In August of 1926, W.H. Adams Sr. opened the Ocean View Pavilion amusement park near the Jacksonville Beach Pier. His dream at the time was to build a roller coaster that would rival the iconic Cyclone at Coney Island, which opened in 1927. Construction began in 1928 by the Miller and Rose Amusement Co. of Milwaukee and it was completed in 1929. At an impressive 93 feet, it was the tallest structure at the beach. It was also the first roller coaster in the state of Florida. The attraction delighted beachgoers for decades, until it was deemed unsafe and dismantled in 1950.
Photographs courtesy of Jacksonville Historical Society
