Amusement parks started in Europe, evolving from pleasure gardens and fairs, but in the United States, they were created as waterside attractions or by local trolley companies to encourage more ridership on weekends. Created around the turn of the 20th century and called "trolley parks," there were hundreds of them throughout the country and West Virginia was no exception. With seven trolley parks and one waterside park, West Virginia had a collective total of eight amusement parks during the golden age of that great American institution's development, and from among them, Camden Park still thrives, bearing witness to the magic of that era.