Boathouse

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Boathouse
Other Name(s) Olentangy Canoe Club
Lake House
Type Activity Space
Park Section The Grove
Built 1880
Opened 1891
Closed 1930
Fires 1934
Architect Joseph Gettner

The Boathouse was one of the first structures built at Olentangy Park[1] and offered Naphtha launches and canoes[2][3][4] for parkgoers to boat a three-mile course on the Olentangy River. It was located along the Olentangy River, south of the theater and the ravine bridge. Naphtha launches were early motor boats and were 20 feet long.[5] By 1904, they were electrically powered. Rowboats were "safe and speedy type" Clinker-built rowboats.[6] The manager was listed as Edward C. Turner in a June 1897 Dispatch classified ad seeking "young ladies" to wait at ice cream tables and lunch counters at the refreshments area of the boathouse. A bowling alley was part of the boathouse until they were removed in 1914. Members of the performing stock company playing in the theater often used the canoes and camped in the area after performances.[7]

The boathouse was the oldest building at the park and was the original Olentangy Villa restaurant, built in 1880 by Joseph Gettner[8] and operated by Robert M. Turner.[9]

The boathouse boats were swept away in a flood on July 7, 1904. They were swept over the dam, landing near residences. Only nineteen of the twenty-two boats were recovered by the next day. [10]

On May 21, 1905, Amelia Wylie, a boathouse ticket seller, lost control of her boat and became caught in the current of the Olentangy River. She lost hold of the boat and ended up in the turbulent pool at the foot of the 5-foot waterfall. Several people tried to save her before going over the edge but had to instead run ahead to where her body reappeared, and the water was shallow enough to rescue her. They were able to resuscitate her, and she fully recovered.[11]

In the fall of 1912, Manager J. W. Dusenbury objected to a proposed sewer addition by the City of Columbus to the Olentangy River due to it interrupting canoeing and boating at the boathouse. He urged them to wait until the following fall.[12]

A canoe was stolen in January 1913 from the Boathouse. It had a green body, open mahogany gunwales, and was double riffed.[13]

A 35-foot motorboat was added in late July 1913. The boathouse had 150 canoes and fifty rowboats at the time.[14]

Canoe Regattas

First Canoe Regatta in 1909

The first annual regatta by the Olentangy Canoe Club took place on August 28, 1909, at the Boathouse, where there were twenty-two canoes at the time.[15][16] The event included:

  • 150-yard race, free-for-all, two men in a canoe
  • 75-yard dash, 17-foot canoes and over, one man in a canoe, no ballast
  • 75-yard dash, canoes under 16 feet, one man in a canoe, no ballast
  • Tilting contest, one man with a pole, one with a paddle
  • All-in-all out race

Canoe Regatta on Labor Day 1913

"Birch Bark" (the Canoe Club) members held a canoe regatta on September 1. Events included:

  • Singles, 100 yards straightaway - Prizes: First, $2 hat ($63.77 in 2024); second, outing hat; third, ribbons
  • Doubles, 220 yards straightaway - Prizes: First, pillow tops; second, silk flags; third, ribbons
  • Doubles, 100 yards straightaway gunwale race - Prizes: First, Windsor silk ties; second, ribbons; third, ribbons
  • Doubles, half-mile straightaway - Prizes: First, two quarts spar varnish; second, middle blouses; third, outing shoes
  • Doubles, man overboard, 100 yards straightaway - Prizes: First, paddles; second, back seats; third, ribbons
  • War canoe race, half-mile, four men to canoe - Prizes: First, silk hose; second, Windsor silk ties; third, ribbons
  • Tilting match - Prize: Name and monogram painted on canoe
  • Swimming race, 100 yards - Prizes: First, bathing suit; second, rubber bathing cap; third, ribbons

It was open to all owners of canvas-covered canoes.[17] Over forty entries were received, the largest since the club was organized.[18]

Accidents and Injuries

Girl Drowns in Olentangy After Canoe Capsizes

In July 1913, Gertrude Klemm, 15, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Emil Klemm, drowned after the canoe she was in capsized about a half mile north of the park on the Olentangy River. The 15-foot canoe was built for two people, and four children were riding it at the time. The boy in charge of the boat was Dudley Griffin, 15, son of Captain H. D. Griffin, and did not have much experience with handling canoes. The other occupants were Mildred Decker, 17, and Edith Strong, 14. The children were attending a park outing by Rev. Harry C. Robinson for the choir of St. John's Episcopal Church of Avondale Avenue and Town Street. Rev. Robinson, Katherine Jones, Florence Williams, Heather Watterman, and three other choir members were in a second canoe, and its occupant's movements caused the first to fail. Klemm sunk and was lost while the other girls held onto the first canoe. Columbus Canoe Club members Milton Loeb and Alex Levin saved Griffin. Rev. Robinson dropped off his passengers and returned to rescue the girls with the help of Kenneth Hysoll, 15, a park employee. Officers Smith and Anderson recovered Klemm's body around 8 p.m., an hour and a half after the accident.[19]

Change to Canoe Club

The "Boathouse" was seriously damaged by the 1913 flood and was remodeled to become the Olentangy Canoe Club after a new dam was built on the river.[4][20] The main part of the building was torn down on April 19, 1914,[21] and replaced with a one-and-a-half-story structure.[22][1] The bowling alleys were warped from water damage,[20] so they were removed and replaced with lavatories, shower baths, and private clothes lockers in 1914. The structure was also remodeled to accommodate more boats than the 110 boats available in 1912[23] to 300 boats and canoes within two years.[24] Boat rides were 10 cents ($3.15 in 2024) per trip.[25][26] Commodore Joe Keenan improved the boathouse, and Manager Harris replaced all the old steel row boats in 1917.[27]

1934 Fire

After about four years of disuse, the boathouse burned down on March 30, 1934.[28][22][4] Fire Chief E. P. Welch blamed the fire on children building a bonfire near the building.[29] The water had not yet been turned on for the season, hampering firefighter efforts to quell the fire.[28] The total estimated cost of the damage was $2,500[30] to $3,000[22] ($58,600 to $70,300 in 2024).

Notes

According to the Columbus Dispatch article covering the 1934 fire, the boathouse building was built in 1900.[22]

Gallery

  • 1897 colorized photo of the Olentangy Park Boathouse and boats

    Colorized photo from Columbus, Ohio 1900 showing the boathouse at Olentangy Park circa 1897.

  • 1897 photo of the Olentangy Park Boathouse

    Photo in Columbus, Ohio 1900 showing the boathouse at Olentangy Park circa 1897.

  • A colorized photo of the boats at the Olentangy Park Boathouse

    Colorized photo from an 1899 Illustrated Guide to Columbus showing the boats at the boathouse at Olentangy Park sometime between 1897 and 1899.

  • A photo of the boats at the Olentangy Park Boathouse

    Photo from an 1899 Illustrated Guide to Columbus showing the boats at the boathouse at Olentangy Park sometime between 1897 and 1899.

  • 1896 images of Olentangy Park

    Page from The Columbus 400 showing Olentangy Park in its beginning with scenes of the Original Dancing Pavilion, the Boathouse, and Castle Gate Entrance.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Olentangy Then and Now." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, May 3, 1914. Page 46.
  2. ↑ "Still Another: Presbyterian Ladies Contract a July Excursion to Olentangy Park." The Marion Star (Marion, Ohio), June 2, 1897. Page 4. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107086322/still-another/
  3. ↑ "Olentangy Park." The Bucyrus Evening Telegraph (Bucyrus, Ohio), June 25, 1897. Page 3. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107087253/olentangy-park/
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Hyatt, Shirley. 2009. Clintonville and Beechwold, Arcadia Publishing.
  5. ↑ "Olentangy Park: Naphtha Launch on the River -- New Electric Light Plant." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 16, 1896. Page 6.
  6. ↑ "Olentangy Park." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 27, 1898. Page 11.
  7. ↑ "Olentangy Park." Columbus Evening Dispatch, August 22, 1912. Page 12.
  8. ↑ Columbus Evening Dispatch, April 19, 1914. Page 12.
  9. ↑ Campbell, Alex. 2018. "Olentangy Park Chronology." Clintonville History, July 18, 2018. https://clintonvillehistory.com/wp-content/images/web-images-2018-07-18-alex-campbell/olentangy%20park%20chronology2.pdf
  10. ↑ "Out for Salvage." The Columbus Evening Dispatch, July 8, 1904. Page 3.
  11. ↑ "Saved From Death in Olentangy Dam Pool." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, May 21, 1905. Pages 1-2.
  12. ↑ "Will Bother Canoeists." Columbus Evening Dispatch, October 30, 1912. Page 9.
  13. ↑ Lost and Found notice, Columbus Evening Dispatch, January 29, 1913. Page 12.
  14. ↑ "Olentangy Park." Columbus Evening Dispatch, July 31, 1913. Page 14.
  15. ↑ "Canoeists Will Organize a Club." Columbus Evening Dispatch, August 26, 1909. Page 2.
  16. ↑ "Canoeists Have Fine Sport in a Regatta." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, August 29, 1909. Page 8.
  17. ↑ "Canoe Regatta for Labor Day." Columbus Evening Dispatch, August 27, 1913. Page 15.
  18. ↑ "Canoe Club to Stage Regatta on Labor Day." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, August 31, 1913. Page 15.
  19. ↑ "Little Girl is Drowned When Canoe is Upset." Columbus Evening Dispatch, July 10, 1913. Page 1.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Barret, Richard E. 1984. "Olentangy Park: Four Decades of Fun." Columbus and Central Ohio Historian No. 1, April 1984. Page 11.
  21. ↑ Columbus Evening Dispatch, April 19, 1914. Page 12.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 "Olentangy Boat House Destroyed." The Columbus Dispatch, March 30, 1934. Page 1.
  23. ↑ "Canoeists are Promised Good Accommodations." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, February 23, 1913. Page 9.
  24. ↑ "Olentangy Park Opens." The Lantern, April 29, 1914. Page 4.
  25. ↑ "Olentangy Park, Founded in 1893, Long Was Amusement Mecca for Central Ohio." Columbus Evening Dispatch, April 1, 1938. Page 1.
  26. ↑ "Olentangy Park Opens." The Lantern, April 29, 1914. Page 4.
  27. ↑ "Canoeing." Columbus Evening Dispatch, April 29, 1917. Page 20.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Barret, Richard E. 1984. "Olentangy Park: Four Decades of Fun." Columbus and Central Ohio Historian No. 1, April 1984. Page 15.
  29. ↑ "Children Are Blamed." The Columbus Dispatch, March 31, 1934. Page 2.
  30. ↑ "Fire Runs." The Columbus Dispatch, March 31, 1934. Page 2.


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