1913 Season

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1913 Season Season
Leadership Joseph W. Dusenbury
Will J. Dusenbury
New Attractions Kiss Waltz
The Fun House
Theater Manager J. W. Dusenbury & W. J. Dusenbury
Stock Company Olentangy Stock Company
Band(s) J. Wylie Powers Band
M. W. A. Drum and Trumpet Corps
Park Size 125 acres

The Olentangy Park and Theater opened for the 1913 season on Sunday, April 27, 1913. The opening featured free performances, including band and orchestra concerts; J. Wylie Powers Band, the M. W. A. Drum and Trumpet Corps; a cabaret show with singing, dancing, and vaudeville acts; and various open-air attractions.[1][2][3] About 10,000 children and adults visited the park on its opening day.[4] Some new attractions, such as the Fun House, were not ready by the opening, but opened later in the season.[5][6][7]

Park Improvements

The floor of the Dancing Pavilion was redressed and re-polished. More boats were brought in for the Boathouse.[3]

Notable Happenings

Canoe Stolen

A canoe was stolen in January from the Boathouse. It had a green body, open mahogany gunwales, and was double riffed.[8]

March 1913 Flood

A major flood affected Central Ohio on March 25, 1913. By the next day, manager J. W. Dusenbury reported that the Olentangy River had receded two feet from the initial flooding and that the canoes at the Boathouse were safe. The canoes stored there were valued between $3,000 ($95,546 in 2024) and $4,000 ($127,394) and belonged to the members of the Canoe Club.[9] During the opening week, the Republican Glee Club gave concerts every evening, including Sunday for the benefit of the flood sufferers.[10] The Dusenbury Brothers donated the use of the theater that week.[2]

Small Fire

On the morning of April 14, 1913, a fire started in one of the powerhouses that provided power for one of the park's rides, causing $10 ($319 in 2024) worth of damage.[11]

North Side Chamber of Commerce's May Day Outing

The North Side Chamber of Commerce held its fourth annual May Day Outing on Friday, May 23, 1913.[12] Rev. "Billy" Sunday gave speeches, including an address called "Butterfly Chasers."[13] Rev. Sunday had an engagement in South Bend, Ind., so a special fast train[14] brought him to Columbus and back. Governor Cox and Attorney General Hogan were supposed to speak but were called out of the city at the last minute[15] and were replaced with Senator W. A. Greenland.[16][12] The famous "Sunday Choir," directed by Homer Rodeheaver and B. D. Ackley, which had 150 voices,[17] performed. Homer Rodeheaver and B. D. Ackley directed the choir. Channing Ellery and his Italian band gave three concerts, one that Friday and two the following day.[18] Two thousand children participated in a pageant full of dancing led by R. S. Wambold, head of the Department of Recreation.[19][20] Secretary Wambold also held a tug-of-war match where fifteen public elementary schools created teams with up to 50 boys to compete. The winning school team received a silk pennant with their school's name.[21][22] Forty maypoles were erected in the "Wild West Grounds" north of the Dancing Pavilion.[23] A kite-flying contest was added just before the event after a successful contest took place at Franklin Park. Professor W. B. Dee of the local schools directed the contest, and he selected forty of his best kite flyers to compete for prizes.[24]

A guest ticket was available in the The Columbus Sunday Dispatch.[25]

Arrangements were made to have "movies" made of every aspect of the park. Motion pictures were new at the time, and "movie photographers" were stationed at the park's entrance to film the thousands of parkgoers passing through the gates. The photographers also filmed the day's events, including Senator Greenlund, Rev. Billy Sunday, and other speakers.[15] They also filmed the kite flying contest.[24] Photos and footage to create a 1,500-foot reel were secured by Royal Photo and Film Company, managed by C. L. Dowerman.[15] Reels were distributed to local theaters to show during the summer, including a June 4 showing at the Colonial Theater[26] and a June 8 showing at Thomas Theater, formerly The Grand.[27][28]

The attendance for the day was between 50,000[15][16] and 70,000 parkgoers.[27]

Public Wedding

Estella Mae Stivitts (or Sivits) of Columbus and Maurice F. Leckrone of Thornville were married at the south bandstand during the annual outing of the Maccabees on June 25. Rev. W. H. Miller, pastor of the Gift Street M. E. Church, officiated the ceremony. The bride was a member of the Alpha Hive No. 14, Ladies of the Maccabees of the World.[29][30] It was the largest wedding of the year with 10,000 attendees.[31]

Motion Picture Exhibitors' League Outing

Most of Columbus's 48 motion picture houses closed on June 26 so employees could attend the park's first annual Motion Picture Exhibitors' League of Columbus outing. A grad parade began at 3:30 p.m., and Royal Photo and Film Company recorded footage of the parade and crowds to be later exhibited in various locations in the park.[32] The footage would be auctioned off throughout the day to whoever wanted to show it first. The chairman of the committee on the arrangements was J. V. Dempsey, who had a picture house near the park, and the officers of the league at the time were: J. W. Swain of Pastime and Hippodrome theaters, president; W. R. Wilson of the Schiller Street Theater, secretary; John Smithheisler of the Oak Theater, treasurer; and J.C. Rector of the Marathon Theater, vice president.[33][34][35] Reproductions of the footage were to be later shown at every motion picture house in Columbus.[36]

Runaway Found in Wild West Show

Police found Edward Juhasz, 13, of Cleveland, at the Harry Hill's Wild West show on June 28. The boy said he was picked up from the streets in Cleveland and brought to Columbus to work in the show. The staff said the boy asked to come and paid his own fare.[37]

Injuries and Accidents

Accident in Theater

On June 1, Herbert Schill, 14, fell through a trapdoor on the bridge at the theater while helping his father, Gustav Schill, paint scenery. He fell 22 feet, resulting in a fractured left leg and severe cuts on his left hand. He was treated at Grant Hospital.[38]

Woman Suffers Stroke While Dancing

Helen Harding, 28, daughter of contractor George Harding, suffered a paralytic stroke during the Grocers' Picnic on June 18. Her left arm and mouth were paralyzed and she fell to the floor, unable to speak. She later recovered at her home.[39]

Salesman Passes Out Due to Excessive Heat

James Carnahan, 49, a traveling salesman for a New York plumbing supply house, fell unconscious at the entrance to the park. Four deaths were reported the same week caused by excessive heat.[40]

Rides and Attractions

The Boathouse

Main Article: Boathouse

Boathouse to be Remodeled

In early 1913, flooding damaged the dam on the Olentangy River south of the park within a year of being built. As part of the repairs, managers J. W. Dusenbury and W. J. Dusenbury planned to raise the river to a "good boating level" and remodel the Boathouse to accommodate more boats. They planned to reinforce and reconstruct the dam as one of the first permanent dams in Central Ohio. They planned to remove the bowling alleys and replace them with lavatories and shower baths. The boathouse could keep 110 boats at the park before renovations were started. Work on the boathouse was planned to begin in April.[41] A cartload of new boats was shipped in for the park's opening.[2][3]

Canoe Club Membership Campaign

The Columbus Canoe Club set a new membership goal of 200 new members by May 15. To each of the two members that brought in the largest number of new members in time, the club provided them a set of paddles. The next highest membership registration received canoeing uniforms. This push ran during plans for a new, remodeled Boathouse that was being planned for the park and club.[42]

New Fun House

Main Article: The Fun House

The Fun House was built just north of the second Dancing Pavilion by C. Rarick. Opening on May 18,[7] it was two stories and included a human roulette wheel, bull-moose glide, rolling waves, funny stairs, an electric floor, a rainstorm, a wire maze, comic slides, and more.[1][43][3][44][45]

Japanese Village

Main Article: Fair Japan

Fujiwara Kinoshita returned to be in charge of the attraction and this park section. He had several Japanese student assistants from The Ohio State University. The tea house served lunches and dinners, with telephone orders taken from the city.[3]

New Kiss Waltz

Main Article: Kiss Waltz

The Kiss Waltz, also known as Thurston's Kiss Waltz, was a track ride proposed to be moved to Olentangy Park in 1913 after its debut at Luna Park the previous year. It was invented and built by famous magician Howard Thurston[46][47][48], a Columbus native.[49] The ride consisted of barrels on a track that traveled through caverns and dark places. A man and woman each ride a barrel, holding each other in the position of waltzing.[49]

List of Rides and Attractions

Theater, Vaudeville, and Stunt Performances

Olentangy Park Theater

Main Article: Olentangy Park Casino and Theater

Republican Glee Club Flood Benefit Concerts

During the opening week, the Republican Glee Club gave concerts every evening, including Sunday, for the benefit of the flood sufferers.[1] The concerts featured quartet and solo performances. The Royal Male Quartet consisted of Thomas W. Masters, George J. C. Smith, Stephen J. Jones, and A. J. Riggle. The Buckeye Quartet included Carl Talkenberg, Carl Prentice, Robert Grierson, and Howard Lane. The Philharmonic Quartet had several well-known singers at the time, including Loretta Schmidt, Ruth C. Immel, Louis McCardle, and Leroy Taylor. William Church, Alfred Swartz, Harold G. Simpson, W. A. Williams, Marie Allread, Loretta Schneider, David Rohe,[50] Eldon Howells,[51] and other singers also performed. The shows were under the direction of Carl Hoenig.[52]

Olentangy Stock Company

Park manager J. W. Dusenbury traveled to New York City to build the Olentangy Stock Company. The company played for the Southern Theater, also owned by Dusenbury, for two weeks before opening at the Olentangy Park Theater on May 26, 1913.[53]

The Olentangy Stock Company included:

  • John Cumberland
  • Herbert Delmore
  • Margaret Dills, of Columbus
  • Frederick Farrester (sometimes written as Frederick Forrester)
  • Winifred Kingston
  • Lydia Knott
  • Percy Leach, director
  • Philip Leigh (sometimes written as Phillip Leigh)
  • Marion Lord (sometimes written as Marian Lord)
  • Robert Lowe
  • Harry McFayden, stage manager (sometimes written as Harry MacFayden)
  • Thais Magrane, leading woman
  • Gus Schell, scenic artist (sometimes written as Gustav Schill)
  • Robert Warwick, leading man

Shows

Week of May 26: "The Liars"

Week of June 2: "Her Great Match" by Clyde Fitch

Week of June 9: "Pierre of the Plains" by Edgar Selwyn

Week of June 16: "Get Rich Quick Wallingford" by George Cohan

Week of June 23: "The Witching Hour"

Week of June 30: "Hawthorne U.S.A." by Jason Bernard Fagan

Outdoor Acts

Blanche McKenney, known at the time as one of the most skilled woman riders in the world, held a two-week engagement with the McKenny-Hunter racing combination from May 28-June 11. The shows at the arena at the north end of the park[54] involved two-and-three Roman standing races, Roman chariot races, Roman hippodrome races, high school riding, hurdle jumping, and more.[55]

L. H. Hammel performed a balloon ascension on June 18 at the Grocers' Association picnic. He was over 200 lbs. but was able to hang from a balloon 1,000 feet in the air.[56]

Harry Hill's Wild West Show returned to the park June 29 and performances ran through the month of July[57] in the arena at the north end of the park.[58]

Music

The M. W. A. Drum and Trumpet Corps performed during the opening of the park.[1]

Channing Ellery and his Italian band played a three-concert engagement at the theater from May 23-24, 1913.[59]

Activities

List of Activities

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Olentangy Park." Columbus Sunday Dispatch, April 13, 1913. Page 5.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Olentangy Park." Columbus Sunday Dispatch, April 20, 1913. Page 5.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Olentangy Park." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, April 27, 1913. Page 5.
  4. ↑ "Olentangy Draws Big Crowd on Opening Day." Columbus Evening Dispatch, April 28, 1913. Page 3.
  5. ↑ "Olentangy Park." Columbus Evening Dispatch, April 29, 1913. Page 16.
  6. ↑ "Olentangy Park." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, May 4, 1913. Page 5.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Olentangy Park." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, May 18, 1913. Page 5.
  8. ↑ Lost and Found notice, Columbus Evening Dispatch, January 29, 1913. Page 12.
  9. ↑ "Says River Falling." Columbus Evening Dispatch, March 26, 1913. Page 5.
  10. ↑ Advertisement. Columbus Sunday Dispatch, April 13, 1913. Page 5.
  11. ↑ "Blaze in Skyscraper." Columbus Evening Dispatch, April 14, 1913. Page 2.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Strenuous Billy Given Vociferous Welcome By Many Local Admirers." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 23, 1913. Pages 1-2.
  13. ↑ "Sunday Will Discuss 'Butterfly Chasers'." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 16, 1913. Page 8.
  14. ↑ "Billy Sunday to Come in Friday on Special Train." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 22, 1913. Page 6.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 "Sunday Pleased with Reception at Olentangy." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 24, 1913. Page 2.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Brown, Elijah P. 1914. "Reception at Columbus." The Real Billy Sunday, Fleming H. Revell Company. Pages 221-223. Accessed through the Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/realbillysundayl00brow/page/220/mode/2up
  17. ↑ "Olentangy." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 17, 1913. Page 10. Note: There was a typo in another source that said 1,500 voices.
  18. ↑ "Olentangy." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 16, 1913. Page 28.
  19. ↑ "Two Thousand Kids to Be in Pageant." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, May 11, 1913. Page 1.
  20. ↑ Miller, Maude Murray. 1913. "Pageant at Olentangy Park." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 17, 1913. Page 5.
  21. ↑ "Ready for Tug-o-War." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 15, 1913. Page 3.
  22. ↑ Miller, Maude Murray. 1913. "Boys' Contest." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 17, 1913. Page 5.
  23. ↑ Miller, Maude Murray. 1913. "Wild West Grounds." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 17, 1913. Page 5.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Kite-Flying Contest at May-Day Outing." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 21, 1913. Page 17.
  25. ↑ Advertisement. The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, May 4, 1913. Page 6.
  26. ↑ "Colonial." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, June 1, 1913. Page 5.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 "Thomas Theater and Thomas Air Park." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, June 8, 1913. Page 5.
  28. ↑ "Moving Picture Man to 'Take' May Day Outing." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 6, 1913. Page 9.
  29. ↑ "Public Wedding at Olentangy Park." Columbus Evening Dispatch, June 19, 1913. Page 10.
  30. ↑ "Maccabees and South Siders at Olentangy." Columbus Evening Dispatch, June 25, 1913. Page 3.
  31. ↑ "Are Married at Park While 10,000 Look On." Columbus Evening Dispatch, June 26, 1913. Page 2.
  32. ↑ "Olentangy Park." Columbus Evening Dispatch, June 21, 1913. Page 10.
  33. ↑ "Motion Pictures for Every Nook of the Park." Columbus Evening Dispatch, June 25, 1913. Page 3.
  34. ↑ "Movie Shows Closed; Owners Attend Outing." Columbus Evening Dispatch, June 26, 1913. Page 2.
  35. ↑ "Moving Picture Day." Columbus Evening Dispatch. 26 June 1913. Pg. 14.
  36. ↑ "Olentangy Park." Columbus Evening Dispatch, June 21, 1913. Page 10.
  37. ↑ "Runaway is Located." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, June 29, 1913. Page 7.
  38. ↑ "Fell Through Trap." Columbus Evening Dispatch, June 2, 1913. Page 5.
  39. ↑ "Stricken at Dance." Columbus Evening Dispatch, June 19, 1913. Page 8.
  40. ↑ "Heat Has Caused Deaths of Four Columbus People." Columbus Evening Dispatch, June 19, 1913. Page 1.
  41. ↑ "Canoeists are Promised Good Accommodations." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, February 23, 1913. Page 9.
  42. ↑ "Canoe Club Launches Membership Campaign." Columbus Evening Dispatch, April 30, 1913. Page 7.
  43. ↑ "Olentangy Park." Columbus Evening Dispatch, April 23, 1913. Page 18.
  44. ↑ "Olentangy Park." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, May 18, 1913. Page 41.
  45. ↑ "Summer Opening of Olentangy Park." Marysville Journal-Tribune (Marysville, Ohio), April 15, 1913. Page 4. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/article/marysville-journal-tribune-summer-openin/123751335/
  46. ↑ "Amusement apparatus." Google Patents. US Patent US1083308A https://patents.google.com/patent/US1083308A
  47. ↑ "Amusement apparatus." Google Patents. US Patent US1099951A https://patents.google.com/patent/US1099951A
  48. ↑ "Amusement apparatus." Google Patents. US Patent US1099952A https://patents.google.com/patent/US1099952A
  49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 "Thurston's New Device." Columbus Evening Dispatch. 28 November 1912. Pg. 12.
  50. ↑ "Soloists at Glee Club Concerts." Columbus Evening Dispatch, April 29, 1913. Page 10.
  51. ↑ Photograph. "Eldon Howells." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 2, 1913. Page 28.
  52. ↑ "Six Benefits This Week for Flood Relief: Glee's Week of Song." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, April 20, 1913. Page 9.
  53. ↑ "Olentangy Park: Stock Company." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, April 27, 1913. Page 5.
  54. ↑ "Olentangy Park." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 30, 1913. Page 22.
  55. ↑ "Olentangy Park." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 27, 1913. Page 20.
  56. ↑ Illustration caption. Columbus Evening Dispatch, June 13, 1913. Page 21.
  57. ↑ "Olentangy Park." Columbus Evening Dispatch, June 23, 1913. Page 12.
  58. ↑ "Olentangy Park." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, June 29, 1913. Page 5.
  59. ↑ "Olentangy Park: Ellery's Band." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 24, 1913. Page 10.


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