Luna Park, Alexandria

Though the Virginia Assembly banned most forms of gambling in 1892, the laws remained unenforced in Jackson City, which became known as the "Monte Carlo of the East".

After the police did nothing for several months, Mackey assembled, deputized, and armed 30 residents who marched through Jackson City, smashing up the gambling dens they found.

[1][2] The closures, particularly of St. Asaph Racetrack, prompted the Washington, Alexandria, and Mount Vernon Railway to seek a new way to attract passengers.

[5][6] The park site consisted of an approximately 40-acre (16 ha) plot[a] situated on an old farm, north of Four Mile Run and west of the Alexandria Canal and adjacent roadway and trolley line.

Prior to the Civil War, the area was known as "Swallow Hill" and later "The Wild Man's Cave" after the hermit who lived there for years.

Workers accidentally discovered a series of manmade subterranean rooms on the site, including a library, which The Washington Post reported as the work of an unknown person, "evidently an eccentric.

[17] The opening day program included musicians, dancers, jugglers, "comedy sheep", and stage actor John W. Ransome doing his impersonation of William Jennings Bryan.

[19] The main concourse, called "The Great Trail", featured concessions and attractions and was illuminated at night with 80,000 electric lights.

[13][19] The park featured throwing games, figure eight roller coaster, and a shoot-the-chutes dropping 150 feet to the lagoon.

[4] Non-ride attractions included a ballroom, mutoscope parlor, casino, restaurants, a bandstand with 2,000 free seats, picnic facilities for 3,000 people, and an 8,000-seat arena to accommodate circuses, aerialists, and equestrian acts.

[4] In its opening season, the park featured a "photograph garage" where people could pose with the newfangled automobile and illusion shows.

[25] In addition to concerts and plays, the Park also hosted air shows, such as A. Roy Knabenshue and Lincoln Beachey in 1906.

Suggested causes of the elephants' stampede ranged from the thunder and lightning of a violent storm the night before the escape, to a deliberate release to garner publicity.

[28] Luna Park finished its first season in October with a series of events including a daredevil bicycle act and trapeze performance.

[41] The Arlington County sewage treatment facility now covers part of the park's site near the intersection of South Glebe Road and Jefferson Davis Highway (U.S. Route 1).