Spring Lake Arcade is the oldest known penny arcade business still in operation in the United States. Of course, not all games operate on a penny, though patrons can still spend pennies, nickels and dimes to play the games within. It was established in 1931 and is located at 52 Old Hillside Drive in the village of Glendale within the town of Burrillville, Rhode Island, USA.
Access[]
The Spring Lake Arcadeā is located within the Spring Lake recreational complex which requires an $8 entrance fee ($4 for local residents); group rates are available for non-profit organizations and season passes are available to local families. The arcade is open during the summer and can be closed due to inclement conditions.[1][2]
History[]
In the 1920s, Henry Lapan owned the Spring Lake beach facility in Burrillville, Rhode Island. Edmund Reed operated a "Walking Charley" carnival game at an amusement park elsewhere in Rhode Island. The environment at the amusement park was not to Reed's liking, so he searched for an alternate location. In 1931, Reed and Lapan entered into an agreement to allow Reed to install his Walking Charley game in a building that was built adjacent to the beach's pool hall. Reed also installed a few penny arcade machines at the entrance to amuse waiting customers. They soon found that the coin-operated machines were actually doing better business and the arcade was born.[3][4]
Edmund Reed's daughter Shirley married George Stearns and the family lived on the beach near the arcade. Lapan sold his beach property to George Poirer, whose son Richard took over management in the 1960s. The Stearns family took over the arcade in 1963. In 1972, the beach facility was acquired by the Stearns family. In 1976, George Stearns first met John Bateman, who now serves as the current caretaker of the arcade. Between 1989 and 1990, the aging structure was reinforced and the electrical system was updated to improve fire safety. The original conjoined buildings were bulldozed on the Friday morning of November 22, 1998 to make way for a new replacement, which was ready by the end of June 1999.[3] Today, the arcade features games from each decade, dating back to several 1920s machines. These include ticket redemption games, prize machines, pinball machines and video games.
Videos[]
References[]
- ā Spring Lake Arcade by D. Stockley, Atlas Obscura. 2019-08-20.
- ā Spring Lake Beach, Town of Burrillville RI. Accessed 2023-01-29.
- ā 3.0 3.1 History, Spring Lake Arcade. 2011. Accessed 2023-01-31.
- ā Evans' Walking Charley, Spring Lake Arcade. 2011-05-31. Accessed 2023-05-21.
External links[]
- Spring Lake Arcade official website
- Spring Lake Arcade at the Town of Burrillville RI