Back behind a small neighborhood is a fenced-off stretch of land that was once home to one of several small amusement parks in northeast Ohio. The park was started by a man named Edward Andrews in the late 1870s and closed in 1978. Its first roller coaster was simply a single car on a track with a steep drop. The park's largest coaster, the Big Dipper, was completed in 1925. A smaller version for kids was called the Little Dipper. Other rides included the Ferris Wheel and the Tumble Bug, which ran along a track as the cars spun around. Buildings on the grounds included a hotel, ballroom, and food pavilions. There was also a stage and a boat that provided rides around the lake.
Today, most of this is gone. Much of it stood until 2009 when the property was purchased and the remaining buildings were demolished, as were the roller coasters. The hotel burned down years ago and the ballroom was more recently burned down by a child playing with matches. But some vestiges of the park are still there. The Ferris Wheel still stands today, as does the track for the Tumble Bug ride. Three of the Tumble Bug cars are also there. Some of the ticket booths remain as does the shell of the ballroom. A few junked vehicles are also on the land.
1. Behind the front gate is the ticket booth which is still standing in deplorable condition.
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KMD1720, on Flickr
2. Car just inside the gate that's been torn apart
DSC08683 by
KMD1720, on Flickr
3. Further on were two junked yellow pickup trucks.
DSC08694 by
KMD1720, on Flickr
4. Inside the cab of the more interesting truck. Only the bed was left of the other one.
DSC08698 by
KMD1720, on Flickr
5. Anybody able to tell the make/model/approximate year of these?
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KMD1720, on Flickr
6. The Ferris Wheel is probably the best thing still there.
DSC08692 by
KMD1720, on Flickr
7. It used to have a big tree growing through the center but it's gone now.
DSC08720 by
KMD1720, on Flickr
8. One of the cars of the Tumble Bug ride
DSC08703 by
KMD1720, on Flickr
9. There are three in total.
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KMD1720, on Flickr
10. Track for the Tumble Bug ride
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KMD1720, on Flickr
11.
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KMD1720, on Flickr
12. Trees are growing through the Tumble Bug track and platform.
DSC08728 by
KMD1720, on Flickr
13. Tumble Bug ride with the Ferris Wheel in the background.
DSC08731 by
KMD1720, on Flickr
14. This was probably once a food stand.
DSC08716 by
KMD1720, on Flickr
15. Little more than twisted girders and charred wood remains of the ballroom.
DSC08734 by
KMD1720, on Flickr