Canoe Club Boathouse
| Other Name(s) | Olentangy Canoe Club Boathouse |
|---|---|
| Type | Activity Space |
| Park Section | The Grove |
| Built | 1914 |
| Opened | June 20, 1914 |
| Closed | 1930 |
| Fires | 1934 |
The Canoe Club Boathouse replaced the first boathouse at Olentangy Park after the 1913 floods damaged the structure.[1][2] The new Canoe Club boathouse was opened on June 20, 1914.[3]
It was located along the Olentangy River,[4] south of the Theater and the ravine bridge.[5] A set of wooden steps allowed parkgoers to travel from the plateau to the boathouse at the edge of the ravine.[6]
It was a one-and-a-half-story structure.[7][1] The bowling alleys were warped from water damage,[8] so they were removed and replaced with lavatories, shower baths, and private clothes lockers in 1914. The Canoe Club held "pick and shovel days" where members were urged to prepare the site for the construction of the new boathouse. Those who helped received free food in the evening.[9]
The structure was also remodeled to accommodate more boats than the 110 boats available in 1912[10] to 300 boats and canoes within two years.[11]
It offered Naphtha launches and canoes for parkgoers to boat a 3-mile course on the Olentangy River. The Naphtha launches were early motorboats and were 20 feet long.[12] By 1904, they were electrically powered. Rowboats were a "safe and speedy type" of clinker-built rowboats.[13]
In February 1916, four boys around age 16 were charged with theft of a canoe and paddles from Olentangy Park's boathouse. They were part of a Boys' Club headquartered on West Norwich Avenue that was known for stealing items from automobiles and conducting raids.[14]
In 1917, manager and operating lessee Will D. Harris signed Emmett Ruh to operate the Boathouse and added tennis courts.[15] Commodore Joe Keenan improved the boathouse, and Manager Harris replaced all the old steel rowboats in 1917.[16]
In 1921, the Canoe House was enlarged and included 200 canoes.[17] The dam at the south end of the park kept a sufficient depth of water for canoes and boats, and provided a boating course of about 4 miles long.[18]
By 1922, the Canoe Club was private and only rented to members.[19]
Accidents and Injuries
In July 1913, Gertrude Klemm, 15, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Emil Klemm, drowned after the canoe she was in capsized about a half mile north of the park on the Olentangy River. The 15-foot canoe was built for two people, and four children were riding it at the time. The boy in charge of the boat was Dudley Griffin, 15, son of Captain H. D. Griffin, and did not have much experience with handling canoes. The other occupants were Mildred Decker, 17, and Edith Strong, 14. The children were attending a park outing by Rev. Harry C. Robinson for the choir of St. John's Episcopal Church on Avondale Avenue and Town Street. Rev. Robinson, Katherine Jones, Florence Williams, Heather Watterman, and three other choir members were in a second canoe, and its occupants' movements caused the first to fail. Klemm sank and was lost while the other girls held onto the first canoe. Columbus Canoe Club members Milton Loeb and Alex Levin saved Griffin. Rev. Robinson dropped off his passengers and returned to rescue the girls with the help of Kenneth Hysoll, 15, a park employee. Officers Smith and Anderson recovered Klemm's body around 8 p.m., an hour and a half after the accident.[20]
Fires
1934 Fire
After about four years of disuse, the boathouse burned down on March 30, 1934.[21][7][22] Fire Chief E. P. Welch blamed the fire on children building a bonfire near the building.[23] The water had not yet been turned on for the season, hampering firefighter efforts to quell the fire.[21] The total estimated cost of the damage was $2,500$59,975 in 2025 dollars[24] to $3,000$71,970 in 2025 dollars[7].
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Olentangy Then and Now." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. May 3, 1914. Page 46.
- ↑ Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. Sanborn Map Company, - 1922 Vol. 3, 1922, 1922. Map.
- ↑ "Vote for Most Popular School at Field Meet." Columbus Evening Dispatch. June 17, 1914. Page 2.
- ↑ "Boat House." Illustrated Guide to Columbus 1899. Page 32.
- ↑ General Map, The Olentangy Amusement Co., Columbus, Ohio, 1924.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedsanborn1901 - ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Olentangy Boat House Destroyed." The Columbus Dispatch. March 30, 1934. Page 1.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedhistorian2 - ↑ "Canoe Club Near Boat House Goal." Columbus Evening Dispatch. May 12, 1914. Page 16.
- ↑ "Canoeists are Promised Good Accommodations." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. Feb. 23, 1913. Page 9.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park Opens." Ohio State Lantern (Columbus, Ohio). April 29, 1914. Page 4.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "Boys' Club Started Thefts at Olentangy." Columbus Evening Dispatch. February 1, 1916. Page 17.
- ↑ "April Canoeing Is a Man's Job." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. Page 21.
- ↑ "Canoeing." Columbus Evening Dispatch. April 29, 1917. Page 20.
- ↑ The Columbus Dispatch. April 28, 1921. Page 29.
- ↑ "Park Facts." The Columbus Dispatch. Aug. 28, 1921. Page 4.
- ↑ "Good Vaudeville at Park." The Columbus Dispatch. June 5, 1922. Page 24.
- ↑ "Little Girl is Drowned When Canoe is Upset." Columbus Evening Dispatch. July 10, 1913. Page 1.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Barrett, Richard E. 1984. "Olentangy Park: Four Decades of Fun." Columbus and Central Ohio Historian No. 1. April 1984. Page 15.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedcandb - ↑ "Children Are Blamed." The Columbus Dispatch. March 31, 1934. Page 2.
- ↑ "Fire Runs." The Columbus Dispatch. March 31, 1934. Page 2.