Ohio S Amusement Parks In Vintage Postcards

By 1912, there were 54 amusement parks in Ohio. The parks came in all sizes, and featured such attractions as the Flying Ponies carousel, the Chute-the-Chutes water ride, and the Cyclone, Racer, and Dip-the-Dips roller coasters. Some, like Cleveland's White City, seemed to be courted by bad luck from the beginning, and folded after only a few disappointing seasons. Others, like Youngstown's Idora Park, enjoyed long lives and fostered beloved memories, but eventually closed down in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. A few, like Sandusky's Cedar Point, have grown to be considered among the greatest amusement parks in the world. But most are now forgotten.

The Roller Coaster-the Cyclone at Coney Island, the Racer at Pittsburgh's Kenywood Park, the Blue Streak at Sandusky's Cedar Point-icon of the midway, capable of reducing even the strongest of grown men to screaming, white-knuckled hysterics. During the early decades of the 20th century, daring designers pushed the limits of these high-speed thrillers, reaching hundreds of feet in height and thousands of feet in length, with ever more miles of winding, twisting, lurching track dominating the landscapes of America's amusement parks. Most of the roller coasters from that golden age are gone today. Thankfully, they live on in memory, preserved in vintage postcards that provide a lasting record of the magnificent wooden structures that thrilled our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.

For 150 years, people have come to rest, relax, and recharge in the area from Vermilion to Port Clinton, south to Milan, Bellevue, and Fremont, and north to Sandusky, Cedar Point, the Marblehead Peninsula, and the Lake Erie Islands. Lake Erie is the constant in this fascinating story, the natural resource that gives the region its character and charm. Quaint wineries, world-class roller coasters, amusement parks, water toboggans, indoor and outdoor water parks, lake steamers and jet boats, cottage communities, sportfishing, swimming, sailing, boating, camping, historical sites, caverns, museums, beaches, Civil War history, resort hotels, religious retreats, and natural wonders--Lake Erie's shores and islands have a rich tourism and recreation history.

Ohio's Lake Erie Shore began to blossom as a resort area in the mid 1800s, and came into full bloom around the turn of the century when the prospering steamboat navigation industry started to bring thousands of tourists to Put-in-Bay, Cedar Point, and the spiritual retreats at Lakeside on Marblehead.

The history of Wheeling and Ohio County is both eclectic and engaging. Beginning in the colonial era when the legendary Betty Zane saved Fort Henry from an Indian attack by hiding gunpowder in her skirt, Wheeling eventually emerged as an important link between Eastern cities and the rest of the United States. The Wheeling Suspension Bridge, the Old National Road, and the B&O Railroad all passed through the bustling Ohio County. Over the years, Wheeling has been labeled everything from "Victorian Wheeling" to "Sintown USA," and these monikers represent the diverse qualities of a town molded and shaped by the steel, coal, tobacco, and transportation industries. Whether residents and visitors frequented the impressive Victorian mansions or Wheeling's infamous brothel district, they always had something to write home about. The incomparable collection showcased in this book spans five decades and was begun and continued by the Carney family.

During the first half of the 20th century, Columbus grew from a population of 125,560 (1900) to a population of 375,901 (1950)-a three-fold increase. Postcards were one vehicle for recording the activities that accompanied this growth. Columbus, Ohio: 1898-1950 in Vintage Postcards includes the earliest Columbus scenic postcards, many scenes from the golden era of postcards, and later scenes that show some of the changes that occurred in Columbus between the end of World War I and the post-World War II boom of the late 1940s. The material presented is from the personal collection of the author, considered to be the most extensive collection in existence. This collection includes all of the common views such as the State Capitol, and a large number of one-of-a-kind views, including those of Papa Presutti's first saloon and of Tommy Sopwith (the English airplane manufacturer) at an air meet in Columbus in 1910.

Take a trolley tour around Mansfield, Ohio, by way of this collection of vintage postcards. Starting the tour with The Square, see the series of ornate government seats built here, like the 1840 Greek Revival and 1878 Victorian courthouses, as well as the fountain and the gazebo located there. Next, traveling into the Downtown now encompassed by the Carousel and Central Park Districts, explore Main Street and the old hotels, the stone churches, and the railroad depots. From there, progressing to The Flats, catch a glimpse of the industries and the now-vanished agricultural works. Heading into The Neighborhoods from Downtown, visit the schools, the churches, and the Children's Home. And finally, following the tracks out past the Sturges area and Senator Sherman's mansion, ride to the end of the tracks to see Luna Park, Kingwood, and the Ohio State Reformatory.