Old Lakeside Park Dayton, OH

[Titan]

Today I had to take my grandpa to one of his doctor appointments in Moraine. After the appointment was done my grandpa told me that he wanted to check something out, however he wouldn't tell me what it was. He told me where to go and I turned onto Gettysburg Avenue and then headed to US 35. As I was getting on my grandpa told me to look off to the side. I was confused and asked him why I was looking at a green lake. Then he started to tell me about how there used to be an Amusement Park right where the US 35 currently sits. I asked him to explain what the park was like, but all he remembered was that there was a wooden coaster. So when I got home I decided to look up Lakeside Park and there was a lot more information than I thought there would be. So I thought it would be cool to share some of the information I found with you guys and gals.

This site has the most information:

http://soaphs.com/lakeside/index.htm

The Flying Turns roller coaster was the first of it's kind built:

This is a picture of a postcard I found off serbagunamarine.com that shows a picture of the lake and surrounding attractions.

I also found some more postcards on the Dayton Metro Library Website:

http://content.daytonmetrolibrary.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/postcards/id/612/rec/8

And finally here is an aerial view of Lakeside Park that I found on the Dayton VA website:

This is all the information that I was able to find about the park. If you guys have any other pictures or information please post it. Sometime in the future I hope to head back down to the site and take some pictures of what it looks like now. It's a shame that there is nothing left of the park and that there aren't many people that know the park even existed, but I had a fun time researching the park and I hope you guys enjoy the information I found!

[The Interpreter]

Thank you. I've heard very little about this park over the years. And your grandfather did a very good thing, sharing his knowledge with you.

[Tanna]

I know Thrill Biscuit had the same thought I did.

"Midway hawkers calling "Try your luck with me"

A merry go round wheezing same old melody-"

What a great thing to share time and memories with your grandpa. I love parks like that. I'm sure he'll remember more after seeing some of the information you've found on the net.

[Dieseltech20]

Thanks for sharing. Of course this one video turned into about 3 hours of watching others on old parks.

[AZ Kinda Guy]

The construction of route 35 pretty much obliterated any remnants of Lakeside. For those wondering what it looks like now, and this is nothing more that an educated guess but, the street that runs next to the roller coaster could possibly be modern day Kenesaw drive. More pics of Lakeside over on the Facebook page of "Dayton History Books Online."

Fun fact: The National Amusement Device company was right down the road from Lakeside.

[violakat03]

My mom has memories of it being there but never actually went to it.

The prototype for the Flying Turns style was originally erected at Lakeside. It's often not mentioned, as usually the Euclid Beach Flying Turns is listed as the first, but the prototype was indeed in Dayton. It was designed by pilot Norman Bartlett and famed coaster designer John Miller. It also had a Miller derby racer, Schmeck-designed Wildcat and PTC carousel #31.

An accident on Wildcat led to a death in the 60's (my mom remembers it being in the news). On top of multiple tax liens and other incidents at the park, it went into bankruptcy in the late 60s and was auctioned off. The carousel was sold in pieces, but the mechanisms and central part of the carousel are in operation at SeaBreeze with new horses.

[flightoffear1996]

Did everyone wear ties back then?

[The Interpreter]

No. Few women did.

Terp, who just HAD to.

[Voicetek]

I've seen other old video clips of old amusement parks and I noticed that people dressed to go to amusement parks like they were dressing to go to church. It seemed like people just liked to fix up and look presentable every time they went out. It was a different time back then.

[shark6495]

I've seen other old video clips of old amusement parks and I noticed that people dressed to go to amusement parks like they were dressing to go to church. It seemed like people just liked to fix up and look presentable every time they went out. It was a different time back then.

My great uncle would mow the lawn in his weekend suit. People dont understand dressing "nice." Same thing when people go to broadway plays. I always make a point of dressing nice when going to a play.

[violakat03]

My mom remembers going shopping as a little girl dressed her "Sunday best," especially if they were going into downtown Dayton to the big department stores. She remembers riding the escalator at Rike's (the department store that once stood where the Schuster Center is now) wearing a dress and white gloves. This would have been in the mid 50's.

[jcgoble3]

The nicest dress you'll probably ever get out of me is a good polo shirt, dress pants, and ordinary shoes instead of sandals or Crocs. My dress jacket has been collecting dust since my senior prom in 2005 and would need a thorough dry cleaning before it could be worn, my dress shoes have also been collecting dust for the same length of time and might not even fit me anymore, and I don't think I even own a dress shirt with buttons all the way down (I borrowed one from my dad for prom).

If I were ever to get married, I would implement a "street casual" dress code at my wedding, meaning nothing fancier than what the average person would wear on a quick trip to the grocery store. This would apply to everyone, from guests to groomsmen and bridesmaids to myself and the bride. I myself as the groom would probably wear one of my amusement park or Star Wars t-shirts, shorts, and Crocs or sandals. Would save a lot of money by eliminating the need to buy or rent tuxedos and dresses for me, the bride, groomsmen, and bridesmaids. Then again, there's no danger of that happening anytime soon, since I currently plan to remain single my entire life.

[malem]

If I were ever to get married, I would implement

Stop right there! As the groom, you wouldn't have any control over these matters.

Everyone - if you're invited to Jonathan's wedding, don't listen to him. Ask Mrs. jcgoble3.

[The Interpreter]

Mrs.? He's going to be a bigamist?

I think you meant the soon-to-be Mrs.

[TheBEASTunchained]

Wow, thanks for posting! I always love reading stories like this. It also makes me think about all the amusement parks, small, and big, that were once housed in Ohio, those parks were one-of-a-kind and each with something different to offer.

[daytonbuzzman]

I remember going to Lakeside when I was maybe 5 or 6. I'm 55 now. My dad's job had their company picnic there. About the only thing I can remember is riding a wild mouse ride with my Dad, and looking at the wooden roller coaster and my dad telling me it was too dangerous to ride, that someone was killed on it. I remember the "laughing lady", and it creeped me out. I used to think the first coaster I ever rode was the one at Lesourdsville, but after reading this post, I realized I rode one way before that. Still love roller coasters, and never thought I'd love one as much as The Beast untill I rode Diamondback this year. Thanks for the post and links, Titan.

[Justin McKinnon]

On 8/21/2014 at 6:13 AM, daytonbuzzman said:

I remember going to Lakeside when I was maybe 5 or 6. I'm 55 now. My dad's job had their company picnic there. About the only thing I can remember is riding a wild mouse ride with my Dad, and looking at the wooden roller coaster and my dad telling me it was too dangerous to ride, that someone was killed on it. I remember the "laughing lady", and it creeped me out. I used to think the first coaster I ever rode was the one at Lesourdsville, but after reading this post, I realized I rode one way before that. Still love roller coasters, and never thought I'd love one as much as The Beast untill I rode Diamondback this year. Thanks for the post and links, Titan.

My grandmother is 96 years old and she remembers this park. She says there really wasn't many cameras back then so you’d be lucky find any pictures.  She remembers the laughing lady which was a fat moving animatronic woman that laughed atop one of the buildings. She recalls going to Borden’s Dairy picnics there as well.

There was also a dance hall, and they held dance competitions with large cash prices, she thinks the top prize might have been $1,000. 

They had some kind of haunted spooky house that may have been up longer than just halloween, maybe even all year long, and you’d ride a cart around inside that would drive you through some spooky props. 

She thinks if anyone took pictures it would have been Borden’s Dairy during their picnics, so you could maybe reach out to them to further your research

Edited October 27, 2022 by Justin McKinnon
Grammar