THE BEGINNINGS
- Of Bavarian Brewery
THE BEGINNINGS
- Of Bavarian Brewery
ADS - From Newspapers
4E. LUDLOW LAGOON PARK (1895 - 1917)
THE LUDLOW LAGOON AMUSEMENT PARK
Decades before Disneyland and King's Island opened, one of the largest amusement parks in the country at the turn of the 20th Century was the Ludlow Lagoon Park in Ludlow, KY. It had a daily attendance that varied from several thousand to over 40,000 people. Its location was near a train stop in Ludlow with Trolley access to and from the park from this station. Trolley service was also available for the adjacent community of Covington and as frequently as every couple of minutes from Fountain Square in Cincinnati. This provided visitors with convenient access to the park from not only Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati, but from other states. The entrance to the park is shown by the accompanying photos.
Just a year after the Chicago World's Fair was held in 1893, development on the Ludlow Lagoon Park began and it was opened in 1895. It was situated on a site of about 100 acres containing a lake of about 85 acres in its center. The lagoon, or lake, was formed by a 400-foot-wide damn on Pleasant Run Creek next to the Ohio River. The lake had depths of 18 to 45 feet deep and five islands. There were numerous and exciting exhibits and rides around the lake including a Circle Swing, Boat House, Theatre, Dancing Pavilion / Bar, Aerial Roadway, Japanese Pavilion, Electric Carousel, Midway / Novelty Arcade, Shooting Gallery, Merry-Go-Round, Motion Pictures Building, the Shooting Chute, a Motordrome, Balloon Rides, Scenic Railway (Roller Coaster) with a two-level corkscrew, the Edison Exhibit, an Aerial Roadway, a Club House, a Bathing Beach, a Ferris Wheel, an Amphitheater, an Ice Cream Stand and a baseball field. The lake also provided excellent fishing. The park boasted frequent fireworks and concerts and appealed to many large groups with some that would number in the thousands. To continue to attract visitors, the park often added attractions and removed those that were not as popular. A photo of the park c. 1900 is below, accompanied by a 3D image created by the Ludlow Historical Society (at a different angel), which identifies most of the features in the park. As shown in the 3D image, only two edifices remain; the former Club House and the Caretakers Cottage.
Ownership & Management
Railroads that serviced Ludlow influenced the creation of the lagoon and it became owned by the Ludlow Lagoon Co. Wm. Riedlin, the President of the Bavarian Brewing Co., became a major shareholder of this entity by 1895. John J. Noonan became the General Manager (GM) of the Park around this same time. In 1896, Riedlin and Noonan held nearly all the stock in the concern. They served on the Board of Directors and were joined by an officer of the brewery who resided in Ludlow, H. J. Kruse, as well as (State) Senator William Goebel and William A. Ficks. The name of Noonan can be viewed on the park passes below. However, by 1902 it seems Riedlin owned all the shares of the Ludlow Lagoon Co. as apparently Noonan had outstanding debts and sold all his shares to Riedlin. Shortly thereafter, a legal dispute between the two men ensued, which apparently was resolved in favor of Riedlin.
Undoubtedly, a motivating reason for Riedlin to became involved in the Ludlow Lagoon Co. was to have his brewery's Standard Bavarian Beer and Riedlin's Select Beer available at the park. In addition, the Bavarian Brewing Co. may have supplied at least some of the ice to the food vendors in the park as well.
It appears J.J. Weaver became the park's GM after Riedlin had a falling out with Noonan in 1902. Weaver was Ludlow's City Engineer and had previously been on the Board with Noonan. So, it was an easy transition for Weaver to assume total management and increase his responsibilities, including adding or changing rides and exhibits in the park. Weaver remained the GM Before the park closed in 1918, and it appears he ultimately obtained controlling ownership in it.
Shown are passes to the Lagoon after it was transferred to interests including Wm. Riedlin. The 1896 pass shows a main attraction to the park known as Shooting the Chutes, which was a ride that splashed into the lake.
To provide access to the park from other cities in Ohio and Kentucky, railroads offered special fares of only $1.25 to $1.50 round trip from places like Lexington, KY and Zanesville, OH. When people arrived by train in Ludlow, they could take a Trolley known as the Dingy to the entrance of the Lagoon. For visitors from Cincinnati, they could take a trolley from Fountain Square that operated from 4 AM to 10:30 PM. A photo of the Dingy, at the end of the line at W. Oak and Lake streets, along with a ticket allowing a passenger to travel to the Ludlow Lagoon, are below.
MAJOR ATTRACTIONS
During its existence over two decades, the Ludlow Lagoon Park had several major attractions, some of which were added and/or removed. These are shown in the following photos along with accompanying descriptions.
Scenic Railway (Roller Coaster)
This ride was opened in 1895 and operated until the park closed at the end of the 1917 season. It was the invention of L.A. Thompson who owned the ride as a concession in the park. Shown below in the first photo is a view of this Scenic Railway, which preceded the roller coaster. Lying between the train trestle and the lake, it extended for two-miles. The entrance to the ride had various scenic grottoes that varied from time to time, as did the building at its far side that had a two level turnaround that is shown in the second photo. The cars would enter in the top of this building and then twist down exiting at the bottom, which also gave this feature its name as the "corkscrew."
Shooting the Chutes
Beginning in 1896, this was the first ride of its type and a major attraction at the Ludlow Lagoon Park, as indicated on the pass above. A larger illustration used on this pass, and a photo of this ride, is below. It is followed by a photo of this attraction, which is on the right and next to the Dancing Pavilion. There was an incline that would take riders to the top who wound then enter cars that would descend from the top of the chute at speeds of about 40 mph, splashing into the Lagoon. Unfortunately, the entrance into the water provided a significant jolt at times, and as a result of occasional injuries, the ride was removed before the 1903 season. It was rebuilt on the exposition grounds of the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904 by J.J. Weaver.
The Lagoon Club House
Not far from the entrance was the Club House for fine dining, which had large open air decks, as shown below. It also had a billiard room on the second floor. President William Howard Taft and other dignitaries visited this establishment. The front of the building with access to and from the park was through a flight of stairs. About a decade before the park closed, the General Manager of the park, J.J. Weaver, used the Club House for a few years as his residence during the winter months.
The Dance Hall
The Dance hall is shown in the Center of the first photo below, between the Theatre on the left and the Scenic Railway on the right. It was also next to the Shooting the Chute as shown in the second photo, and could accommodate around 2,000 people.
The Boat House & Theatre
To access the rides, there was a walkway or promenade past the Boat House and Theatre, which were located on the lake, as shown in the accompanying images.
Fishing & Bathing
From the beginnings of the park there was an effort to stock the lagoon for recreational fishing. Hundreds of thousand of hatchlings including various types of bass and crappie. There was also a hatchery added to one of the Lagoon island. Shown are a couple anglers in a boat having a successful day fishing. Also below is an image of a bathing beach, which reportedly contained about an acre.
Automobile Aerial Road
Automobiles were transforming the country beginning in the early 1900s. Their cost was out of the reach of most people and a novelty. However, that started to change in 1908 with the introduction of the Ford Model T and the Buick Model 10. There were also various models a few years before then. A unique ride at the Lagoon Park that enabled many women and people who would not ordinarily drive a vehicle at that time, was the Automobile Aerial Road beginning in 1909 that had a center divider to keep the car on elevated tracks. Because the ride was elevated and among trees, it was billed as autoing above and/or through the treetops. It is believed that a Buick Touring Car, possibly a Model F, was used for this attraction. Interestingly, an antique car that resided with the Bavarian Brewing Co. for promotional purposes into the 1950s was a 1908 Buick, likely a Model 10. An advertising sign showing this miniature 1908 Buick was distributed for Bavarian's Old Style Beer around 1950. (See Non-Lit Signs.)
The MotorDrome
Just as the public was fascinated with cars at the beginning of the 20th Century, they were intrigued with motorcycle racing. The motorcycles could achieve speeds up to 90 mph, which was considered astounding at that time. In 1913, a banked track from 0 to 60 degrees was constructed with lighting for evening races at the Ludlow Lagoon. It could seat some 8,000 people and was independently built and owned by the Cincinnati Motordrome and Amusement Co. Even though this attraction was inside the park, by having it separately built and owned, similar to the Scenic Railway, it limited costs and liability to the park. When there was a tragic accident at the Motordrom (see below), litigation against the company that owned the track forced it into bankruptcy, but the Ludlow Lagoon Co. was not liable. Despite a movement to close the track, it was rebuilt somewhat safer by another company and operated a few more years until the park closed. The photos below show this track, also called the saucer, from both the outside and inside.
A 1913 Motorcycle Accident
& the 1915 Tornado
The demise of the park was attributable in part to a flood in early 1913 that did significant damage. It was followed that same year, on July 30th, with a horrific motorcycle accident on the Motordrome causing the death of at least 10 people and injuring about 100. A couple years later, a tornado caused significant damage to many attractions at the park on July 7th, 1915. Please see the photos below that illustrate the damages incurred by this Tornado.
THE DEMISE OF THE PARK
There were several events that caused the closing of the park. They included the tragedies described above in 1913 and 1915. There had also been prior challenges in operating the park with a leak in the damn that caused low water levels in the lagoon in 1907, a flood in 1905, and difficulty in obtaining reliable Trolley service. However, the most significant factor impacting the park was WWI in 1918, which created sky rocketing inflation and restrictions on grains and materials. It became financially difficult for many people to travel to the park and spend money on rides and food. Since the production of beer was also limited, the lack of beer and alcoholic drinks at the park also reduced its desirability. Perhaps there may have been an opportunity to rebuild the park after WWI. However, J.J. Weaver had previously found it lucrative to develop cottages in Ludlow. After the park incurred some deterioration and damages, and becoming the principal owner of the park, Weaver began to develop a portion of the park with more homes in 1925 rather than try to reopen it. Coincidentally, in that same year, a local recreational venue in Cincinnati known as Coney Island expanded its operations. It added a dance pavilion known as Moonlite Gardens and Sunlite Pool - the world's largest recirculating pool. A year later, in 1926, a roller coaster at Coney Island opened, and subsequent rides followed establishing it as a major amusement park into the 1970s.
A VIDEO PRESENTATION
of the Park
A 2019 Then Again Productions produced a video documentary about the Ludlow Lagoon Amusement Park in Ludlow, KY. Presenters included: Dave Schroeder, Executive Director or the Kenton Co. Public Library; Mark Mitchell, President of the Ludlow Heritage Museum; Yolanda Mitchell, Secretary of the Ludlow Heritage Museum; and Andy Corn, Member of the Ludlow Historic Society.
A Ludlow Lagoon Park Video
(Approx. 40 minutes)
WHAT REMAINS OF THE PARK
Even though nearly all the park buildings were demolished, the lake was occasionally used for ice skating in the winter - until the 1960s. At that time, the property was used by new owners to deposit fill. As shown in the accompanying photo, the lake no longer exists. The only previous attractions that remain are the Club House and a Caretakers Cottage, as shown in the photos below. These two remaining structures are privately owned, and are also shown in a medium green on the 3D diagram above.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Postcards, photos and images provided herein are courtesy of the Kenton County Public Library, the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Libraries, Newspapers.com, Cincinnati Refined, John Purnell, the Ludlow Heritage Museum, Ludlow Historic Society and information provided by several individuals in a video about the Lagoon Park as presented above. The quality of most of the postcards and photos were enhanced by L.R. Schott using Adobe Elements. In keeping with the protocol throughout this website, all black and white photos before Prohibition were tinted brown.
The background photo of this page is a view of the Ludlow Lagoon Amusement Park c. 1900.
