History's Headlines: Dorney Park - WFMZ
History's Headlines: Dorney Park ALLENTOWN, Pa. - On any given warm summer day , there is a line at Dorney Park . The amusement mecca, whose history goes back over 150 years, can be found full of patrons, some of whom arrive by the busload, to ride on or dive in any one of a number of attractions. Some hail from as far away as New York or Philadelphia. Others are from any one of the local suburbs of Allentown and Bethlehem. Born in an era when beating the heat meant a cool walk in the woods, not an air-conditioned room, Dorney has always had its devoted fans. Some old timers claim it has changed too much and miss the rides of their youth. But in truth, like it has in the past, Dorney reflects the era of which it is in. Always has. The park’s founder, Solomon P. Dorney, was a Pennsylvania German farmer who lived in Cetronia. He acquired the land the park was on from his father. It had been in the family since the 1770s. Now a lot of people of Dorney’s generation were content to ...