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[[1910 Season|View 1910 season]] | [[1910 Season|View 1910 season]] | ||
====1911==== | |||
* New cement walkways are laid, and new globe lamps and fancy light poles are added throughout the park.<ref>"Olentangy." ''The Columbus Sunday Dispatch." March 26, 1911. Page 10.</ref> | |||
* The [[Crazy House]], [[Double Whirl]], [[Electric Autos]], and a [[Millrace and Fish Pond|millrace and fish pond]] are added.<ref>"Olentangy." ''The Columbus Evening Dispatch." April 22, 1911. Page 10.</ref> | |||
* In July, a major fire destroys five (or seven<ref name="oakland">"Fire Causes Panic." ''Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Calif.).'' July 17, 1911. Page 5. Accessed through Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/oakland-tribune-1911-07-17/page/n3/mode/2up?q=%22Olentangy+Park%22</ref>) attractions along the Midway, including the [[Ye Olde Mill (1)|Ye Old Mill]], [[The Destruction of Johnstown]], the [[Arcadia|Penny Arcade]], [[Dear Old Coney Island]], and the [[Temple of Mirth]]. | |||
[[1911 Season|View 1911 season]] | |||
====1912==== | |||
[[1912 Season|View 1912 season]] | |||
====1913==== | |||
* The [[Fun House]] replaces [[Crazy House]]. | |||
* The North Side Chamber of Commerce holds a major May Day Outing<ref name="mayday">"Strenuous Billy Given Vociferous Welcome By Many Local Admirers." ''Columbus Evening Dispatch.'' May 23, 1913. Pages 1-2.</ref> featuring the famous Rev. "Billy" Sunday<ref>"Sunday Will Discuss 'Butterfly Chasers'." ''Columbus Evening Dispatch.'' May 16, 1913. Page 8.</ref>, speeches by local politicians, and musical performances. "Movie photographers" are stationed at one of the park's entrances to film the thousands of parkgoers passing through the gates as well as the day's events. | |||
* A wedding is performed at the park with 10,000 attendees.<ref>"Are Married at Park While 10,000 Look On." ''Columbus Evening Dispatch.'' June 26, 1913. Page 2.</ref> | |||
* A Civil War reenactment takes place in a field north of Olentangy Park. The battle performance is by the Old Guard and the National Guard<ref>"Sham Battle." ''Columbus Evening Dispatch.'' August 19, 1913. Page 14.</ref> soldiers from the Columbus Barracks, with the barracks soldiers posing as the Confederates. President Woodrow Wilson presses a button at the White House at noon, Central Time, to trigger the show.<ref name="seesbattles">"Columbus Sees Battles." ''The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio).'' August 21, 1913. Page 5. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-plain-dealer-columbus-sees-battles/160451759/</ref> | |||
* Thousands of ballots with those running for mayor are printed and given to men and women during an outing on August 27 as part of an event explaining and practicing voting before women had the right to do so.<ref>"Suffragets Will Show That They Can Vote." ''The Columbus Sunday Dispatch.'' August 24, 1913. Page 13.</ref> | |||
* [[Fair Japan]] closes around this year. | |||
[[1913 Season|View 1913 season]] | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
<References /> | <References /> | ||
Revision as of 17:55, 18 June 2025
This page is under construction. Please remove this notice when complete.
Timeine
Below is a timeline of major events at Olentangy Park:
1890-1899
1896
- The Columbus Street Railway Company built the land the Villa Tavern stood at the end of one of the trolley lines.[1]
- "The Villa" is officially named "Olentangy Park" when a volunteer wins a Columbus Dispatch naming contest.[1][2]
- The park opened for its first season on June 12, 1896.[3]
- The first Dancing Pavilion and Merry-Go-Round were built.[1][4] The Boathouse and south bandstand already existed on the site.
- Two bowling alleys were built into the Boathouse.[1]
1897
- Kinetoscope views began to be shown to audiences every evening[5]
1898
- After flooding destroyed the original bowling alleys, four new alleys are built in the boathouse.[6][7]
1899
- The Olentangy Park Company was incorporated.
- The Columbus Street Railway Company transferred its lease to Joseph W. Dusenbury and Eli West,[8][9][10] but is often seen as being purchased by Joseph W. and Will J. Dusenbury or "The Dusenbury Brothers."[11] The Dusenbury Brothers also owned nearby Minerva Park and the Southern, Grand, and other theaters in Columbus.[1]
- The Olentangy Park Casino and Theater was built just north of the ravine.[12][13][14][15][16]
- The park's first funhouse, the Crystal Maze is built.[13][14]
- A wing in the first Dancing Pavilion is closed and a bowling alley is installed.[12][3]
- Constables attempted to shut down the Sunday performance in the theater on June 18, 1899, resulting in a riot.[17][18]
1900-1909
1900
- The Bathing Pavilion and Water Toboggan were built on the river.[19][20][21][22]
- The park's first Shooting Gallery is built just south of the Crystal Maze.[13][14]
- Stunts started to become a staple at the park.[23]
1901
- The Columbus Street Railway Company builds a new steel trestle bridge to replace the wooden one that went from High Street to Olentangy Park, expanding it to two tracks.[24][25][26][27]
- J. W. Dusenbury secretly signs a 99-year lease on the park's property, renewal forever, beginning in March 1901 from Henry T. Chittenden and his ex-wife Henrietta B. Burgher, discovered through a land dispute. The Columbus Railway Company waives its lease on the property. This adds 27 acres to the park.[28][29]
- A new dining hall and restaurant are added.[30]
1902
- A major lawsuit by Otho L. Hays and Daniel H. Mackey, owners of the Ball Grounds, is filed against the park company over relocating fences on the east and south sides to cut through public streets and enclosing a roadway within the park. They wanted to also raise the rent for their land. The fences were removed.[31]
- The park's first mechanical ride, Figure Eight Toboggan, is built.[32][33]
- The Miniature Railway is built just north of the Figure Eight.[34]
- A fire destroys the mills of the Boathouse on June 13, 1902.[35]
1903
- The Dusenburys remove the fences in the Hays-Mackey dispute and saw the old dining hall in half as well as part of the Dancing Pavilion. A row of posts leading from High Street to the park grounds are removed, and the holes are filled in.[36]
- The Columbus Railway Company leases 5 acres south of the park, extending it as far south as Dodridge Street, affording new walks and picnic grounds.[37] As part of the remodeling of all the buildings, calcium light effects are added to the theater and 1,000 additional lights are installed to the park.[38]
- Improvements were made to the Ball Grounds, and the Modern Woodmen baseball team changes its name to the Olentangy Athletic Club.[39]
- The Cave of the Winds, House of Trouble, Laughing Gallery, and Ferris Wheel are built. The Cave of the Winds and House of Trouble are open for just one year.
- The Dusenburys open the Zoological Garden. The collection consists of buffalo, dromedaries, elk, deer, lions, leopards, bear, wild hogs, wild cats, foxes, fowls, and more.[40]
- Naturalist Oliver Davie moves an extensive collection of mounted birds and animals from Minerva Park to Olentangy Park's new Museum of Ornithology.[41] An aquarium is built in the center of the building - the first of its kind in Columbus.[42]
- The Crystal Maze closes after four years in operation.
1904
- J. W. Dusenbury leases a tract of the Mackey land on the west side of High Street adjoining Olentangy Park for 10 years, and a Hays plot of land on the west side of High Street adjoining the land also for 10 years.[43]
- The park expands to comprise over 100 square acres.[44]
- The Ball Grounds are enclosed.[44]
- A large grandstand is added.[44]
- The Dancing Pavilion and bowling alleys are enlarged and improved.[44]
- The Colonnade replaces the restrooms and refreshment stands across from the theater.[44][45][46]
- New funhouses are added: The Mystic Castle, also called the Castle Mystic, the Palace of Illusions, and the House That Jack Built, [47] constructed by J. W. Zarro.[48]
- The Circle Swing is installed near the Figure Eight.[45]
- The first Ye Olde Mill or Auquarama opens.[46]
- The Zoological Garden expands to three times the size. One of the additions includes a large pressed brick animal house.[45]
- The Down and Out slide is added and only lasts a year.[49]
- The Boathouse boats are swept away in a July flood over the dam, landing near residences. Only 19 of the 22 boats are recovered by the next day.[50]
1905
- To make room for the growth of the zoo, the park grounds are extended to Doddridge Street, making the park around 100 acres.[51]
- "Fair Japan," a Japanese Village exhibit is built on 10 acres[51] at the park.[1]
- New Greenhouses and a Palm Garden are built.
- Deep wells are built to provide cold drinking water to patrons.[51]
- The Dancing Pavilion closes after nine years of running to be replaced with a much larger building.
- The House That Jack Built closes at the end of the season.
1906
- The park grows to more than 100 acres, extending a half mile north from Dodridge Street on "both sides of the Olentangy River" and east to North High Street.
- The Forest Toboggan is purchased from the Columbus Zoological Company and erected along High Street and to the north. It opens as the Scenic Coaster.[52]
- A new Carousel is placed in the structure of the old Dancing Pavilion.[52][53]
- The park's first Roller Skating Rink was added near the southeast entrance with an approach from High Street.
- Several attractions are added including Fantasma, Creation or The Great Hereafter, Photographic Gallery, Theatorium, and Tours of the World.
- Temple of Mirth was added to a new Midway north of the planned Dancing Pavilion.
- Egyptian Mystery and The Third Degree are added to the Colonnade.[54] The latter for only a year.
- J. W. Dusenbury closes Minerva Park to focus on Olentangy Park.[55]
- The first wireless telegraph sent in Columbus is sent from the park to the State Institution for the Deaf and Dumb.[56][57]
- Mystic Castle and Laughing Gallery close to make room for the next Dancing Pavilion.[58]
- Construction begins on the new Dancing Pavilion near the Old Mill at the north end of the park.[52]
1907
- Otho L. Hays from the earlier land dispute goes bankrupt and sells his land. The park gains a portion of the land, growing the park to more than 100 acres.[59]
- A fire in July destroys the Theatorium, Photographic Gallery, and Tours of the World in the north end of the park.[60]
- The new larger Dancing Pavilion is completed and opens to the public. It is the largest dancing pavilion in Ohio.[61][62]
- The Igorrote Village exhibit opens and runs for two years.[63]
- The Gypsy Camp opens featuring Queen Stella, the "genuine gypsy fortune teller."
1908
- The Loop-the-Loop opens as one of the first three operating looping coasters in North America[64]
- The Scenic Temple opens, showing "Battle Scenes of the Republic"[65][66]
- The Hindoo Mystery replaces Egyptian Mystery in the Colonnade before closing at the end of the season.[67][54]
- The Infant Incubator opens in the Colonnade and runs for a year.
- The Motion Picture Exhibit is rebuilt.[68]
- The Museum of Ornithology closes after five years of operation. The mounted bird display is purchased by the Audubon Society and was installed in the Sullivant School six years later.[69]
1909
- The park expands in the north to 125 acres.[70]
- The Olentangy Canoe Club holds its first annual regatta at the Boathouse, where there were 22 canoes.[71][72]
- The new north Midway opens with Arcadia, Automatic Vaudeville, and Love's Voyage.[73] It was built around the Temple of Mirth and just north of the Dancing Pavilion.
- The Shoot-the-Chutes was built at the most northern part of the park.[74][73]
- Across from the Midway, the Whirlwind coaster, Ocean Wave, and Ferris Wheel were built north of Fair Japan.[74][73]
- The Panama Canal Exhibit is added to the Colonnade for a year.
1910-1919
1910
- A 6-foot (possibly meant 60-foot) cement sidewalk is added that went from the main entrance to the north end of the ravine and a space at the attractions.[75][76]
- A new automobile and carriage entrance with a fancy gateway entrance is constructed on High Street just north of the ravine. A space at the west end of this driveway is set aside for parking automobiles.
- The Johnstown Flood replaces Automatic Vaudeville and Coney Island replaces Love's Voyage in the Midway.
- The North Bandstand and a merry-go-round are added.
1911
- New cement walkways are laid, and new globe lamps and fancy light poles are added throughout the park.[77]
- The Crazy House, Double Whirl, Electric Autos, and a millrace and fish pond are added.[78]
- In July, a major fire destroys five (or seven[79]) attractions along the Midway, including the Ye Old Mill, The Destruction of Johnstown, the Penny Arcade, Dear Old Coney Island, and the Temple of Mirth.
1912
1913
- The Fun House replaces Crazy House.
- The North Side Chamber of Commerce holds a major May Day Outing[80] featuring the famous Rev. "Billy" Sunday[81], speeches by local politicians, and musical performances. "Movie photographers" are stationed at one of the park's entrances to film the thousands of parkgoers passing through the gates as well as the day's events.
- A wedding is performed at the park with 10,000 attendees.[82]
- A Civil War reenactment takes place in a field north of Olentangy Park. The battle performance is by the Old Guard and the National Guard[83] soldiers from the Columbus Barracks, with the barracks soldiers posing as the Confederates. President Woodrow Wilson presses a button at the White House at noon, Central Time, to trigger the show.[84]
- Thousands of ballots with those running for mayor are printed and given to men and women during an outing on August 27 as part of an event explaining and practicing voting before women had the right to do so.[85]
- Fair Japan closes around this year.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Barret, Richard E. 1984. "Olentangy Park: Four Decades of Fun." Columbus and Central Ohio Historian No. 1, April 1984. Pages 5-9.
- ↑ "The Villa Renamed at Last." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 2, 1896. Page 7.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Olentangy Park." Illustrated Guide to Columbus 1899. Page 26.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park Opened." Columbus Evening Dispatch, June 13, 1896. Page 5.
- ↑ Advertisement, Columbus Evening Dispatch, July 31, 1897. Page 6.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 27, 1898. Page 11.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park: The Band Concerts." Columbus Evening Dispatch, June 9, 1989. Page 11.
- ↑ "Conspiracy Charged By J. W. Dusenbury and His Friends." Columbus Evening Dispatch, August 1, 1899. Page 6.
- ↑ "Simply 'Referred' Was That Long-Looked-For Report." Columbus Evening Dispatch, August 8, 1899. Page 5.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park Started as Beer Garden in '90's." The Columbus Dispatch, August 30, 1931. Page 18-G.
- ↑ Lentz, Ed. 2021. "Columbus' amusement parks once were entertainment hot spots." The Columbus Dispatch, October 4, 2021. Accessed on July 22, 2022. https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2021/10/04/columbus-amusement-parks-once-were-entertainment-hot-spots/5886060001/
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Location is Changed." Columbus Evening Dispatch, March 27, 1899. Page 7.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. Sanborn Map Company, Vol. 1, 1901. Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn06656_003/.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. Sanborn Map Company, Vol. 1, 1901, Sheet 63. Map. https://sanborn-ohioweblibrary-org.oh0057.oplin.org/viewer/?id=13464
- ↑ Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. Sanborn Map Company, - 1922 Vol. 3, 1922, 1922. Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn06656_008/.
- ↑ General Map, The Olentangy Amusement Co., Columbus, Ohio, 1924.
- ↑ "Torrid Was Olentangy Heat." Columbus Evening Dispatch, June 19, 1899. Page 5.
- ↑ "That Sunday Riot." Columbus Evening Dispatch, June 19, 1899. Page 4.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park Started as Beer Garden in '90's." The Columbus Dispatch, August 30, 1931. Page 18-G.
- ↑ "Bathing at Olentangy Park." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, June 17, 1906. Page 2.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 20, 1900. Page 18.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park." The Democrat-Sentinel (Logan, OH), June 14, 1906. Page 2. Accessed through Newspapers.com Clip 1 | Clip 2
- ↑ "Olentangy Features." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 18, 1900. Page 7.
- ↑ "Steel Trestle." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 28, 1901. Page 7.
- ↑ "Bond was Filed." Columbus Evening Dispatch, June 13, 1901. Page 12.
- ↑ "The New Loop." Columbus Evening Dispatch, July 10, 1901. Page 7.
- ↑ "Real Estate Transfers." Columbus Evening Dispatch, July 10, 1901. Page 10.
- ↑ "H.T. Chittenden Sued." Friday Columbus Dispatch, June 13, 1902. Page 7.
- ↑ "Mrs. Burgher's Note." Wednesday Columbus Dispatch, July 23, 1902. Page 7.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park: Opening of the Season." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 19, 1901. Page 12.
- ↑ "Short Items." Columbus Evening Dispatch. 13 May 1901. Pg. 7.
- ↑ "Olentangy Then and Now." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, May 3, 1914. Page 46.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park—Tassin's New Comedy." Friday Columbus Dispatch, August 1, 1902. Page 7.
- ↑ "Geisha Girls are to be Attraction." Columbus Evening Dispatch, January 2, 1905. Page 5.
- ↑ 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
- ↑ "Roadways Cleared Up." Monday Columbus Dispatch. 2 November 1903. Pg. 7.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park." Wednesday Columbus Dispatch, April 1, 1903. Page 9.
- ↑ "Beautiful Olentangy." Monday Columbus Dispatch, May 18, 1903. Page 12.
- ↑ "Amature Notes." Friday Columbus Dispatch, June 12, 1903. Page 11.
- ↑ "Olentangy 'Zoo.'" The Sunday Columbus Dispatch, January 24, 1903. Page 6.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park." The Sunday Columbus Dispatch. May 3, 1903. Pages 8-9.
- ↑ "Birds and Fish." Saturday Columbus Dispatch, February 28, 1903. Page 11.
- ↑ "Olentangy Leases Filed." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. 12 June 1904. Pg. 7.
- ↑ 44.0 44.1 44.2 44.3 44.4 "Grand Opening Olentangy Park, Theater and Zoo." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, April 24, 1904. Page 4.
- ↑ 45.0 45.1 45.2 "Olentangy Park, a Coney Island Rival" The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, May 1, 1904. Page 4.
- ↑ 46.0 46.1 "New Greenhouse, Baby Elk, Enlarged Zoo and Landscape Gardening." Columbus Evening Dispatch, September 13, 1904. Page 7.
- ↑ Advertisement, The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, April 24, 1904. Page 4.
- ↑ The Billboard, 16 (17): 8. April 23, 1904.
- ↑ "Real Opening Day at Olentangy Park Today." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, May 22, 1904. Page 4.
- ↑ "Out for Salvage." Columbus Evening Dispatch, July 8, 1904. Page 3.
- ↑ 51.0 51.1 51.2 "Opening of Olentangy." Columbus Evening Dispatch, April 16, 1905. Page 6.
- ↑ 52.0 52.1 52.2 "Olentangy Park Opens on April 29." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, April 15, 1906. Page 7.
- ↑ "Auspicious Day for Park Opening." Columbus Evening Dispatch, April 30, 1906. Page 6.
- ↑ 54.0 54.1 Postcard. "Olentangy Park, Columbus, Ohio." Published by The Valentine & Sons Publishing Co.206.966 JV Accessed through Columbus Metropolitan Library Digital Collections. https://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/digital/collection/postcard/id/41463
- ↑ "Plea for Minerva Park." Columbus Evening Dispatch, September 29, 1906. Page 4.
- ↑ "First Wireless Message in Columbus." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 17, 1906. Page 1.
- ↑ "First Wireless Message in Columbus." The Deaf-Mutes' Journal, May 24, 1906. Page 2. Accessed through the Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/TheDeaf-mutesJournalmay.241906/page/n1/mode/2up
- ↑ "Resorts are Planning Many Improvements." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, February 11, 1906. Page 7.
- ↑ "Notice of Sale." The Columbus Evening Dispatch, June 22, 1907. Page 9.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park Fire Not Destructive." The Marion Daily Mirror (Marion, Ohio), July 29, 1907. Page 8.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park to Be Opened April 28." Columbus Evening Dispatch, March 29, 1907. Page 16.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park." The Columbus Evening Dispatch, June 20, 1907. Page 4.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park." Columbus Evening Dispatch, August 20, 1907. Page 4.
- ↑ Barrett, Richard E. 1985. "More on Olentangy Park." Columbus and Central Ohio Historian No. 3. May 1985. Page 37.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park, Theater, and Zoo." Dispatch Daily Magazine, May 29, 1908. Page 12.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park." Dispatch Daily Magazine, April 23, 1908. Page 14.
- ↑ "Olentangy." The Columbus Evening Dispatch, June 19, 1908. Page 18.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park." Columbus Evening Dispatch, April 12, 1908. Page 5.
- ↑ "Bird Lovers Will Meet." Ohio State Lantern (Columbus, Ohio), October 1, 1914. Page 3.
- ↑ "Olentangy." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, October 23, 1909. Page 10.
- ↑ "Canoeists Will Organize a Club." Columbus Evening Dispatch, August 26, 1909. Page 2.
- ↑ "Canoeists Have Fine Sport in a Regatta." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, August 29, 1909. Page 8.
- ↑ 73.0 73.1 73.2 "Olentangy." Columbus Evening Dispatch, April 11, 1909. Page 5.
- ↑ 74.0 74.1 "Panoramic Views of Olentangy Park Showing Many New Amusement Structures Being Erected on Newly Acquired Tract of 25 Acres to North." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, March 28, 1909. Page 1.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, April 3, 1910. Page 5.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, April 10, 1910. Page 5.
- ↑ "Olentangy." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch." March 26, 1911. Page 10.
- ↑ "Olentangy." The Columbus Evening Dispatch." April 22, 1911. Page 10.
- ↑ "Fire Causes Panic." Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Calif.). July 17, 1911. Page 5. Accessed through Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/oakland-tribune-1911-07-17/page/n3/mode/2up?q=%22Olentangy+Park%22
- ↑ "Strenuous Billy Given Vociferous Welcome By Many Local Admirers." Columbus Evening Dispatch. May 23, 1913. Pages 1-2.
- ↑ "Sunday Will Discuss 'Butterfly Chasers'." Columbus Evening Dispatch. May 16, 1913. Page 8.
- ↑ "Are Married at Park While 10,000 Look On." Columbus Evening Dispatch. June 26, 1913. Page 2.
- ↑ "Sham Battle." Columbus Evening Dispatch. August 19, 1913. Page 14.
- ↑ "Columbus Sees Battles." The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio). August 21, 1913. Page 5. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-plain-dealer-columbus-sees-battles/160451759/
- ↑ "Suffragets Will Show That They Can Vote." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. August 24, 1913. Page 13.