Happy Hollow Park still sits tucked away in Wyomissing, though the swimming pool is no longer in existence. Happy Hollow was built with community bonds sold, and the land was donated by Henry Janssen and Thun, prominent owners of the Wyomissing Industries in 1910.
The land for the pool was also donated by Thun and Janssen and was completed in 1926. It held 300,000 gallons of water and was 150 feet long. High school swimming and diving competitions were held there, as well as “water pageants”. Water Pageant events were essentially entertainment for locals comprised of acts like synchronized swimming, high diving and other swimming demonstrations.
Water was supplied by an artesian well owned by the Textile Machine Works and was filtered and chlorinated. The pool water was typically very cold as a result of its source.
Below you can see a 1937 Aerial shot of the Happy Hollow Park. The Happy Hollow Swimming Pool was not on the current park grounds, but an adjacent block to the east, at Trent and Wayne Avenues. It closed in 1960 when it was replaced by the current Wyomissing pool. It was razed and houses currently stand in its place.
Spent many happy summer afternoons at the pool. There was a girl’s hour, a boy’s hour then open swimming.
Do you happen to remember the dark-haired beauty of lifeguard? Her name was “Anita”. Maybe last name of “Zimmerman”. The boys used to swim past her spot (mid-pool) over-and-over for nefarious reasons.
I’d love to find photos of the park and slide from when I visited my grandparents in the 1980s!