Photo comparison.
Chippewa Lake, a now abandoned theme park in Ohio, was once a booming park full of ride enthusiasts and families on vacation. Now it is a rundown, dilapidated and overgrown patch of woods. Sort of like a deep sea shipwreck turned coral reef.
This photoset by Flickr user Brian B. shows the current state of Chippewa Lake today – as well as a few comparison shots of how it looked in its heyday.
After doing some research I’ve found out that this theme park was open for nearly 100 years, and was the victim of some arson since its closing in 1978.
/source the big dipper – a photoset on Flickr
/via Jason Kottke
People should hold onto these vintage historic sites. This roller coaster lived through two world wars and Vietnam! They should preserve these places same as Taj Mahal and Eiffel Tower, not bull doze ‘em. Charging admission to as many people as walked through here would pay for lots of restoration.
My uncle, Eugene Carroll built a cottage at Gloria Glens (right near the park) in the late 1940′s/early 1950′s. As a child, it seemed so far away and we would spend many a summer day there culminating in a day at the park. The Chippewa Lake ballroom at the park hosted top bands in the 1940′s such as Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Gray and others. As a young adult in the 1970′s, I took my then future wife to the park for the Oktoberfest. Sadly, it closed at the end of that decade, but the memories are still open…
I have visited chippewa lake park four times to document the decay and abandonment of the park. See my photos here: 40+ very popular photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bpdphotography/sets/72157621980516416/