Camden Park is a historic amusement park near Huntington, West Virginia, and the state’s only traditional amusement park. Established in 1903 as a picnic grove along a streetcar line, it is a rare survivor of the trolley parks that once operated across the United States.
Located along U.S. 60 west of Huntington in Wayne County, the 26-acre park is best known for its vintage rides, including the Big Dipper wooden roller coaster, its historic carousel, and the smiling-clown sign that has greeted generations of visitors. The park also inspired a location in the West Virginia-set video game Fallout 76.
History of Camden Park
The park was established in 1903 as a picnic grove by the Camden Interstate Railway, an electric streetcar company serving the Huntington area. Both the railway and the park were named for principal owner Johnson N. Camden, a prominent West Virginia industrialist and former U.S. senator.
Amusement grounds like this were common in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Streetcar companies developed parks along their routes to encourage weekend and holiday ridership, when commuter traffic was otherwise lower. Most disappeared as automobiles replaced streetcars, making Camden Park an unusual survivor of that era.
Camden Park differed somewhat from the classic trolley park built at the end of a streetcar line. Its location served travelers on the railway system near Huntington, and the picnic grove gradually evolved into a larger recreational attraction.
Col. E.G. Via became manager in 1903 and purchased Camden Park in 1916. He operated it until his death in 1946. The park survived serious setbacks, including the 1937 Ohio River flood and World War II, before Huntington furniture dealer James P. Boylin purchased it in 1946. The Boylin family revived the property as a family amusement park, and fourth-generation members continue to own it.
Big Dipper and historic rides
The best-known ride at Camden Park is the Big Dipper, a traditional wooden roller coaster built in 1958. It has become one of the park’s signature attractions and a prominent reminder of the mid-20th-century American amusement park.
Camden Park’s collection also includes a carousel and numerous traditional amusement rides and attractions. The park’s current map lists the Haunted House, Rattler, Slingshot, Flying Scooters, Whip, Scrambler, Skyliner, train, log flume, Lil’ Dipper, and several children’s rides, along with miniature golf, games, and picnic areas.
The carousel has particularly deep roots at the park. Although the park eventually sold its original hand-carved horses, the carousel itself remains in operation. Over the decades, Camden Park has also featured attractions that have since disappeared, including a swimming pool and a zoo.
Prehistoric mound at Camden Park
Long before the amusement park was established, people gathered at the site for very different reasons.
A prehistoric Indigenous burial mound stands within the park grounds. Described as the third-largest such mound in West Virginia, its summit served as a bandstand in the early 20th century. Camden Park’s visitor map still marks the mound as the Adena Indian Mound.
Its presence gives the property a history that extends far beyond the streetcar and amusement-park eras, making it one of Camden Park’s most unusual features.
Camden Park in Fallout 76
The park gained a new audience after appearing in Bethesda Game Studios’ Fallout 76, the post-apocalyptic video game set in a fictionalized West Virginia.
The game’s version draws on the real amusement park and has continued to appear in Fallout 76 content. Bethesda references Camden Park in its own material, and the game’s 2026 season even offered players a Camden Park Claw Machine for their in-game camps.
The connection has introduced the century-old Huntington-area attraction to players worldwide and made the park one of many real West Virginia locations represented in the game.
Visiting Camden Park
Camden Park is located at 5000 Waverly Road, Huntington, WV 25704, along U.S. 60 west of the city.
Operating days and hours vary by season and year, so visitors should consult the park’s current calendar rather than relying on a fixed schedule published here.
For more information, visit the park website.