Mysterious Sensation
| Type | Funhouse |
|---|---|
| Park Section | Midway, Northeast |
| Built | 1926 |
| Opened | 1926 |
| Closed | 1937 (park closure) |
| Manufacturer | Hollis G. Conrad |
| Designer | Hollis G. Conrad |
| Architect | Hollis G. Conrad |
| Frame | Iron |
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][3]
The attraction was said to be originated at the park[4], but other instances of the attraction were installed at other parks around the country soon after its invention in 1924 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-in. x 144-in. sheets nailed to 2 x 4 in. purlins spaced 2 feet apart with a 2-ft. 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]
Gallery
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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 Midway at Olentangy Park with the second Ye Olde Mill, Mysterious Sensation, Joy Mill, and second Dancing Pavilion.
References
- ↑ "Park Has a Mystery." Columbus Evening Dispatch. 16 April 1926. Pg. 51.
- ↑ Stow, Edgar. "Dameron Band…Goldfish Show At Olentangy Resort." Columbus Evening Dispatch. 3 July 1933. Pg. 9.
- ↑ Wentz, Howard E. "What Our Readers Have to Say." The Columbus Dispatch Sunday Magazine. 19 November 1967. Pg. 7.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Columbus, Ohio, Amusement Park Sports All Sheet Metal Fun House." American Artisan. United States: Keeney Publishing Company. 31 July 1926. Pg. 197-198.
- ↑ "Krug Park Will Reopen Saturday." The Omaha Daily News (Omaha, Nebraska). 4 May 1924. Pg. 11. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107206927/krug-park-will-reopen-saturday/
- ↑ Ad. Chicago Tribune. 18 May 1924. Pg. 99. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107207159/white-city-ad/
- ↑ "'Mysterious Sensation' To Open at Luna Park". The Houston Post (Houston, Texas). 11 July 1924. Pg. 16. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107207377/mysterious-sensation-to-open-at-luna/ https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107207409/mysterious-sensation-to-open-at-luna/
- ↑ "Variety Club at Olentangy Fiesta." Columbus Evening Dispatch. 26 July 1932. Pg. 8.
- ↑ 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. 1 April 2017. Accessed 30 July 2022. https://drloihjournal.blogspot.com/2017/04/white-city-amusement-park-63rd-street.html