» PHOTOS: Dayton-area amusement parks of the past that no longer exist
Argonne Forest Park, Dayton
The Argonne Forest Park was located in what is now Possum Creek Metro Park along Frytown Road southwest of Dayton.
The park was in its heyday during 1920s. It had a go-kart track, swimming pool, baseball fields, canoe and pony rental, dance hall, concessions and a carnival midway, according to Five Rivers MetroParks.
Business slowed during the Great Depression, but Argonne Forest operated into the 1940s. Campers could rent one of four old Dayton streetcars for $12 per month, according to reports.
The current park has an Argonne Lake, and the area remains named Argonne Forest.
Fairview Amusement Park, Dayton
Operating from 1897-1915, Fairview Amusement Park in Dayton was located near the original site of E.J. Brown Elementary School.
It was no accident.
According to a Hillview Neighborhood history, families who lived in newer Dayton neighborhoods to the north met in 1911 at the old Fairview Amusement Park Clubhouse and planned the new school. One site the school board considered was outside the city limits, on the grounds of the shuttered amusement park.
In 1916, they purchased about seven acres of the park’s grounds and began construction.
Forest Park, Harrison Twp.
Located on North Main Street, Forest Park opened in 1928 and housed a collection of animals captured on an African safari trip by Fred Patterson, son of NCR founder John Patterson, according to Dayton historian Curt Dalton.
The Great Depression made caring for the animals difficult and the zoo closed in 1935.
The park theme changed as did its name when Frankie’s Forest Park re-opened at the site. Visitors took rides on a Ferris wheel and spun on the merry-go-round.
The amusement park also sported both a rollercoaster and an auto race track in the 1950s.
The wood rollercoaster was named the Comet and operated from 1928-58, according to the Roller Coaster DataBase website.
Later the site was developed into the Forest Park Plaza, which was popular in the 1960s through the 1970s.
Lakeside Amusement Park, Dayton
Lakeside Park was located on the land opposite of today’s VA Medical Center. It opened in the summer of 1890 at Gettysburg and Lakeview Avenues and operated until around the mid-1960s.
The park evolved from an 1887 attraction, a 40-foot high cyclorama depicting the Battle of Gettysburg. It grew to a full-fledged amusement park.
Thrill seekers of the day had several options over the years such as the Derby Racer wooden roller coaster. In 1930, the same year the city annexed the park, the Wildcat roller coaster was added. A huge carousel offered riders a choice of 48 hand-carved horses.
People could make a splash by riding a boat from the top of a water chute into the man-made lake below. A ride called the Flying Turns was popular with couples since one of the riders had to sit on the other’s lap, according to Dalton.
The park also had a popular dance hall named the Crystal Room which featured big bands such as Glenn Miller. The dance hall later became the Lakeside Palladium.
LeSourdsville Lake / Americana Amusement Park, Monroe
Credit: File Photo
Credit: File Photo
LeSourdsville Lake began with Middletown resident Edgar Streifthau’s desire to turn a former ice manufacturing facility into a place where residents could swim and have picnics
Construction began in 1921, and the park opened on May 8, 1922. Admission was 10 cents.
LeSourdville Lake was a popular entertainment venue for national music acts from artists as diverse as Fats Domino to Dick Clark.
Streifthau was forced to sell that park in 1960 after his partner, Don Dazey, died of cancer. However, Streifthau still had 20 acres of land next to LeSourdsville Lake, and he was eager to get back into the business, so he created a park designed for children ages 12 and under.
In 1963, Streifthau opened Fantasy Farm on his property next to LeSourdsville. It featured a petting zoo, a picnic area, a playground and rides. Fantasy Farm remained in operation until 1991.
LeSourdville Lake was renamed Americana Amusement Park in 1977. It closed in 1999.
One of Americana’s most famous rides was the roller coaster The Screechin’ Eagle. The coaster was originally built by John Miller for a park in Zanesville, Ohio. The coaster, then called the Cyclone, moved to LeSourdsville in 1940. The coaster was later called the Space Rocket, then the Screechin’ Eagle. The wooden roller coaster was torn down in 2011.
Jerry Couch, who owned a local RV dealership, bought the park in 2000. The park was renamed LeSourdsville Lake – The Great American Amusement Park.
Couch reopened the park briefly in 2002 before closing it permanently.
Sandy Beach Amusement Park, Indian Lake
Credit: Sandy Beach Bridge Restoration
Credit: Sandy Beach Bridge Restoration
The Sandy Beach Amusement Park built by Pappy Wilgus and his son, French, opened in 1924. The centerpiece of the park was the Minnewawa Dance Hall, featuring two bandstands. It was advertised as the best and largest in Ohio, according to an account by the Indian Lake Chamber of Commerce.
The park offered amusement rides, boat excursions, fun houses and games of chance. A boardwalk spanned the lake, giving swimmers access to Sandy Beach Island, a popular swimming area with slides and diving towers.
The park survived the Great Depression, but a 1935 fire destroyed the Minnewawa Dance Hall, along with other wooden structures and part of the roller coaster. A new dance hall was built and famous big bands continued to perform at Sandy Beach.
Indian Lake was officially designated as one of the original Ohio State Parks under the jurisdiction of the new Ohio Department of Natural Resources in 1949, and the park thrived throughout the 1950s. But the turmoil of the 1960s took its toll on the park as riots erupted around July 4 celebrations a number of years.
In 1967, the Sandy Beach Amusement Park was renamed Indian Lake Playland, and it continued the struggle. The park didn’t open in 1976, and a few years later the rides and concessions were torn down.
White City, Dayton
White City was across the river from the Dayton Canoe Club. The park was named after owners, the White City Amusement Park Company. Today, it’s Island MetroPark.
White City had a dance pavilion, amusement rides, canoe lockers, refreshment stand, and other recreation features. By 1907, the park had become rundown and not well maintained, according to a Five Rivers MetroParks’ historical account.
In 1910, Dayton started leasing the park land for $3,000 a year, and in 1911, a recommendation to buy the land was proposed in the report submitted by the renowned Olmsted Brothers firm.
The Great Flood of 1913 damaged a number of buildings at the White City Amusement Park. In July of that year, the Dayton Canoe Club held its first regatta. D.W. Begley, the owner to the boathouse across from White City Park, ferried spectators across the river free of charge. After two more successful regattas, Dayton city officials agreed to rebuild White City. On June 20, 1914, the park formally opened as Island Park.