34 South Main St., Attleboro, MA - (508) 222-7000
Faith
School building has had long, colorful history in Attleboro
 The Talaquega Park Casino, in Attleboro, shown in this early 1900's photo, is now the home of Grace Baptist Christian Academy.
Opened in 1902, it was more of an entertainment center, with a dance hall, vaudeville theater, restaurant, bowling lanes, gardens, walkways and and an outdoor bandstand. It was not a traditional gambling casino as no gambling took place there.
Top Headlines It was not a traditional gambling casino; in fact, no gambling took place there. Opened in 1902, it was more of an entertainment center, with a dance hall, vaudeville theater, restaurant, bowling lanes and beautiful gardens and walkways with an outdoor bandstand. Sometimes, it would host a "country circus," where you could buy hot dogs and lemonade for a nickel each. Talaquega Park was built and operated by the Bristol County Electric Street Railway to attract riders to its trolley lines, according to "The History of Attleboro 1894-1978" by Paul Tedesco. It was one of several 'trolley parks' operating at that time.  Talaquega Park Casino at Briggs corner in Attleboro, as seen in this early 1900's photo is now the site of Grace Baptist Christian Academy.
Col. Randall A. Harrington, who also owned Rocky Point in Rhode Island, developed the park. Trolley line parks went out of business with the increased use of the automobile.In 1917, Talaquega Park was sold. Two years later, it reopened as the Bristol County Tuberculosis Hospital. It became the Bristol Nursing Home in 1963, and the nursing home was at that location until 2001. The building was unoccupied when Grace Baptist Church bought it in 2003 to open up Grace Baptist Church Academy.
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