photograph courtesy of the Broome County Historical Society.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRP0dSImgL0