Alligator Attack at ‘Secret’ Louisiana Beach Doesn’t Stop Visitors

Lincoln Park was the site of an amusement park in the Lake Ponchatrain area from 1939 through 1965 which was popular with African-American families in the era of segregation. Lincoln Beach opened in 1954 with beach access and three pools.

While the beach was officially closed in the '60s, new development is on the way for this historic site according to NOLA.com. Even though the place was officially closed, it has not stopped many people from visiting the shores of Lincoln Beach.

In fact, several million dollars have been earmarked for the renovation of the beach area.

Shocking news came last year after it was learned that a child in the water there had been bitten by an alligator and had to be rushed to a trauma center. Still, that did not deter the many people who decided to visit Lincoln Beach for some fun in the sun yesterday.

A man who lives near the area says he has seen an alligator that pops in and out of its "den". He added that he has seen people feed the alligator.

After the child was hurt, the city did release a statement reminding people to be patient, and let them work on upgrades and remodeling the area. The beach is still a closed beach.

They have asked people to stay away, but the people who were going there, most had not heard of the alligator incident. The ones who did learn about it said they would keep a look out for alligators.

The statement said, in part,

Please don't risk your health and that of emergency responders. We recognize the historic, cultural significance and natural beauty of Lincoln Beach and have been working to revitalize this area for public use.

When you look at this video, you can see the appeal of Lincoln Beach.

Much work is now going on to get the beach restored and to even get it on the National Register of Historic Places:

And when the park was active they had plenty of well-known musical guests perform there: