Ontario Abandoned Places will be rebranded as Ominous Abandoned Places

An abandoned Park in Ohio: Geauga Lake Amusement Park

Abandoned Recreational in Bainbridge, Ohio, United States

Jan 16 2022

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Recent status Abandoned
Location # 18237

Located in between Bainbridge Township and Aurora, Ohio, it was an old famous amusement park. It was opened in 1887, near the lake of the same name. It was started as a picnic destination in 1887 but in 1889 it was officially converted into an amusement park.

It was closed on the 16th of September,2007.

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An account of Geauga Lake Amusement Park

Geauga Lake was formerly known as “Giles Pond” as it was first begun as a picnic destination. This place earlier was the home of the Staffords, Mark Patterson, Captain Simon Henry with family.in 1856, Sullivan Giles made a big free home behind the Geauga Lake depot on the north side of the lake and it became a stop at “pond station”. He also established a picnic ground, a dance hall, and other entertainment near his home in the late 19th century. People from the nearby towns usually came here and spent their day in Geauga lake.

After 1872 this place was easily available by trains and became one of the most popular public spots. By the time a large steamboat was installed in the lake along with a big scow, topped with a dance floor.In the starting year of the park, three major Baseball leagues were played on Sundays. The largest wooden roller coaster was constructed here, the Big Dipper in 1925, it was 2800 feet long and 65 feet high. In 1926 Johnny Weissmuller, an Olympic medalist, and Tarzan actor set a world record of 22freestylee style swim in the pool of this park. Another big attraction of the park was its ballroom and dance hall where many renowned big bands performed their music.

Shutting down of Geauga Lake Amusement Park

The Geauga Lake Park was hit by a tornado in 1942, which caused six staff injured buildings of the park to be destroyed and it also damaged the famous attraction of the park, the Big Dipper. In 2010 an auction was announced on eBay for the Big Dipper but didn't get a bid, later in 2016 it was obliterated. At that time it cost approx $50000 to rebuild the park. On September 21, 2007, Cedar Fair, which was held near the Geauga lake was announced that the rides of this park were permanently closed, but the water park would operate the following season.

Redevelopment of the Geauga Amusement Park

The ending of the rides led to conserving Geauga Lake, especially its memorable ride’s the Big Dipper and the Carousel, through an online appeal and letters to public officials. Later the cedar fair seized the amusement park for sale. Many of the park attractions were put on sale and others were moved from here to the nearby parks.

Current Situation of Geauga Amusement Park

Last year a company named PulteGroup, which is a construction company, would be building a housing development on the side of the water park. This development is known as  Renaissance Park at Gauge Lake.

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