WAKEFIELD ? At the site where a giant mechanized Moby Dick once rose out of the waters to pursue would-be whalers, author Robert McLaughlin now gives tours of the land, and the remnants, of the former Pleasure Island theme park.McLaughlin, who is a member of the Lynn Tech Hall of Fame and author of the just-published “Pleasure Island, 1959-1969,” this month will be doing a series of book signings and talks based on the theme park, all for free.?During droughts sometimes you can actually see the old sunken boats from the Moby Dick ride if the water gets low enough,” said McLaughlin.The theme park, once hailed as “The Disneyland of the Northeast,” was open for only 11 seasons from 1959 to 1969 before closing due to financial problems. It was founded by William Hawkes, with help from Cornelius Vanderbilt Wood, who was chief developer of Disneyland. According to McLaughlin the park was only one in a series of “knock-off Disneylands” that the creators built. Others include Magic Mountain just outside Denver, Colo., and Freedomland in the Bronx, N.Y.McLaughlin said that he started Friends of Pleasure Island in 2000 after he found a few postcards recalling the old theme park. The organization, of which McLaughlin is president, keeps the memory of Pleasure Island alive. Before Hawkes died, the organization received a donation of many records, pictures and documents relevant to the park that they now keep in their collection.Pleasure Island was built on what was originally swampland, but with the recent introduction of Route 128 to the area it seemed like an ideal spot for a theme park with easy access from the highway. The park’s selling point was that it had large scale attractions that other area amusement parks, such as Revere Beach, didn’t offer. It made the dream of going to a giant theme park like Disneyland more plausible for New Englanders who couldn’t afford to send their entire family down to California. In its heyday the park pulled in the some of the major “talent of the day” from all over the U.S., including The Three Stooges, actor Cesar Romero and singer Ricky Nelson.The park’s short lifespan was due to a number of reasons, according to McLaughlin, such as limited open seasons due to short New England summers, problems with maintaining the water rides, but the biggest problem was that the land on which the park was built came to be worth more than the park itself. The management was simply unable to sustain enough business to keep from going bankrupt. In 1969, after the last owner was arrested for embezzling money from investors, Pleasure Island was forced to close its gates for the last time. The land where Pleasure Island used to call its home is now Edgewater Office Park.There is a walking tour on Sunday. There is no cost or registration, simply show up at Edgewater Office Park, located off Audubon Road in Wakefield (Route 128, Exit 42.) The tour will be held from 10 a.m. to noon, rain or shine.McLaughlin will also host a presentation in which he takes an inside look at photos from his new book, Pleasure Island, 1959-1969. The presentation will take place on Wednesday, July 16 at 6 p.m. at The Residence at Pearl Street, 75 Pearl St., Reading. Reservations required as seating is limited. Call Doug Warren at 781-944-9200 or [email protected] more information about his new book and events celebrating the history of Pleasure Island, please contact Bob McLaughlin at [email protected], or go to www.friendsofpleasureisland.org.Eric Adrien may be reached at [email protected].