Ohio has its fair share of abandoned places: houses, hotels, asylums, churches and even schools. The state even has its share of abandoned amusement parks, but none seem to hold such a special place in the memories of residents as Americana.
Americana was often viewed as the poor man’s amusement park, especially with the much larger King’s Island (now Paramount’s Kings Island) just a 45-60 minute drive down the road. For me though, this little amusement park was something much more special than King’s Island. This was the place where our parents felt safe leaving us as pre-teens, and the place where they allowed us to drive as teens. It was nothing for a whole group of us to gather together on the weekends, and head to this little hidden gem.
Americana was the kind of place where you could spend less than $20 in a single day, including admission. They often ran specials with Pepsi, and you could grab cans for extremely cheap admission. Parents objected at paying King’s Island admissions, but they could handle the admission to Americana.
Don’t let its small size fool you either as this once great park had some amazing rides. The Screechin’ Eagle was a huge wooden roller coaster with the highest wooden hill in the world. While it often closed during potential rainstorms, the line was always short enough that you could hop right on with only a minimal wait. Most of the rides were like that. Sometimes there was no line, and the conductor would let my friends and I take several trips in a row, without ever stepping foot off the ride.
I remember one particular day when a sudden rainstorm hit, and the park was immediately closed. My friends and I were in the back of the park, trying to make our way to the front when we realized it was nearly empty. There were so few people in the park that day that they had no problem closing everything down. After 30 minutes of walking, we ran into a park employee who was shocked that we were still there. The park employees were so convinced that the park was empty that they had literally locked up the front gate. We had to squeeze our way under just to make it to the parking lot, empty except for our own car.
As teenagers we noticed that Americana was on a downward spiral, and even though we started spending time at King’s Island, we still made an annual trip to our favorite little amusement park. Then one day the park closed, never to open its doors again. Maybe we shouldn’t have been surprised, yet somehow we were…
Americana started in 1922 when a man by the name of Edgar Streifthau opened the LeSourdscille Lake Amusement Park, named after the lake in the center of the park. Streifthau lived in nearby Middletown, and was eager to create something beautiful, practical, and fun for locals. He teamed up with a man named Bill Rothfuss to build what was considered an amusement park in those days. The main attraction was the lake, but they also added a restaurant, dance hall, and a bathhouse for visitors to enjoy.
The duo also turned the abandoned lake into a swimming friendly attraction by adding a concrete bottom to the lake. Just to show you how much things have changed, the original admission price was just 10 cents. Those who wanted to swim had to pay a quarter, and an additional 10 cents was charged for couples who came for the dancing. Try getting those prices at an amusement park today!
After a few years, LeSourdsville Lake became something of a travel destination in the area with cabins visitors could rent right on the lake, and places where they could pitch a tent. By the end of the decade the park expanded by 100 acres to include more recreational activities such as miniature golf. Streifthau also cut out those dances that people seemed to love, but only because the men couldn’t seem to stop fighting. After a few drinks, fights were commonplace at the lake.
The Great Depression hit everyone hard, but LeSourdsville Lake managed to not only persevere, but even expand. Those who could afford to attend were often given a free pass so they could come back at any time, free of charge. The park also saw the creation of its first office building, and the importing of several thousand tons of sand for the beach. Those who could no longer afford a swanky family vacation could at least pretend when they were on LeSourdsville Lake.
LeSourdsville Lake also worked hard to keep its employees happy. At a time when jobs were scarce, employees were given a flat salary and also treated to meals and beds, things they might not have had otherwise.
The first major change in the park occurred in 1934. A new bathhouse was needed in just a few short months, and the owner hired a local man named Don Dazey to complete the work. So happy was he with Dazey that the two worked out a deal to give Dazey 1/3 of the park. Dazey was the man responsible for the Stardust Gardens, and the reintroduction of dances to the park. During its heyday the park saw some of the greatest swing bands and singers come through. The two men also worked together to turn the lake itself into a spectacular showpiece by adding diving boards, a platform, toboggan rides, and a waterwheel.
In 1939 LeSourdsville Lake got its first “real” amusement park ride when The Cyclone came to town. This wooden roller coaster was purchased from an Ohio amusement park that has since gone out of business, and almost immediately became a hit. Some visitors rode their first roller coaster ever at this park. A few years later a Ferris Wheel arrived, followed by The Whipp. The park was slowly changing into a real amusement park.
As the popularity of LeSourdsville Lake grew, more rides and attractions were added including games, racing cars, and trains. The owners later added a penny arcade, the fun parade, and a small restaurant where visitors could grab a bite to eat. The 1950’s were a changing time in the park’s history. A plane ride and Tilt A Whirl was added, as was The Jack Rabbit, a roller coaster made entirely of steel. They also changed the name of The Cyclone to the Screechin’ Eagle. Following Dazey’s death, the park was purchased by two men who previously worked at Cedar Point. Their first mission was to completely update and renovate the property. This duo added a miniature roller coaster, an arcade, and a new miniature golf course.
A new partner joined the fray in the form of Bill Barr, a local boy bringing with him a haunted house, an old west town, and another train. The end of the line could have come when King’s Island opened in 1972, but this little amusement park kept chugging along. In 1976 the seeds were planted for a name change when the park became the Official Bicentennial Amusement Park. By 1978 the name was officially changed to Americana Amusement Park. To celebrate the owners spent over $3 million on the park bringing in a number of new attractions including the Country Bear Jubilee.
In 1984 Americana added its first real water ride with the Raging Thunder Log Flume. To reach the flume visitors had to walk, ride the train, or take the paddlewheel boat to the back of the park where they were treated to an Old West town. They also added the Bumper Buggys, a unique bumper car ride where the hits were a little softer, and a ship ride similar to the Viking ship at King’s Island. They also picked up another steel roller coaster, renaming it The Serpent.
The 1990s may not have been the heyday of Americana, but it was the time I most remember. The old Ballroom burned down in 1990, but they added more rides to compensate. Their biggest controversy arose when the park hired Mexican college students to work one summer. The students complained about their working and living conditions, and visitors declined dramatically. The park was later forced to file for bankruptcy following an insurance problem.
New ownership tried hard to make the park a success, selling off rides that didn’t get visitors, and picking up ones that did. They brought back the Ferris wheel, and added the Tempest, a spinning ride that made you feel like you might throw up at any moment. In 1990, a group of 90 people traveled to the US from England solely to ride the Screechin’ Eagle. This story brought even more publicity to the park. The future seemed bright for Americana, and then the unthinkable happened, the park closed.
Just a few short months after this announcement was made in 2000, a new owner appeared. The new owner launched a number of plans, and announced that the park would open in 2001. The following year its opening was pushed back to 2002. The owner attempted to sell the Serpent, and did sell the Tempest as well as donating one attraction to a local town. In 2002 yet another owner took over, this time sinking $3 million into renovations. Sadly that wasn’t enough.
Americana reopened at LeSourdsville Lake on June 5, 2002 allowing visitors in Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It closed early in the season, and announced the cancellation of Halloween events. No one had anyway of knowing that it would never again open its doors.
Rides were repossessed, and it temporarily opened as an RV store. By the spring of 2003 it became clear that the park would not re-open. Other possible owners came forward, but deals could never be arranged. In 2006 an official announcement came that the park would not open, and that the rides were going to be sold.
Today Americana still stands. Until recently the sign still stood on the highway directing travelers to this little amusement park. Now that sign is gone too. The rides are still there, standing as a reminder to the past and those millions of visitors who streamed through the gates every summer. Experts who have examined the Screechin’ Eagle, one of the most popular wooden roller coasters in the world at one point, have said that it will be very difficult, maybe even impossible to replace.
At least we have our memories.
Sources:
http://americanaamusementpark.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americana/Lesourdesville_Lake_Amusement_Park
