The Raven
ACE Roller Coaster Landmark
American Coaster Enthusiast (ACE) recognizes The Raven at Holiday World & Splashin's Safari as an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark, a designation reserved for rides of historic significance.
In an age when corporate theme parks were building larger and faster roller coasters to attract guest. holiday World president Will Kock (1961-2010) decided that a modest-size traditional wooden roller coaster would be perfect addition for the smaller, family-owned theme park, he commissioned Custom Coaster Incorporated (CCI) of Cincinnati, Ohio, to design and build a ride for the Halloween section of the park. CCI engineers Larry Bill and Dennis McNulty were the lead designers for the coaster, utilizing the park's natural terrain to create what became a masterpiece of thrills along its relatively short 2,800 feet of track.
Amusement Business editor Tim O'Brien suggested The Raven as the name for the new coaster, after Edgar Allen Poe's famous poem. To fit the Halloween theme of the land, the station was built to resemble a Victorian-era haunted house. The coaster's
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Opening to the public on May 6, 1995, The Raven quickly became the park's signature ride and soared to the top of many coaster enthusiasts' "Top Ten" list. The success of The Raven led other independent and family-owned parks throughout the country to install their own traditional wooden coasters. Its addition proved that an exciting wooden coaster of even modest size could still place a park in the national spotlight.
ACE salutes Holiday World for building The Raven, the first of three world-class wooden roller coaster for the park, and for inspiring other amusement parks to include the traditional thrills of a wooden coaster in their lineup.
Erected 2016 by Presented by American Coaster Enthusiast During Coaster Con XXXIX.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Entertainment • Landmarks • Parks & Recreational Areas • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical date for this entry is May 6, 1995.
Location. 38° 7.174′ N, 86° 54.904′ W. Marker is in Santa Claus, Indiana
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Mother Goose Land Train (about 800 feet away, measured in a direct line); America's Everyday Heroes (approx. 0.2 miles away); Santa Claus Land Railroad (approx. ¼ mile away); Freedom Train (approx. ¼ mile away); David Turnham (1803-1884) (approx. 3.9 miles away); Snakeroot (approx. 4.3 miles away); Dogwood Tree (approx. 4.3 miles away); Boyhood Nature Trail (approx. 4.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Santa Claus.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 12, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 9, 2021, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. This page has been viewed 79 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 9, 2021, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
