1919 Season
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| Leadership | Will D. Harris (operating lessee) Will D. Harris Amusement Company Joseph W. and Will J. Dusenbury a.k.a. Dusenbury Brothers The Olentangy Park Company |
|---|---|
| Season | 21 |
Olentangy Park opened its 21st season on Sunday, April 6, 1919. A 12-piece jazz orchestra provided live music for the park's Dancing Pavilion.[1][2] The theater and the swimming pool opened later in the summer. Admission was 5 cents at first, but doubled to 10 cents ($1.64 cents in 2022 dollars) with Harris claiming it was needed due to the war tax. Children were admitted for free.[3]
Will D. Harris was the lessee-operator of the park. He leased the park from J.W. and W.J. Dusenbury and their company, The Olentangy Park Company, which maintained ownership.[4]
Effects of the War Tax
On February 24, 1919, the U.S. Congress passed a revenue act requiring places of amusement to pay a tax on every admission, ride, and attraction ticket. The double in the gate cost to 10 cents was to help lower the need for other ticket price increases. A 1-cent (16 cents in 2022 dollars) tax was added to every 5 or 10-cent sale and a 2-cent tax was added for every 15 and 12-cent sale, and a 3-cent tax for every 25 and 30-cent sale and so on.[5]
Rides and Attractions
Rides
- Caroussel
- Circle Swing
- Electric Express
- Ferris Wheel
- Figure Eight
- Mechanical Autos
- Merry-Go-Round
- Over-The-Top
- Scenic Coaster
- Shoot-the-Chutes
- The Whip
- Whirl Wind
- Ye Olde Mill
Attractions
- The Colonnade
- Fun House
- Museum of Ornithology
- Swimming Pool
- The Zoo
Music and Performances
- Bandstand
- Dancing Pavilion
- Theater
Activities
- Arcade
- Billiards
- Boating - Launches, Rowboats, & Canoes
- Bowling
- Dancing
- Dining
- Fishing
- Fortune Telling
- General Games
- Picnics
- Pony Rides
- Swimming
- Shooting Gallery
References
- ↑ "Park Opens Sunday." Columbus Evening Dispatch. 4 April 1919. Pg. 42.
- ↑ "The Big Park Opens." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. 6 April 1919. Pg. 66.
- ↑ "Park Gate Charge Changed." Columbus Evening Dispatch. 12 April 1919. Pg. 12.
- ↑ "Incorporate Park Company." Columbus Evening Dispatch. 16 January 1918. Pg. 9.
- ↑ "Park Tax Problem." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. 13 April 1919. Pg. 56.