Bringing new life to an abandoned theme park
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A once vibrant amusement park in Northeast Ohio closed almost 50 years ago. In the meantime, nature has reclaimed the space.
On a hot early July day in rural Medina County Gayle Foster walks to a chain link gate. Behind it, construction equipment and a wooded area lead to a lake.
“I'm curious to see what's been going on down here," Foster, the president of Chippewa Lake Historical Society, said. "I haven't been in for a long time.”
She made her way through the brush to the remnants of what was once the Chippewa Lake Amusement Park.
Thrills, fun, and top-tier music
"There were games and stuff along this way here and from the top of a Ferris wheel you could see all over the lake," said Foster. "And on the other side, the Ferris wheel was a tilt-a-whirl ride. And then just beyond that was the merry-go-round.”
What started as a group of cottages on a beach more than a hundred years ago quickly transformed into Medina County’s version of Cedar Point or King’s Island.
“There were games, carnival-type games," said Foster. "There were dodgems. There was a big penny arcade.”
Along with the rides, the park played host to many big bands of the 1930s and '40s including Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey, plus rock 'n rollers like Paul Anka, Pat Boone and Jerry Lee Lewis.
“My brother saw Neil Diamond there before he was really Neil Diamond. That was pretty exciting," said Foster.
The park closed in 1978 and most of the buildings were abandoned. Locals scavenged the park for pieces like roller coaster cars and ticket booths. Much of the rest was destroyed by arson.
But efforts are underway to preserve what remains.
Preserving History
The Medina County Parks District bought the land in 2020 and Director Nate Eppling says the plan is to turn it into a trail that will run through and lead to a museum.
"We’re preserving what people love about Medina County. We're preserving open space," Eppling said. "And this partnership, this lease with the historical society is one of those ways.”
Originally the plans were more modest.
"We purchased a small house on the north side of the amusement park. (We) never really intended to do much more to it than frankly raise the house," said Eppling. "But a couple of those historical society trustees said,
Hey, let's have a conversation.' And they had the idea and that kind of planted the seed for us.”
Now that house will be a museum showcasing the items from the park. Items that have been stored in local resident’s garages, basements, and attics for almost 50 years.
But the house needs work first. New drywall and flooring plus plumbing mean that it’ll take some time and many volunteer man-hours to get the location ready for the park’s artifacts.
Planning for the future
At a monthly Historical Society meeting in late June, members of the society and the public discussed how to raise funds for the new museum.
Resident and Historical Society Vice President Gary Harris is looking forward to the possibilities this new designated space will provide.
"So we're going to have finally a place to display what we have left, you know, and keep it going, basically," said Harris.
Back at her residence in Medina township, Gayle Foster showed off the artifacts destined for the museum including road signs, pictures, shirts, and a roller coaster car.
“So I had a lady call me last week and she's got an eight by eight piece of wood from the Ferris Wheel," said Foster. "Well, it was just a hunk of wood that somebody sawed (and) I thought, 'Great, there's nothing that says it's from the Ferris Wheel.' No proof of anything.”
Looking through the items, it’s possible to see glimpses of what the park and the area used to be. A place of thrilling rides, family fun, and top-tier musical acts. And soon, with a little help from area residents, there will be a place to see Chippewa Lake Park history.
"You know, you've got your memories and enjoy this stuff as long as you want to," said Foster. "But when you're ready to pitch it, we have a place for it, we'll make a museum.”
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