Together they visited the roller rink, abandoned rides and former fun house, which was once the country's oldest

Fehnel, a former Ringling Bros clown, took Lawless for a tour of the park, which is more than 100 years old

The park's former owner Neal Fehnel wants to see it reopen - but getting the power back on would cost $20,000

Photographer Seph Lawless visited Bushkill Park near Easton, Pennsylvania, which closed in 2007 due to floods


A photographer has given an inside look of the spooky, century-old and now-defunct amusement park that once housed the oldest funhouse in America.

Seph Lawless, who previously documented the decaying beauty of abandoned malls in Ohio, visited Bushkill Park near Easton, Pennsylvania.

The park opened more than 100 years ago and closed in 2007 after being hit by three floods in three years, according to Lehigh Valley Live.

But its previous owner, former Ringling Bros clown Neal Fehnel, still dreams about seeing it reopen it one day.

It would cost at least $20,000 to turn the power back on at Bushkill Park and bring its attractions back to life.

Fehnel, who took Lawless on a tour around the premises and even went down the funhouse's wooden slide, knows what he would like the park to look like in the future.

'His hopeful attitude in the face of extreme challenges is an inspiration to us all,' Lawless said. 'Fehnel doesn’t know when the park will reopen, but he is confident that it will reopen one day, and I believe him.'

Bushkill Park, located right outside the city of Easton in Forks Township, Pennsylvania, opened more than a century ago and has been abandoned for several years

The park, which closed in 2007 after being damaged by several floods, once housed the largest funhouse in America. The funhouse still stands among other abandoned attractions

Inside the funhouse, trick mirrors still hang from the walls with paint stains as a trace of the premises' turbulent, fun-filled past. It has been almost ten years since Bushkill Park received its last customers

Photographer Seph Lawless, from Cleveland, who once documented the eerie beauty of abandoned malls in Ohio, took a tour of Bushkill Park and went inside the funhouse

The park's previous owner, Neal Fehnel, took Lawless up the funhouse's staircase and down its old wooden slide. He took the plunge first and then looked up at the photographer

In a different part of Bushkill Park, the former roller rink remains frozen in time. According to Lawless, the wooden floor is still remarkably smooth and has only a few major blemishes on its surface

Pairs of old leather roller-skates are still scattered around near the old skating rink. Fehnel dreams about bringing Bushkill Park back to life one day

Fenhel dreams about seeing the park reopen one day. Getting the power up and running again alone would cost at least $20,000 according to Lawless

But this doesn't keep Fehnel from dreaming about what he would like the park to look like in the future. He described his vision to Lawless as they both toured the premises

Fehnel, who shared memories of the park with Lawless, currently works as a clown-for-hire. He used to be a circuit clown with Ringling Bros, a circus founded in 1884 in America

While Lawless visited Bushkill Park and took photos, Fehnel pointed out which areas needed improvement as he knows reopening it will be a daunting task

Even though opening the park again will be a massive undertaking, Fehnel remains hopeful and shared many humorous anecdotes with Lawless while showing him around

The park's appearance has changed since it closed nine years ago. What was once a fun decor now has a distinct creepy feel, like these clown heads on the walls

Bushkill Park is now just a ghost of what it used to be but it lives on in Fehnel's memory, who reminisced about each ride as he took Lawless around

Most of the attractions at Bushkill Park are long gone and have been replaced by large cement spheres that resemble crop circles according to Lawless

Lawless believes that Fehnel's dream of opening Bushkill Park again sets a good example. 'His hopeful attitude in the face of extreme challenges is an inspiration to us all,' the photographer said

Inside the park, several abandoned features such as this rusty souvenir stand give the place a post-apocalyptic feel. Bushkill Park still gets flooded from time to time

The park closed in 2007 after being hit by three floods in three years, according to Lehigh Valley Live. Fehnel has kept the 17-acre property in good shape since then

Other improvements needed to reopen the park, which include restoring the skating rink building, could cost between $100,000 and $150,000 according to the website

Fehnel sold Bushkill Park, which has been owned by Sammy Baukot for about ten years, Lehigh Valley Live wrote. Both men now dream of the park's potential future

Baurkot told the website he knew the park couldn't go back to what it once was, but that it could still be 'something'. He said there could be a pavilion for weddings and family reunions

An old notice board still displays the park's rules, which include not walking bare feet and wearing a shirt. Fehnel told Lehigh Valley Live that Bushkill Park could become a picnic spot

After touring Bushkill Park, Lawless said: 'Fehnel doesn’t know when the park will reopen, but he is confident that it will reopen one day, and I believe him'

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