By Sharon Oliver
Contributing Writer
REGION – Childhood activities such as bike riding and roller-skating are often carried into adulthood and the world can thank Medfield native James Plimpton for the latter. Although Plimpton patented roller skates in 1863, Framingham native Everett H. Barney contributed also and made a fortune by inventing clamp-on roller skates that were attached to shoes. And roller-skating rinks have come a long way after almost being banned over a hundred years ago.
Controversial early days
In 1884, an editorial in the Lowell Sun set it sights on the Gorham Street Lowell Skating Rink, claiming it was “the cause of more and worse immorality in the city” and that the city’s theaters were a “Sunday school” compared to roller skating rinks. The writer pondered:
“Does it improve a young girl’s modesty or morals to fall in a heap on a skating rink floor, in the gaze of hundreds, with perhaps her feet in the air and her clothes tossed over her head? Is it good for her proper training to see other females in such plight?”
The fad did crash on the Cape around 1890. In 1925, Barnstable made it illegal to roller skate on roadways except while crossing a street on a crosswalk. By the 1970s, skating rinks’ popularity increased again thanks in large part to disco music.
Roller-skating rinks over time
While there are still dozens of rinks operating within the state, at least 68 of them closed over the years. Dorchester’s Chez Vous was able to remain open during and after the COVID-19 pandemic by swerving into serving soul food. Open since 1933, Chez Vous has long been a hub for the Black community and a popular venue for birthday parties and other celebrations. Throughout the decades, other community linchpins have not been so lucky.
Marshfield Family Skateland (Marshfield) opened in 1959 and also played host to benefits, skating parties, hockey games and 24-hour skate-a-thon competitions like “Round the Clock” where skaters tried to keep rolling for 24 hours with only a 10-minute break every four hours.
Another popular rink for 40 years was Skylite Roller Skating Center in Worcester. It permanently closed its doors after temporarily shutting down due to the pandemic in 2020. One user commented on Facebook:
“Dear Skylite, thank you for giving me the best memories as a child in the early 80s. It was always fun banging into the light up wall lol. Richie! Twirling in the center under the disco ball. Requesting songs at the DJ booth, the yummy snack foods… Having my kids’ birthday parties there later in my life. You’ll be missed! Thank you and the very best well wishes to you and yours!”
The historic Bal-a-Roue in Medford, which last about 50 years, into the 1980s, will always be remembered for the live Hammond B-3 organ music and speed skating team. Some may even recall the barrels of burning wood to help keep the place warm during the winter. Established in the 1970s, Good Times Roller Skating Center in Amesbury is now occupied by a company called Valiant Industries, Inc. The Roller Palace in Beverly hosted a private gathering called “The Final Goodbye” in 2016 to celebrate the community and included a raffle with proceeds benefiting a charity. The owners held a final skate at the rink in 2018.
Haverhill’s Skateland first opened in 1951 as Carbone’s Skateland and changed hands several times over the years. George and Mary Pyche, who owned six skating rinks, would buy the business in 1992. Skateland remained in operation until 2021 and it was announced in 2022 that the site would be transformed into The Beck, a complex consisting of 290 residential units, 3.2 acres of public parks, playgrounds, trails and nearly 6800 square feet of prime retail space.
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