Rare Photos show Storytown USA the year it Opened in Lake George

Storytown, USA in 1954

When it comes to Lake George's history and charming nostalgia, including the very early days of Storytown USA and The Great Escape, few are more knowledgeable than Bob Carroll.

Carrol lives in Los Angeles now, but he was born in Johnstown and lived in the Capital Region for many years.  His Lake George history runs deep because he worked for Charles Wood,  the wealthy proprietor who founded Storytown USA which eventually would become The Great Escape.

Carroll was employed by Mr. Wood for over 20 summer seasons as an announcer, a ventriloquist, a magician, an emcee, and just about any other job he was needed for during the early days of the classic Capital Region theme park.

The Best of Times

As Carroll puts it, "It was the best of times."

While some of the attractions from the very first days of Storytown USA still exist in the park today, many are long gone.  Most of us are too young to even remember what the Mother Goose-themed family park looked like in the '70s and '80s, let alone the 1950s.

But thanks to Mr. Carroll - and these photos taken by his parents when he was only 4 years old - we'll be able to see for the first time, or simply reminisce, about what Storytown USA looked like when it first opened back in 1954.