Mysterious Sensation: Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox attraction
{{Infobox attraction
| name          = Mysterious Sensation
| name          = Mysterious Sensation
| type          = Unknown
| type          = Funhouse
| section        = Midway, Northeast
| section        = Midway
| built          = 1926
| built          = 1926
| opened        = 1926
| opened        = 1926
| closed        = 1937 (park closure)
| closed        = 1937 (park closure)
| manufacturer  = [[Hollis G. Conrad]]
| designer      = [[Hollis G. Conrad]]
| architect      = [[Hollis G. Conrad]]
| frame          = Iron
| replaced      = [[Roller Skating Rink (Portable)]]
}}
}}


An attraction called the [[Mysterious Sensation]] opened at Olentangy Park in 1926 and operated until the park's final season in 1937.
A funhouse attraction called the [[Mysterious Sensation]] opened at Olentangy Park in 1926<ref>"Park Has a Mystery." ''Columbus Evening Dispatch,'' April 16, 1926. Page 51.</ref> and operated until the park's final season in 1937. Parkgoers would walk through corridors designed to throw off their balance and distort their perceptions of gravity.<ref>Stow, Edgar. "Dameron Band…Goldfish Show At Olentangy Resort." ''Columbus Evening Dispatch,'' July 3, 1933. Page 9.</ref> The building was built on angles to give an impression that water was running uphill, to make you think you were walking downhill when you were really walking uphill.<ref>Wentz, Howard E. "What Our Readers Have to Say." ''The Columbus Dispatch Sunday Magazine,'' November 19, 1967. Page 7.</ref>
 
The attraction was said to have originated at the park,<ref name="sheetmetal">"Columbus, Ohio, Amusement Park Sports All Sheet Metal Fun House." ''American Artisan,'' United States: Keeney Publishing Company. July 31, 1926. Pages 197-198.</ref> but other instances of the attraction were installed at other parks around the country soon after its invention in 1925, such as Krug Park, White City, and Luna Park.<ref>"Krug Park Will Reopen Saturday." ''The Omaha Daily News (Omaha, Nebraska).'' May 4, 1924. Page 11. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107206927/krug-park-will-reopen-saturday/</ref><ref>Advertisement. 1924. ''Chicago Tribune.'' May 18, 1924. Page 99. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107207159/white-city-ad/</ref><ref>"'Mysterious Sensation' To Open at Luna Park." ''The Houston Post (Houston, Texas).'' July 11, 1924. Page 16. Accessed through Newspapers.com [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107207377/mysterious-sensation-to-open-at-luna/ Clip 1] [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107207409/mysterious-sensation-to-open-at-luna/ Clip 2]</ref> The Olentangy Park version possibly was the first built entirely of sheet metal inside and out. It was built of 3.5 tons of Armco Ingot Iron, 26-gauge 26.5-by-144-inch sheets nailed to 2-by-4-inch purlins spaced 2 feet apart with a 2-foot center for siding. No fire insurance was required for the attraction because there wasn't any wood. [[Hollis G. Conrad]] was the inventor, designer, and builder.<ref name="sheetmetal" />
 
It was described as having "mingled 45 and 20-degree angle planes."<ref>"Variety Club at Olentangy Fiesta." ''Columbus Evening Dispatch.'' July 26, 1932. Page 8.</ref> A similar attraction at White City Amusement Park in Chicago and "was likened to Riverview [Park]'s Aladdin’s Castle and a Haunted House mixed together."<ref>Gale, Neil, Ph.D. "White City Amusement Park, 63rd Street and South Parkway (Martin Luther King Dr.), Chicago, Illinois. (1905-1933)." ''Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal,'' April 1, 2017. Accessed July 30, 2022. https://drloihjournal.blogspot.com/2017/04/white-city-amusement-park-63rd-street.html</ref>
 
When installed at Fair Park in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1927, the description in ''The Birmingham News''<ref>"Mystery House--Just What is It?" ''The Birmingham News (Birmingham, Alabama).'' May 15, 1927. Page 92.</ref> described that attraction as:
 
<blockquote>
The interior was nothing out of the ordinary, with the average bungalow, with the exception of the floor, which was unusual in its slight gradient. With none of the usual accessories of the diversified types of "fun houses," the sensation is more peculiar and distinctly pleasing.
 
Defying the laws of simple gravitation, rubber balls roll up an inclined plane and add to the mystery of the building.
</blockquote>
 
The building was decorated with an "Under the Sea" theme in 1933.<ref>{{Cite news |lastname = Charrington|firstname = H. E.|articletitle = Olentangy Opening Near---Hardgrove Is New Fo'castle Manager---Tidings of Film|pub = The Columbus Dispatch|date = May 16, 1933|page = 2-C }}</ref>
 
== Related Patents ==
* Amusement house. (June 30, 1925) U.S. Patent No. 1,544,220 [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XXH1M385TkBjj0q-S4dEoTLCHWPxosLE/view?usp=sharing PDF]<ref>Conrad, H. C. 1925. "Amusement house." U.S. Patent No. 1,544,220. Accessed through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XXH1M385TkBjj0q-S4dEoTLCHWPxosLE/view?usp=sharing PDF]</ref>


== Gallery==
== Gallery==
<gallery>
<gallery>
File:CannonBallExpress Photo OhioMemory.jpg|alt=The Cannon Ball Express miniature railway and the Midway with the second Ye Old Mill, Mysterious Sensation, Rifle Range, and the Joy Mill. (c. 1929-1930s)|The Cannon Ball Express miniature railway and the [[Midway]] with the second [[Ye Olde Mill (Second)|Ye Old Mill]], Mysterious Sensation, [[Rifle Range]], and the [[Joy Mill]]. (c. 1929-1930s)
File:CannonBallExpress Photo OhioMemory.jpg|alt=The Cannon Ball Express miniature railway and the Midway with the second Ye Old Mill, Mysterious Sensation, Rifle Range, and the Joy Mill. (c. 1929-1930s)|The Cannon Ball Express miniature railway and the [[Midway]] with the second [[Ye Olde Mill (2)|Ye Old Mill]], Mysterious Sensation, [[Rifle Range]], and the [[Joy Mill]]. (c. 1929-1930s)
File:Midway Photo OhioMemory.jpg|alt=The Midway at Olentangy Park with the second Ye Olde Mill, Mysterious Sensation, Joy Mill, and second Dancing Pavilion.|The Midway at Olentangy Park with the second [[Ye Olde Mill (Second)|Ye Olde Mill]], Mysterious Sensation, [[Joy Mill]], and second [[Dancing Pavilion (Second)|Dancing Pavilion]].   
File:Midway Photo OhioMemory.jpg|alt=The Midway at Olentangy Park with the second Ye Olde Mill, Mysterious Sensation, Joy Mill, and second Dancing Pavilion.|The Midway at Olentangy Park with the second [[Ye Olde Mill (2)|Ye Olde Mill]], Mysterious Sensation, [[Joy Mill]], and second [[Dancing Pavilion (2)|Dancing Pavilion]].   
</gallery>
</gallery>
== References ==
<references />
{{Attractions}}
{{Midway}}
{{Park Sections}}


[[Category:Attractions]]
[[Category:Attractions]]
[[Category:Funhouses]]
[[Category:Midway]]
[[Category:Added in 1926]]
[[Category:Added in 1926]]
[[Category:Closed in 1937]]
{{#seo:|description=A funhouse attraction called the Mysterious Sensation opened at Olentangy Park in 1926 and operated until the park's final season in 1937.}}
{{#seo:|keywords=Mysterious Sensation, funhouse, fun house, Olentangy Park, Olentangy Amusement Park, Olentangy Park Columbus, Columbus amusement park, amusement park, Clintonville, defunct amusement park, Hollis G. Conrad, Conrad}}

Latest revision as of 20:23, 21 July 2025

Mysterious Sensation
Type Funhouse
Park Section Midway
Built 1926
Opened 1926
Closed 1937 (park closure)
Manufacturer Hollis G. Conrad
Designer Hollis G. Conrad
Architect Hollis G. Conrad
Frame Iron
Replaced Roller Skating Rink (Portable)

A funhouse attraction called the Mysterious Sensation opened at Olentangy Park in 1926[1] and operated until the park's final season in 1937. Parkgoers would walk through corridors designed to throw off their balance and distort their perceptions of gravity.[2] The building was built on angles to give an impression that water was running uphill, to make you think you were walking downhill when you were really walking uphill.[3]

The attraction was said to have originated at the park,[4] but other instances of the attraction were installed at other parks around the country soon after its invention in 1925, such as Krug Park, White City, and Luna Park.[5][6][7] The Olentangy Park version possibly was the first built entirely of sheet metal inside and out. It was built of 3.5 tons of Armco Ingot Iron, 26-gauge 26.5-by-144-inch sheets nailed to 2-by-4-inch purlins spaced 2 feet apart with a 2-foot center for siding. No fire insurance was required for the attraction because there wasn't any wood. Hollis G. Conrad was the inventor, designer, and builder.[4]

It was described as having "mingled 45 and 20-degree angle planes."[8] A similar attraction at White City Amusement Park in Chicago and "was likened to Riverview [Park]'s Aladdin’s Castle and a Haunted House mixed together."[9]

When installed at Fair Park in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1927, the description in The Birmingham News[10] described that attraction as:

The interior was nothing out of the ordinary, with the average bungalow, with the exception of the floor, which was unusual in its slight gradient. With none of the usual accessories of the diversified types of "fun houses," the sensation is more peculiar and distinctly pleasing.

Defying the laws of simple gravitation, rubber balls roll up an inclined plane and add to the mystery of the building.

The building was decorated with an "Under the Sea" theme in 1933.[11]

  • Amusement house. (June 30, 1925) U.S. Patent No. 1,544,220 PDF[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Park Has a Mystery." Columbus Evening Dispatch, April 16, 1926. Page 51.
  2. ↑ Stow, Edgar. "Dameron Band…Goldfish Show At Olentangy Resort." Columbus Evening Dispatch, July 3, 1933. Page 9.
  3. ↑ Wentz, Howard E. "What Our Readers Have to Say." The Columbus Dispatch Sunday Magazine, November 19, 1967. Page 7.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Columbus, Ohio, Amusement Park Sports All Sheet Metal Fun House." American Artisan, United States: Keeney Publishing Company. July 31, 1926. Pages 197-198.
  5. ↑ "Krug Park Will Reopen Saturday." The Omaha Daily News (Omaha, Nebraska). May 4, 1924. Page 11. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107206927/krug-park-will-reopen-saturday/
  6. ↑ Advertisement. 1924. Chicago Tribune. May 18, 1924. Page 99. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107207159/white-city-ad/
  7. ↑ "'Mysterious Sensation' To Open at Luna Park." The Houston Post (Houston, Texas). July 11, 1924. Page 16. Accessed through Newspapers.com Clip 1 Clip 2
  8. ↑ "Variety Club at Olentangy Fiesta." Columbus Evening Dispatch. July 26, 1932. Page 8.
  9. ↑ Gale, Neil, Ph.D. "White City Amusement Park, 63rd Street and South Parkway (Martin Luther King Dr.), Chicago, Illinois. (1905-1933)." Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal, April 1, 2017. Accessed July 30, 2022. https://drloihjournal.blogspot.com/2017/04/white-city-amusement-park-63rd-street.html
  10. ↑ "Mystery House--Just What is It?" The Birmingham News (Birmingham, Alabama). May 15, 1927. Page 92.
  11. ↑ Charrington, H. E.. "Olentangy Opening Near---Hardgrove Is New Fo'castle Manager---Tidings of Film." The Columbus Dispatch. May 16, 1933. Page 2-C.
  12. ↑ Conrad, H. C. 1925. "Amusement house." U.S. Patent No. 1,544,220. Accessed through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office PDF


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