21 Vintage Photos of Forest Park Highlands Amusement Park

A bit of St. Louis history was lost on July 19, 1963, when an uncontrollable fire took over Forest Park Highlands amusement park. From the kiddie rides to the Comet Roller Coaster (est. 1941), Forest Park Highlands was a beloved landmark from its beginnings in 1896. St. Louis Community College stands there today, but you can still get a glimpse of Forest Park Highlands with these photos — and read more about the park in this blog post. Get ready for a heavy dose of nostalgia.

Information courtesy of forestparkhighlands.com. Photos courtesy of the State Historical Society of Missouri.A bit of St. Louis history was lost on July 19, 1963, when an uncontrollable fire took over Forest Park Highlands amusement park. From the kiddie rides to the Comet Roller Coaster (est. 1941), Forest Park Highlands was a beloved landmark from its beginnings in 1896. St. Louis Community College stands there today, but you can still get a glimpse of Forest Park Highlands with these photos — and read more about the park in this blog post. Get ready for a heavy dose of nostalgia.
Information courtesy of forestparkhighlands.com. Photos courtesy of the State Historical Society of Missouri.

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1947. Patrons take a spin on the bi-plane ride.

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1947. Oh, the joys of kiddie rides.

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1947. Oh, the joys of kiddie rides.

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1947. Here’s the arcade.

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1947. More play time at the arcade.

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1947. Taking a cruise on the boat ride.

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1947. This ride was known as the Flying Turns. Apparently “winged car” rides were a trend in amusement park rides at the time.

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1947. The carousel was installed in 1929 and remained in tact after the fire.

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1947. It was later restored and moved to Faust Park, where you can still ride it today.

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1947. The Comet Rollercoaster was designed by Herbert Schmeck. It stood 85 feet high, 3,120 feet long and had a 300 foot tunnel.

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1947. Posing casually on the Comet.

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1947. So many emotions going on right here.

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1947. You can’t have an amusement park without bumper cars.

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1947. Visitors get a kick out of the fun house mirrors.

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1947. Here’s another kiddie ride.

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1947. Customers enjoy a picnic at the Forest Park Highlands.

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1947. Kicking back at a picnic.

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1963. The fire that destroyed Forest Park Highlands took hours to put out.

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1963. Firefighters even took water from the amusement park’s pool to use, but it didn’t help.

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