The posted coordinates will bring you the the Schuylkill River Heritage Center. None of the carts are displayed on the property. See waypoints for the locations to get credit for the lab.
One of the earliest Ferris wheels still in existence was located in Asbury Park NJ, inside the former Palace Amusements building. The 74- footer was one of the first steel wheels built, which opened in 1895. Riders were loaded into one of the 20 carts inside the building and when they reached the top, they had the option to leave the ride and go onto a platform where they could enjoy a view of the Atlantic Ocean. This feature was removed in the 1920's, but the wheel remained in operation up until 1988.
The Asbury park wheel was one of 4 wheels that were forged by the Phoenix Bridge co. The other 3 were located in Coney Island, Atlanta and South Carolina. Those 3 are long gone now.
After Palace Amusements closed, the wheel was relocated to a Mississippi amusement park, where it stayed until that place closed down in 1997. The wheel then was rescued by a NJ developer who hoped to save Palace Amusements. Unfortunately, those plans did not work out due to decline of the building, which was demolished in 2004. The wheel was kept on a golf course in pieces until another suitable place came up.
The wheel sat for almost a decade before the SRHC found it. They were working on a revival of Phoenixville, with a nod to its steel-town roots. They purchased it for $50,000 and brought it home to Phoenixville where it has sat for several years.
The plan now is to rebuild the Ferris wheel, anchor it to concrete and have it stand as a statue, as there is to much liability to have it spin. 16 of the 20 carts are now in town and are being refurbished. The original town plaques are being removed and plaques of the sponsors are added to the carts as they are restored. All other pieces are stored in a barn and the town is hiring someone to reconstruct the wheel, as there are no instructions as to reassemble it. Currently, the town is still fundraising to finish this project. It is estimated to take $600,000.
To log this virtual - Post a photo of yourself (or a sign of your geocaching name) by of any of the carts.
You only need to visit 1 location to get credit for the virtual. Logs without a photo will be deleted.
There are waypoints for each of the carts.
Feel free to share any others that you find, as this is an active ongoing project within the town. There are 4 carts stored at a Little League field and a bench, but I was unable to find locations.
Update - As of 1/25 the cart at the bank was confirmed "missing". Waypoint removed.
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.