Discover the Secrets of Kennywood

Go for a ride through the park’s past inside the office of Andy Quinn.

"We were never conscious of our archive until we got National Historical Landmark [status], and then we thought, Maybe we should save this stuff,” says Andy Quinn, director of community relations at Kennywood and great-grandson of one of the park’s early owners. He frequently speaks about Kennywood history and knows all about the items in the archive. It is, after all, both his work and family history.

During the ’70s, a local Kennywood enthusiast helped the park catalog all of its savable items. At the time, it was stored in closets and offices throughout the park. In 2008, when The Gold Rusher (previously next to the Thunderbolt) became Ghostwood Estate, the renovation included building spooky tower facades atop the ride. All archival materials were consolidated in this space, which is hidden in one of those spooky towers—only accessible via a spiral staircase hidden in the middle of the ride below. “We never threw anything away here,” says Quinn. “It’s a neat walk through history.”