C.V. Wood helped build Disneyland, then opened Freedomland U.S.A. in New York and billed it as the "Disneyland of the East." It lasted five seasons, and Disney's lawyers went after the slogan.
Before there was a Disney World, there was a park that called itself the "Disneyland of the East." It was built by Disneyland's own first employee, and it lasted just five summers in the Bronx.
The park was Freedomland U.S.A., and it opened in June 1960, less than five years after Disneyland. The man behind it was C.V. Wood, who had helped Walt Disney pick the Anaheim site and get his park built on time.
Then the two men split. Disney's official history has mostly left Wood out ever since.
Who was C.V. Wood?
Cornelius Vanderbilt Wood Jr., known as Woody, was a Texas-born engineer working at the Stanford Research Institute when Disney brought him aboard. He chose the Anaheim site, helped buy the land and supervised construction. Historians widely call him Disneyland's first employee.
When Disneyland opened in July 1955, Wood was its vice president and general manager. About six months later, he was gone.
Nobody has ever given a definitive reason for the split. Theories include clashing egos, Wood taking too much public credit for Disneyland, or Wood planning parks of his own. Disney Legend Bob Gurr has called him a con man.
What was Freedomland U.S.A.?
Freedomland was Wood's big swing on the East Coast. His company, Marco Engineering, built it on about 205 acres of marshland in the Baychester area of the northeast Bronx.
The theme was American history, and the park was laid out like a giant map of the United States. Guests walked through areas themed to places like old Chicago and San Francisco, with attractions built around events such as the Great Chicago Fire and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
It billed itself as the world's largest outdoor family entertainment center, and more than 60,000 people showed up on opening day. Over the years, performers including Duke Ellington, The Supremes and Brenda Lee played the park.
That "Disneyland of the East" nickname did not go over well in Burbank. Disney's lawyers sued over it, and the case was settled out of court.
Why did Freedomland U.S.A. close?
Freedomland ran five seasons, from 1960 to 1964, and ended in bankruptcy.
For years, the popular story was that the 1964 New York World's Fair in Queens stole its crowds. Historian Mike Virgintino, who has written two books on the park, calls that a myth. He says the land was always meant for a giant housing development, and that "Freedomland U.S.A. was doomed to fail before the first guest entered the park."
New York's weather didn't help either. Unlike Disneyland, Freedomland had to close during the cold months, and winters were hard on the rides.
That housing development became Co-op City, which still stands on the site today along with a shopping center. A plaque marks where the park used to be.
What did C.V. Wood do after Freedomland?
He kept building. Marco Engineering worked on other parks, including Pleasure Island in Wakefield, Massachusetts, and Magic Mountain in Golden, Colorado, and Wood had a hand in the early planning of Six Flags Over Texas.
His most famous later project had nothing to do with rides. Wood helped bring London Bridge to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where it still stands today.
Wood died in 1992. Freedomland still has a devoted fan base of baby boomers who grew up there, and Virgintino's books, Freedomland U.S.A.: The Definitive History and Freedomland U.S.A.: More Definitive History, keep its story alive.
Disney's own move east came later. Walt Disney World opened in Florida in October 1971, seven years after Freedomland closed its gates for good.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
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Hat Tips:
AllEars (Nov. 1, 2026), Freedomland and C.V. Wood feature
Yesterland (Feb. 2020), Mike Virgintino on Freedomland's Disneyland connections
Mental Floss C.V. Wood's time at Disneyland and the Disney lawsuit
Kingsbridge Historical Society and Patch Virgintino on why Freedomland closed and Co-op City
Classic New York History opening day crowds and Marco Engineering parks
Boing Boing (May 2026), Bob Gurr on Wood
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