Prop

Object number2016.76.30

Date1972-1998

MediumPapier mache; Paint; Wood; Metal; Cotton rope

Credit LineGift of Palace Entertainment

DescriptionGreen vampiress figure with black hair and a purple blouse.DimensionsHeight x Width x Depth: 49.5 × 18 × 17 in. (125.7 × 45.7 × 43.2 cm)
Historical NotesVampiress from the exterior castle of the dark ride, "Le Cachot." Le Cachot opened in 1972 and was a collaboration between two big names in the dark ride industry: Bill Cassidy of the Pretzel Amusement Ride Company and Bill Tracy of Amusement Display Associates. It was modeled after dark rides of the past and promoted as an attraction where “ghosts of medieval castles lurked.” French for “The Dungeon,” Le Cachot was located next to the Thunderbolt and was operational from 1972-1998. Tracy believed that the façade of a dark ride was equally important as what was inside it. The vampiress is possibly one of Tracy's creations and a similar figure still exists in Terroride at Lagoon Amusement Park in Farmington, Utah. Large collection of material covering the history of Kennywood Park in West Mifflin, Pa., that was transferred to the Heinz History Center along with an extensive set of archival holdings dating back to the earliest years of the park’s existence. The object portion of the collection primarily dates from the 1940s through the 2000s, and includes wooden and metal signs and wayfinding materials, advertising graphics, chalkware carnival prizes, three-dimensional park maps, ticket boxes and scales, some display props, including a woman’s head from Le Cachot, a costume of Kenny the Kangaroo, some T-shirts and uniform items worn by park personnel, small advertising items and park novelties, buttons, and other park incidentals. The objects document both the general history of the park and the experiences of the people who worked there, documenting Kennywood’s long role as a source of summer employment for generations of high school and college students in the Pittsburgh region.

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