Charles Denson is executive director of the nonprofit Coney Island History Project, which has created an oral history archive and sponsors educational exhibits, school programs and performances. He grew up in Coney Island and began documenting his neighborhood as a boy, a passion that continues to this day. His first book, Coney Island: Lost and Found, was named 2002 New York Book of the Year by the New York Society Library. He is also the author of Wild Ride: A Coney Island Roller Coaster Family! (2007), Coney Island and Astroland (2011), and Coney Island's Wonder Wheel Park (2020). A writer, photographer and art director, he began his career in 1971 as a photographer for New York magazine and has since worked as art director for numerous publications. In 1999 he was awarded a Chronicle journalism fellowship at the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2013 the New York State Marine Education Association presented the Herman Melville Award to him for his environmental advocacy on behalf of Coney Island Creek.
Interviews
Grandson of Coney Island Developer William J. Ward
Jack Ward recounts his family’s long history in Coney Island. He begins with his great grandfather John Ward's purchase of beachfront property at 12th Street and Surf Avenue in 1879 and continues through his grandfather William J. Ward's...
Grew up in Brighton Beach
Joan lived in Brighton Beach from 1940 to 1961 and has visited every summer all her life. She has various isolated childhood memories, including riding the Parachute Jump, the Mermaid Avenue library, the "third rail" of the Steeplechase...
A lover of Steeplechase Park
Paul says Steeplechase is in his blood. He would go there with his family from 1955 to 1963 when the pool closed. When he went back in '66, he realized how much he missed it and began collecting Coney Island artifacts. To date he has collected...
Lived in Coney Island since 1961
Dorothy moved to Coney Island in 1961 from the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant. She has also lived in Brighton Beach and Ocean Parkway and remembers "the west side" near Seabreeze Park (now known as Asser Levy Park). She...
Author and key figure in the counterculture of the 1960's shares his Coney Island memories
Legendary Paul Krassner reads an excerpt from his autobiography, "Confessions of a Raving, Unconfined Nut: Misadventures in the Counter-Culture" about his experience at Steeplechase Park.
Paul Krassner passed away on July 21, 2019 at the...
A lifetime resident of Coney Island
Barbara was born in Coney Island and has lived there are her life. She describes riding the Parachute Jump in the early 60's and remembers other rides and attractions.
Maintained Astroland Park's Astrotower for 25 years
Frank has maintained the Astrotower at Astroland since 1982. In this 2007 interview he describes his job and tells the story of a raccoon in the Tower which became a news story.
The park closed at the end of the 2008 season and the Astrotower was...
American carousel designer and artist
Marvin Sylvor, founder of Fabricon Carousel Company, designed more than 60 carousels worldwide. His work can be found in Bolivia, Brazil, New Zealand and Singapore. In this interview, he explains the artistry behind merry-go-rounds and why the B...
Ran penny arcades in Coney Island for over 20 years
Stanley relates a fifty-year history of penny arcades in Coney Island. He and his brother ran a few of them, including Playland, and knew the locations and owners of many others.
Lived in Coney Island until age 11 and is back for the first time in 25 years
Susan, who now lives in Israel, lived in Coney Island from 1955 to 1966 and this is her first visit back in over 25 years. Her parents would save up to come to the amusement park area only once a year and Susan's favorite part was Steeplechase...