Ocean View

Ocean View is a historic beach community with roots stretching back to the mid-nineteenth century, originally developed on the site of a former plantation before transforming into one of the region's most recognized seaside resort destinations. Known for its proximity to the water and a layered history that includes a railroad, an amusement park, and decades of community change, Ocean View offers a compelling example of how American coastal neighborhoods evolve across generations.

History

Origins and Early Development

The area now known as Ocean View was not always called by that name. The land was originally a roughly 360-acre tract known as the Maganon Plantation. In 1854, the site was developed and laid out as a planned neighborhood, marking the beginning of its transformation from agricultural land into a destination community.

The development of the area in 1854 was connected to railroad construction underway in the region at the time. William Mahone, a civil engineer involved in building the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad, was instrumental in laying out the streets of the new neighborhood. This engineering background shaped the physical structure of the community from its earliest days.

Ocean View was originally established as a private summer resort. In its early decades, the destination earned a regional reputation significant enough to draw comparisons to some of the most famous resort communities of the era. It was referred to at various points as the "Coney Island of Virginia," a nickname that reflected its ambitions as a leisure and recreational destination for visitors seeking escape from urban life.

The Railroad Era

One of the more distinctive aspects of Ocean View's development was its own dedicated railroad line. The existence of a local railroad serving Ocean View underscored the community's importance as a resort destination during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when rail travel served as the primary means by which visitors from surrounding cities and towns would access seaside locations. The presence of rail infrastructure was a significant investment that signaled genuine commercial interest in the community's growth as a resort.

Railroad access helped Ocean View attract a steady flow of seasonal visitors during the warmer months. This influx of tourism dollars supported local businesses, lodging establishments, and the broader infrastructure that would eventually include more elaborate entertainment offerings. The railroad represented not just a transportation link but a statement about the perceived future of Ocean View as a destination.

The Amusement Park

Perhaps the most storied chapter in Ocean View's history was the period during which the community was home to a full-scale amusement park, complete with a roller coaster. The Ocean View Amusement Park became a defining feature of the neighborhood and drew visitors to the area throughout much of the twentieth century.

The amusement park represented the high point of Ocean View's identity as a recreational destination. Rides, attractions, and the spectacle of a seaside amusement park gave the community a distinct character that set it apart from quieter beach communities in the region. For many visitors and local residents, the park was central to the experience of spending time in Ocean View.

The decline and closure of the amusement park marked a turning point for the community. In 1978, the Ocean View Amusement Park shut down following the Labor Day holiday, ending its run as a functioning entertainment venue. After its closure, the park did not immediately disappear from the landscape. Instead, it became something of a ghost town, with empty roller coasters and abandoned rides remaining on the site as visible remnants of what the park had once been. The image of idle coasters and silent midways left a lasting impression on those who remembered the park in its active years.

The closure of the amusement park was part of a broader pattern affecting many mid-century American amusement parks during this era, as changing entertainment preferences, economic pressures, and competition from other leisure options contributed to the decline of older parks across the country. Ocean View's experience was emblematic of this wider trend.

Character and Community

A Resort Tradition

From its earliest years as a planned summer resort in the 1850s, Ocean View developed a consistent identity built around the appeal of coastal leisure. Its location made it an accessible destination for visitors seeking the beach, and the community grew up around the needs and preferences of that seasonal population.

The transformation of the former Maganon Plantation into a resort community represented a significant shift in how the land was used and who it served. Where the plantation had been an agricultural operation, the resort development opened the space to a paying public looking for recreation. This transition reflected broader changes in American society during the latter half of the nineteenth century, as industrialization created both the leisure time and the transportation networks that made resort communities viable.

Rise, Decline, and Transformation

The arc of Ocean View's history follows a pattern that many American resort communities would recognize. An initial period of development and enthusiasm gave way to a peak era, during which the amusement park and associated attractions drew large numbers of visitors. The closure of the park in 1978 marked the beginning of a more difficult period, during which the community worked through the legacy of the shuttered attraction and the changed landscape it left behind.

The narrative of Ocean View has been described in terms of rise, fall, and rebirth — a framing that captures the way communities can reinvent themselves after periods of decline. The core appeal of the area — its waterfront location, its history as a destination, and the community identity built up over generations — has provided a foundation for ongoing investment and renewed interest.

Notable Facts

Several facts about Ocean View are worth noting for readers seeking a concise understanding of the community's background:

• Ocean View was not always known by its current name. The land was originally part of the Maganon Plantation before being developed in 1854.
• The community once had its own dedicated railroad, reflecting its status as a significant resort destination in the region.
• An amusement park with a roller coaster operated in Ocean View for a substantial portion of the twentieth century before closing after Labor Day 1978.
• Following its closure, the former amusement park stood as a derelict site, with empty rides and roller coasters remaining visible for a period after operations ceased.
• Ocean View was historically compared to Coney Island, reflecting its ambitions as a major American seaside resort during its peak years.

Legacy

The history of Ocean View offers a window into broader patterns of American coastal resort development, spanning from the mid-nineteenth century through the latter decades of the twentieth century. The community began as a deliberate construction — a planned resort built on former plantation land by a civil engineer with a railroad to bring visitors in — and grew over more than a century into a neighborhood with a layered identity shaped by waves of visitors, residents, and reinvestment.

The 1978 closure of the amusement park did not erase that history but instead added another layer to it. The image of abandoned roller coasters standing idle after Labor Day 1978 became part of the community's story, a moment of visible transition that many who lived through it remembered clearly.

Ocean View's development from the former Maganon Plantation site in 1854 through its years as a resort community represents a sustained engagement with the possibilities and challenges of coastal leisure in the American context. The community's history is a record of ambition, investment, popular culture, and the inevitable transformations that time brings to any place built on the promise of escape and recreation.