Boathouse
| Type | Activity Space |
|---|---|
| Park Section | The Ravine |
| Built | 1880 |
| Opened | 1891 |
| Closed | April 19, 1914 |
| Architect | Joseph Gettner (1880) |
The Boathouse was one of the first structures built at Olentangy Park[1][2] and offered Naphtha launches and canoes[3][4][5] for parkgoers to boat a 3-mile course on the Olentangy River. It was located along the Olentangy River,[6] south of the Theater and the ravine bridge.[7][8][9][10] A set of wooden steps allowed parkgoers to travel from the plateau to the boathouse at the edge of the ravine.[7]
The boathouse was the oldest building at the park and was near the original Olentangy Villa restaurant,[2] built in 1880 by Joseph Gettner[11] and operated by Robert M. Turner.[12]
Boat rides were 10 cents$3.21 in 2025 dollars per trip.[13]
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 1913.[7][8][6] Members of the performing stock company playing in the theater often used the canoes and camped in the area after performances.[14]
The Naphtha launches were early motorboats and were 20 feet long.[15] By 1904, they were electrically powered. Rowboats were a "safe and speedy type" of clinker-built rowboats.[16] The boathouse boats were swept away in a flood on July 7, 1904. They were swept over the dam, landing near residences. Only 19 of the 22 boats were recovered by the next day.[17]
In the fall of 1912, park manager J. W. Dusenbury objected to a proposed sewer addition by the City of Columbus to the Olentangy River because it interrupted canoeing and boating at the boathouse. He urged them to wait until the following fall.[18]
There were 110 boats available in 1912.[19]
A canoe was stolen from the Boathouse in January 1913. It had a green body, open mahogany gunwales, and was double rifled.[20]
A 35-foot motorboat was added in late July 1913. The boathouse had 150 canoes and 50 rowboats at the time.[21]
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.[5][22] The main part of the building was torn down on April 19, 1914,[23] and replaced with a one-and-a-half-story structure.[24][1]
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 22 canoes at the time.[25][26] 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 Sept. 1. Events included:
- Singles, 100 yards straightaway - Prizes: First, $2$64.94 in 2025 dollars hat; 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.[27] Over 40 entries were received, the largest since the club was organized.[28]
Accidents and Injuries
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.[29]
Fires
1902 Fire
A fire destroyed the mills on the river on June 13, 1902.[30]
Gallery
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Colorized photo from Columbus, Ohio 1900 showing the boathouse at Olentangy Park circa 1897. -
Photo in Columbus, Ohio 1900 showing the boathouse at Olentangy Park circa 1897. -
Colorized photo from an 1899 Illustrated Guide to Columbus showing the boats at the boathouse at Olentangy Park sometime between 1897 and 1899. -
Photo from an 1899 Illustrated Guide to Columbus showing the boats at the boathouse at Olentangy Park sometime between 1897 and 1899. -
Page from The Columbus 400 showing Olentangy Park in its beginning with scenes of the first Dancing Pavilion, the Boathouse, and Castle Gate entrance.
Notes
According to the Columbus Dispatch article covering the 1934 fire, the boathouse building was built in 1900.[24]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Olentangy Then and Now." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. May 3, 1914. Page 46.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. Sanborn Map Company, 1891. Map.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park." The Bucyrus Evening Telegraph (Bucyrus, Ohio). June 25, 1897. Page 3. Accessed through Newspapers.com.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Hyatt, Shirley. 2009. Clintonville and Beechwold. Arcadia Publishing.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Boat House." Illustrated Guide to Columbus 1899. Page 32.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. Sanborn Map Company, Vol. 1, 1901. Map.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. Sanborn Map Company, Vol. 1, 1901, Sheet 63. Map.
- ↑ General Map, The Olentangy Amusement Co., Columbus, Ohio, 1924.
- ↑ "Columbus Railway & Light Co."The Street Railway Review. Feb. 15, 1906. Vol. 16. Issue 2. Page 70. Accessed through the Internet Archive.
- ↑ Columbus Evening Dispatch. April 19, 1914. Page 12.
- ↑ Campbell, Alex. 2018. "Olentangy Park Chronology." Clintonville History. July 18, 2018.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park, Founded in 1893, Long Was Amusement Mecca for Central Ohio." Columbus Evening Dispatch. April 1, 1938. Page 1.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park." Columbus Evening Dispatch. Aug. 22, 1912. Page 12.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park: Naphtha Launch on the River — New Electric Light Plant." Columbus Evening Dispatch. May 16, 1896. Page 6.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park." Columbus Evening Dispatch. May 27, 1898. Page 11.
- ↑ "Out for Salvage." The Columbus Evening Dispatch. July 8, 1904. Page 3.
- ↑ "Will Bother Canoeists." Columbus Evening Dispatch. Oct. 30, 1912. Page 9.
- ↑ "Canoeists are Promised Good Accommodations." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. Feb. 23, 1913. Page 9.
- ↑ Lost and Found notice. Columbus Evening Dispatch. Jan. 29, 1913. Page 12.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park." Columbus Evening Dispatch. July 31, 1913. Page 14.
- ↑ Barrett, Richard E. 1984. "Olentangy Park: Four Decades of Fun." Columbus and Central Ohio Historian No. 1. April 1984. Page 11.
- ↑ Columbus Evening Dispatch. April 19, 1914. Page 12.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Olentangy Boat House Destroyed." The Columbus Dispatch. March 30, 1934. Page 1.
- ↑ "Canoeists Will Organize a Club." Columbus Evening Dispatch. Aug. 26, 1909. Page 2.
- ↑ "Canoeists Have Fine Sport in a Regatta." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. Aug. 29, 1909. Page 8.
- ↑ "Canoe Regatta for Labor Day." Columbus Evening Dispatch. Aug. 27, 1913. Page 15.
- ↑ "Canoe Club to Stage Regatta on Labor Day." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. Aug. 31, 1913. Page 15.
- ↑ "Saved From Death in Olentangy Dam Pool." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. May 21, 1905. Pages 1-2.
- ↑ Campbell, Alex. "Olentangy Park Chronology." Clintonville History, July 18, 2018.