George tilyou biography
- George Cornelius Tilyou (1862–1914) was an.
- George Cornelius Tilyou was an American entrepreneur and showman who founded New York City's Steeplechase Park.
- Tilyou is said to have been the inventor of the hot dog.
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George C. Tilyou
American entrepreneur and showman
George Cornelius Tilyou (1862–1914) was an American entrepreneur and showman who founded New York City's Steeplechase Park. Born in New York City, his parents had operated businesses in Coney Island from his early childhood. He founded Steeplechase in 1897, and rebuilt it entirely after a 1907 fire. Tilyou died in 1914, leaving the park to his children, who continued to operate it until 1964.[1]
Early life
George Cornelius Tilyou was born on February 3, 1862, in New York City.[2]: 204 [3]: 67 His parents were hotel proprietor Peter Tilyou and Ellen Mahoney Tilyou.[2]: 204 [4] In 1865 when Tilyou was three years old, the family moved to Coney Island in Brooklyn, which then was outside New York City limits.[2]: 204 After their relocation, his family started operating a popular Coney Island restaurant called the Surf House.[5][6] Peter Tilyou offered free cla
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Tilyou, George C. (1862-1914)
Businessman
Source
Junior Entrepreneur. George C. Tilyou was born in New York City on 3 February 1862. His father was a hotel proprietor at Coney Island. The younger Tilyou began his business career at age fourteen when he sold little boxes of sifted beach sand and bottles of seawater as souvenirs to visitors on Coney Island. In one day Tilyou made enough money to finance his own trip to the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition (1876).
Coney Island Development. With an initial investment of only $2.50, Tilyou became one of the most successful businessmen on Coney Island. He laid out the famous Bowery, a carnival amusement street barred to wheeled vehicles, and built Tilyou’s Surf Theatre, the first important show house at the resort. In 1897 he built Steeplechase Park, which quickly expanded to fifteen acres. It was wrecked by fire in 1907, but Tilyou restored it on a grander scale. He originated most of the rides used in his amusement enterprises to give patrons nervous thrills as they were whirled, tumbled, and shot down various dark
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By Claire Agni, Veronica Benjou, and Nancy Bentley, Pratt School of Information Students
Collection Overview
Title: Tilyou Family Collection, 1890-1940
Extent: 1.0 Boxes
Arrangement: Grouped by material type and then alphabetized by type.
Subjects:Amusement park owners, Amusement parks, Bobby Tilyou, Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)--Biography, Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)--History, Coney Island (New York, N.Y.), Edward Tilyou, Eileen Tilyou McAllister, Gladis Tilyou, Mary Elizabeth O'Donnell Tilyou, Mattern, Jimmie, McCooey, Helen, McCooey, Jack, Ryan, John, Steeplechase Park (New York, N.Y.), Tilyou, Emma, Tilyou, Petre
Languages:English
Scope and Contents of the Materials
The Tilyou Family Collection includes personal photographs of the Tilyou family and friends, one framed engraving, small personal booklets, and ephemera, including a small leather monogrammed box. Most of the materials show normal wear and tear. The engraved photograph is heavily scratched. The booklets are in fair condition (some have stains), but are fragile.
All items were purchased by the Green-Woo
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