Charles Wood, 90, Storytown USA Founder
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Charles R. Wood, a philanthropist and businessman who founded what is now the Great Escape amusement park, died October 2 at his home in Glenns Falls, N.Y. He was 90.
Called the “grandfather of the American amusement park,” Wood opened Storytown USA in 1954, then a single themed “amusement center” on the southeastern edge of the Adirondacks.
Intended as a place where children could immerse themselves in the nursery rhymes of Mother Goose, the five acre park was opened with $5,000 and staffed with just four employees, including Wood’s wife.
Now part of the Six Flags Inc., the former Storytown has evolved into the 150-acre Great Escape – one of America’s oldest theme parks featuring a waterslide park and more than 125 rides.
