Alcyon Park is a Beautiful Spot
TW/CW: Racially offensive language in the original source text.
Author’s Forward:
This was hard to write. I sat on it for some time, dreading posting it. I was going to shelve this; quietly post the clipping to a folder on our site of old articles and let someone else stumble upon it. But, I pledged at the beginning of this endeavor to share all of the past of Pitman.
Pitman Anti-Racist Collective is cognizant that sharing this content from an all white group might appear as if it’s for shock value.
It’s not; but it is horrifying and it should be shocking.
Failing to report on this would be a grave disservice to Pitmanites. It was thoughtless, ingrained, systemic ritual racism created for the amusement of an ignorant crowd. A game created for white amusement, and perpetuated by a belief that Black men and women were sub-human.
The reality is that white supremacy and racist beliefs were commonplace around the United States, not only in the Jim Crow South. This seemed normal to those partaking, and has flown under the radar until now. In modern times, it’s incomprehensible our town actively participated in an activity that dehumanized Black people.
By honestly confronting Pitman’s past mistakes with segregation and racism; we have the key to formulating a lasting, more inclusive environment for the townsfolk of today and future generations.
As 4th of July approaches, we take a look back at past celebrations in Pitman. Alcyon Lake once attracted several thousands of people in a single day. It’s hard to imagine now, but at one point it housed a Boardwalk and Amusement Park with a toboggan slide, a race track and baseball field, and a casino that could house 1000 people while holding vaudeville and comedy shows. Themed picnic days hosted by local organizations and churches dotted the summer calendar.
A veritable pleasure resort; but the resort’s calendar unfortunately reflected the bigotry and prejudices of that era. It’s important to remember there were Ku Klux Klan days hosted, and some members of society proactively invited to designated annual Chinese or Colored Sunday School Picnic days.
Take note of the popular game advertised in the article below as an attraction at Alycon, Hitting the “N…..” Babies. The premise was to hit a target with one of 3 baseballs and win a prize: The target being a Black person, a person in blackface, or an effigy of one. From those sustaining head injuries, multiple casualties and fatalities are found in news articles throughout its history.
Originating in 1881 in Indiana, a primate was used as a target but failed at attracting crowds because people didn’t want to inflict harm on an innocent creature. But when an unemployed Black man was introduced, it became known as African Dodger, and the extremely offensive name mentioned below.
The misguided belief of the time was Black people had a thicker cranium to withstand the shots and were better quipped to handle pain than white people. It was played up into the 1950s when it was finally outlawed, and up to 1965 in Texas.
It was the precursor to the Dunk Tank, then called African Dip; and played in Coney Island, parks, and carnivals all throughout the United States, including Pitman.
Courier-Post Camden, NJ 27 June 1914
Again, it seems incomprehensible that something this horrendous happened here. But by being honest about our town’s past, we hope to understand our roots so we can learn to grow.
More information on the racist history of carnival, board, and card games like “Old Maid” found here.
