Did you know Doling Park once was home to Springfield’s most popular roller skating rink? That it was developed as private amusement park? And that the reason it’s a park at all is because of Giboney Cave?
These and other surprises are revealed in a new book detailing the Doling Park’s history, compiled by museum volunteer Gail Mitchell. Museum curator Peggy Mahan and volunteer Betty Maples helped compile the research. All three have ties to Doling Park spanning decades.
The book is available for sale, but Mitchell says she’s not finished yet: she’s still looking for memories and other details local residents can add to Doling’s story.
What’s now a park was homesteaded by the Giboney family in the 1850s. The Giboney family lived there for three decades before Springfield businessman James Marshall Doling purchased the property in 1883. Legend has it that Mr. Doling’s milk cow wandered off from his north Springfield home, and he discovered Giboney Cave and its scenic surroundings while searching for her.
Mr. Doling created the lake and developed Giboney Cave as a tourist attraction. He and other investors later added a roller skating rink, dance hall, bandstand, ball fields, penny arcade, boat rentals and Shoot-the-Chutes — a multi-story outdoor slide on which people rode flat-bottomed boats into Doling Lake.
The Park Board purchased Doling Park in 1929, and several attractions lasted into the 1950’s and 1960’s. Generations of Springfieldians fondly recall bumper cars, Skee-Ball, the Wild Mouse, the Whip and Giggling Gertie. The roller rink, a central attraction at the park, operated until 1976.
Today, the 56-acre Doling Park is home to Doling Family Center, Northview Center and the Doling History Museum, dedicated to the park’s colorful past. The museum, built in the footprint of the roller rink, is full of photos, artifacts, skating costumes and even pieces of the old amusement park. It’s open April-October: Tuesdays 1-5 p.m., Fridays 11 a.m.-3 p.m., and Sundays, 1-4 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are accepted.
Mitchell, who volunteers at the Doling History Museum, spent the last two years compiling “The History of Doling Park (1850-2013).” Copies are $25 and may be viewed and ordered at the Northview Center, 417-837-5808.
Mitchell is always seeking new stories and photos to add to the collection. Do you or your family have fond memories of Doling Park? Share them with Doling Museum! Get in touch with museum staff through Northview Center at 417-837-5808, or email NVC@springfieldmo.gov.