The tugboats at Freedomland were named the  Pert and the Totsie and were vessels that were powered and freely moved in the New York Harbor and into the Great Lakes.  After Freedomland, one of the boats was featured at Quassy Amusement park in Conn., it is believed by some this was the Totsie, although there is no way of knowing for sure. The captain of the boat Tom, told me when I was a passenger that after so many years they no longer would be using the boat and it would be scrapped.  At the time I was living in Ellenville, New York and was chairman of our 4th of July Committee, always looking to add to the parade I envisioned having the tugboat in the parade on a trailer. The town sent a lowboy truck to get it, but a fence was erected around the boat and made it impossible to get to. I advised Rob Friedman, and he then contacted the Quassy Park folks who told him the boat was destroyed and only the smokestack and the side wheels remained. Rob took them and for many years had them set up in his back yard.  He donated them to Co-Op City,  it was placed in a park area near where the Freedomland plaque and Boulder were originally located, the Plaque  and Boulder were  also moved to the park area as well with the Tugboat remains.

It is unfortunate that the colors of the Tugboat remains were painted red at Quassy Park, and the 

Co-Op City folks have not painted the remains the Freedomland colors of a black smoke stack and orange paddle wheels.

As far as the other tugboat, which could be the Totsie or The Pert, the same captain Tom, told me that a person had bought the boat and tried to use it  in New York Harbor and it sank!

For more information about the remains of the Tugboat go to Rob Freidman's Facebook page, find in the links page on this web site.

Bob Mangels