Donley's
Wild West Town
Union,
Illinois
Memories
of the Phonograph
Doug Boilesen 2022
Donley's Wild West Town is a themed,
"Family Fun Since 1974" amusement park with a museum
which includes a collection of phonographs. At one time this
was known as "Seven Acres Museum and Village."
It was one of the last family
run theme parks of its type in the United States but is no longer
open.
In a 2017 article by Liz Moyer
in the New
York Times the current owners' selling conditions were
described as wanting the new owners "to continue in their
current Howdy Doody-esque form, right down to the gold-panning
pavilion, the live action Wild West show, and kiddie rides on
the 19th-century miniature locomotive." The challenge,
says Moyer, is that "places like Wild West Town are relics
of a bygone era, trying to attract children who are more attracted
to virtual reality and mobile apps than games of cops and robbers
or cowboys and Indians."
Perhaps this 'museum" should
be moved from Phonographia's PhonoAvenue
gallery to Phonographia's Temporary
Exhibits for collections no longer on display.
Nevertheless, the following shows
a few of the phonograph related items that at one time were
displayed at the Union, Illinois museum and village.
