LeSourdsville Lake Amusement Park
| |
| Location |  |
| Status | Defunct |
| Operated | June 10, 1922 to 2002 |
| Previous names | Americana Park (1978 - 2001) LeSourdsville Lake Amusement Park |
LeSourdsville Lake Amusement Park was an amusement park in Middletown, Ohio, USA.
History
In 1949, the park was expanded. The Rock-O-Plane, Parade of Fun funhouse, and an amusement arcade were all added.[1]
The park was renamed Americana Park in 1978.
In February 1996, the park was acquired by Park River Corporation, owner of another Ohio amusement park, Coney Island.[2] However in January 2000, Park River announced that due to lower than expected attendance, Americana Park would not reopen.[3] In May 2000, it was sold to Jerry Couch, who owned a nearby RV dealership. Couch announced his plan to reopen the amusement park under its original name in August. The reopening was pushed back to April 2001 and again to 2002.[4]
The park closed a week earlier than expected in 2002. Park owner Jerry Couch stated he planned to open the park under new management in 2003.[5] It did not reopen and many attractions were left standing but not operating.
In May 2006, Couch confirmed that the park would not reopen, announcing his intention to expand his RV dealership and sell the remaining rides at LeSourdsville Lake. Couch stated that he had lost $500,000 after opening the park in 2002.[6] The Screechin' Eagle roller coaster was demolished in August 2011.[7]
Former roller coasters
| Name | Manufacturer | Type | Opened | Closed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Rabbit | Unknown | Kiddie | 1955 | 1967 | Unknown |
| Little Dipper | Allan Herschell Company | Kiddie | 1968 | 2002 | Relocated to Sluggers & Putters |
| Screechin' Eagle | Unknown | Wooden | May 19, 1940 | 2002 | Scrapped |
| Serpent | SDC | Sit-Down | 1989 | 2002 | Relocated to Kokomo's Family Fun Center |
| Wild Mouse | Adolph Heinrich | Wild Mouse | 1961 | Unknown | Unknown |
| unknown | Unknown | Kiddie | 1952 | Unknown | Unknown |
Former attractions
| Name | Manufacturer | Type | Opened | Closed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brass Ring Carousel | Unknown | Carousel | 1996 | 2002 | Unknown |
| Demolition Derby | Barbieri | Dodgems | May 1990 | Unknown | Unknown |
| Dodgem | Unknown | Dodgems | 1940 | May 1988 | Destroyed by fire |
| Electric Rainbow | Unknown | Round-Up | 1998 or earlier | 1998 or later | Unknown |
| Calypso | Robles Bouso Atracciones | Calypso | 1972 | 2002 | Relocated to Fun Spot |
| Flying Coaster | Aero-Affiliates | Flying Coaster | 1963 | 1986 | Unknown |
| Flying Scooters | Bisch-Rocco | Flying Scooters | 1998 or earlier | 2002 | Unknown |
| Roaring Thunder Log Flume | Unknown | Log Flume | 1984 | 2002 | Unknown |
| Rock-O-Plane | Eyerly Aircraft Company | Rock-O-Plane | 1949 | 2002 | Relocated to Coney Island |
| Scenic Ride | Unknown | Unknown | 1940 | 1955 | Unknown |
| Scrambler | Eli Bridge Company | Scrambler | 1998 or earlier | 2002 | Unknown |
| Space Combat | Unknown | Jets | 1968 | 1993 | Unknown |
| Sky Ride | Universal Design | Ropeway | 1965 | 2002 | Scrapped |
| Tempest | Grover Watkins | Tempest | 1998 | 1998 or later | Relocated to Coney Island |
| Tilt-a-Whirl | Sellner Manufacturing | Tilt-A-Whirl | 2002 or earlier | 2002 | Unknown |
| Whip | Unknown | Whip | 1998 or earlier | 2002 | Unknown |
| Zipper | Chance Rides | Zipper | Unknown | 2002 | Unknown |
References
- ↑ "LeSourdsville Opens Today", The Cincinnati Enquirer.
- ↑ "Rebirth of Americana", Dayton Daily News.
- ↑ "Americana Owners Close the Park After 77 Years". Ultimate Rollercoaster. https://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/news/archives/january00/stories/010700_01.shtml.
- ↑ "Americana's reopening pushed back", Dayton Daily News.
- ↑ LeSourdsville Lake closes early - Amusement Today (Wayback archive)
- ↑ "Amusement park doomed to fade into history", Dayton Daily News.
- ↑ "Wooden roller coaster taken down", The Journal News.
External links
- LeSourdsville Lake Amusement Park on the Roller Coaster DataBase.
