Lake Compounce
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| Slogan | New England's Family Theme Park |
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| Location | Bristol, Connecticut, United States |
| Coordinates | 41°38′30″N 72°55′24″W / 41.64167°N 72.92333°WCoordinates: 41°38′30″N 72°55′24″W / 41.64167°N 72.92333°W |
| Owner | Parques Reunidos |
| Opened | 1846 |
| Previous names |
Lake Compounce (1846-1985), Hershey Lake Compounce (1986-1987), Lake Compounce Festival Park (1988-1995), Lake Compounce (1996-Present) |
| Operating season |
May through December |
| Area | 332 acres (1.34 km2) |
| Rides | |
| Total | 44 |
| Roller coasters | 5 |
| Water rides | 2 (excluding water park) |
| Website | www |
Lake Compounce is an amusement park located in Bristol and Southington, Connecticut; the lake itself lies completely in Southington. Opened in 1846, it is the oldest continuously-operating amusement park in the United States. The amusement park covers 332 acres (1.3 km²) of land, and also has a beach and a waterpark which can be used by guests for no extra charge. The park was acquired from Kennywood Entertainment Company by Palace Entertainment, the U.S. subsidiary of Parques Reunidos. In addition to the title for longest consecutively run amusement park in the United States, it also has 14th oldest wooden roller coaster in the world. Its other, newer wooden roller coaster, Boulder Dash, has won the Golden Ticket Award for the #1 Wooden Coaster in the World for 5 years, and has held that record since 2013.
The lake's name is derived from Chief John Compound, a Mattatuck/Tunxis Native American. On December 3, 1684, his wife and several tribal members affixed their waxed fingertip marks to a deed that conveyed the "Compound's Lake" to a group of white settlers, including John Norton, who had migrated to central Connecticut from Massachusetts, for pennies on the dollar and miscellaneous trinkets, including a large brass tea kettle. Legend has it that Chief Compound drowned while trying to cross the lake in a large brass tea kettle.
The park's roots trace back to 1846, when a descendant of John Norton, Gad Norton, hired a scientist to perform an experiment using explosives. Though the experiment failed, Norton noted that thousands of people had shown up for the event and was inspired to open a park. He put a path around the lake, set up picnic tables, allowed public swimming and rowing on the lake, built a gazebo for lakeside band concerts and built a few rides. Lake Compounce had officially opened to the public as a picturesque picnic park. The park prospered as a picnic park through the post-Civil War era.
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