Nowadays the words amusement park automatically brings to mind thoughts of Kentucky Kingdom or Beach Bend. More than a century ago in 1894 to 1917, there was a different park that drew thousands of visitors and entertained tourists. What can be famous can easily fade to nothing, such as this now lost amusement park in Kentucky.
Envision, if you will…
NKYTribune …a crystal clear lake with sandy beaches that looked like they belonged on a coast. There was an exciting roller coaster railway over top of the water and a thriving midway. Children and adults rode a carousel on which the figures were ALL hand carved and painted, 100 foot Ferris wheel and a gold mine replica ride. There was even a miniature railroad that rode around the park.
The rides weren’t the main attraction at the amusement park
NKYTRibune The lake and beach were the primary draw, but they also had consistent events. The music of the day was often heard via concert or orchestra event. Many entertainers were hired to perform and draw in music loving crowds. The park was an entertainment dream. There was an amphitheater for live productions, a vaudeville stage, a Japanese Fair, complete with Juijitsu lessons. There were picnic grounds, games, refreshments, walking trails and entertainers, including aerialists.
Unfortunately, a series of horrid disasters seemed to haunt the Ludlow Lagoon amusement park.
NKYTribune
…a crystal clear lake with sandy beaches that looked like they belonged on a coast. There was an exciting roller coaster railway over top of the water and a thriving midway. Children and adults rode a carousel on which the figures were ALL hand carved and painted, 100 foot Ferris wheel and a gold mine replica ride. There was even a miniature railroad that rode around the park.
NKYTRibune
The lake and beach were the primary draw, but they also had consistent events. The music of the day was often heard via concert or orchestra event. Many entertainers were hired to perform and draw in music loving crowds. The park was an entertainment dream. There was an amphitheater for live productions, a vaudeville stage, a Japanese Fair, complete with Juijitsu lessons. There were picnic grounds, games, refreshments, walking trails and entertainers, including aerialists.
It seemed they barely recovered from one heinous event when the park was struck down by another. The first was a devastating flood in 1913. July brought devastation via fire during a cycle accident that caused a gas lamp to ignire the grandstand, resulting in nine deaths. July 1915 brought $20,000 in damages via a tornado. The final nail in the coffin came during WWI. The grain used for beer was needed for the war efforts, eliminating the sale of beer. The Lagoon closed permanently in 1917.
Today, not much still stands. The clubhouse and caretaker cottages are still there, though they’ve been transformed into beautiful residences. The fact this was once the greatest amusement park in Kentucky can be a bit surprising, but the Lagoon was quite renowned. Here are more unique historical spots to check out in the Bluegrass State.
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