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Edited by: TJVNews.com
A much-anticipated broadcast documentary on Clementon Park, a beloved 117-year-old “trolley park” located in Camden County, New Jersey, has been put on hold due to a funding shortfall. According to a report on NJ.com, the documentary was set to be part of the “Trolley Park” series, which has gained national attention through its broadcasts on PBS channels. Despite the setback, the project’s producer, Peter Daulton, remains committed to bringing the story of Clementon Park to the screen.
Peter Daulton, a seasoned professional with over 60 major motion picture credits, including every Star Wars film since Return of the Jedi, has expressed deep frustration over the funding challenges that have stalled the project. “I really think the story about how Clementon Park was saved is a story worth telling,” Daulton told NJ.com, reflecting on the significance of the park’s history and its recent revival.
Daulton’s passion for the project is evident. He has spent considerable time and effort trying to secure sponsorship for the documentary, yet he has encountered unprecedented difficulties in obtaining the necessary financial backing. “I’ve never worked so hard and come up empty when trying to get a sponsor onboard,” he admitted, as per the NJ.com report. He added that despite the setbacks, he is not ready to abandon the project. “I don’t want to give up.”
Clementon Park’s story is one of resilience and renewal. Founded in 1907 as a “trolley park,” a type of amusement park built at the end of a trolley line to encourage weekend travel, Clementon Park has been a fixture of the Camden County community for over a century, according to the information provided in the NJ.com report. However, the park faced significant challenges in recent years, culminating in its closure in 2019 after a foreclosure.
The park’s future looked bleak until it was purchased from foreclosure and reopened in 2021 under the new name Clementon Park and Splash World. This revival was a momentous event for the community, which had feared the permanent loss of a cherished local landmark. NJ.com reported that Daulton believes that the drama surrounding the park’s closure and subsequent resurrection adds a compelling narrative element to the documentary. “When you have the drama of the park suddenly closing and the risk of that community losing that park and someone coming in and resurrecting it, I think that adds a little extra drama to the story I’m telling,” Daulton said earlier this year.
The “Trolley Park” series, which began in 2023, has been a passion project for Daulton, who grew up in northwestern Pennsylvania. His inspiration for the series came from a personal discovery: the realization that Midway Park, the site of his first carousel ride as a child in the mid-1960s, was still open and had remained largely unchanged over the decades. As per the NJ.com report, this discovery led to the creation of “Trolley Park: Midway Memories,” the first episode in the series, which explored the enduring charm and historical significance of these unique amusement parks.
The most recent installment, “Trolley Park: Out West,” premiered in May and was broadcast across PBS television stations. This episode highlighted Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon, the last remaining trolley park on the West Coast, as was noted in the NJ.com report. The success of the series thus far has underscored the enduring appeal of trolley parks and their importance as cultural and historical landmarks.
Despite the current funding challenges, Daulton remains hopeful that the Clementon Park documentary will eventually come to fruition. The story of the park’s closure, near loss, and ultimate revival is one that resonates not only with the local community but also with a broader audience interested in the preservation of historic sites and the power of community resilience.
Trolley parks were the precursors to modern amusement parks. Built by streetcar companies in the late 1800s, these parks were designed to boost business by providing riders with a weekend destination. Typically located at the end of the line near a park or lake, trolley parks offered a respite from the hustle and bustle of urban life. Indicated in the NJ.com report was that by the early 1900s, there were more than a thousand such parks across the United States, each providing a place for families and friends to gather, enjoy rides, and relax in a scenic environment.
However, as the popularity of automobiles grew and streetcar lines dwindled, many of these parks closed or were repurposed. NJ.com reported that today, only a handful of trolley parks remain in operation, with Clementon Park in Camden County, New Jersey, standing as a testament to this bygone era.
Daulton believes that Clementon Park’s story is not only worth telling but essential for understanding the evolution of American amusement parks and the social history of the communities that cherished them. “Trolley parks were the precursors to today’s amusement parks,” Daulton explained to NJ.com. “Most were built by streetcar companies in the late 1800s to increase business by giving riders a weekend destination at the end of the line.”
After retiring from the fast-paced world of Hollywood, Daulton has turned his attention to projects that resonate with his personal interests and passion for history. His work on the Trolley Park series, which airs on PBS, reflects his commitment to preserving the stories of these unique parks before they fade from memory. His previous episodes have covered other historic trolley parks, such as Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon, and Midway Park in New York, where Daulton himself first rode a carousel as a child.
Now, Daulton is eager to add Clementon Park to his series, but he faces the significant hurdle of financing the production. The estimated cost for the 30-minute episode is $20,000, which would cover a week of shooting at the park. To make this project a reality, Daulton is seeking both public and private funding, hoping that others will share his vision for documenting this important chapter of American history.
Securing financing for historical documentaries is often a daunting task. Unlike commercial films, which can attract investors with the promise of box office returns, documentaries that focus on niche historical topics rely heavily on grants, donations, and sponsorships. Despite his extensive experience in the film industry, Daulton has encountered difficulties in finding sponsors for the Clementon Park episode. “I’ve never worked so hard and come up empty when trying to get a sponsor onboard,” he admits, though he remains determined not to give up on the project.
NJ.com reported that Olivia Wong, vice president of marketing and communications for American Public Television, which distributes Daulton’s films, recognizes the significance of his work. “Peter Daulton is documenting a slice of American social history in these films as a few of these trolley parks remain in some form, but many more of them no longer exist,” Wong said in May.
The importance of Daulton’s work extends beyond simply preserving the memories of these parks. His documentaries serve as a valuable educational resource, offering viewers insight into a unique aspect of American history that might otherwise be forgotten.
