If asked what late-19th century amusement park might have claimed to be “the handsomest park in the United States,” first to come to mind would probably be part of the Coney Island complex or, on a more local level, perhaps Glen Echo Park or Marshall Hall. This boast, however, appeared in an 1893 newspaper advertisement for Bethesda Park, a short-lived (1891-1896?) and rather obscure amusement facility in Montgomery County.

Read more at “Bethesda Park: “The Handsomest Park in the United States” by Willliam G Allman on the Montgomery County Historical Society website.