Wednesday, July 29, 2009


On this date in park history, Tricyclefetish.com identifies the make of Richard Hand's trike shown in a 1940s photo taken at the entrance of Rock Springs Park. It was a Colson chain drive tricycle.

The story from an earlier blog post:

In July of 2009, Tish Hand sent me a picture of her husband, Richard K. Hand, riding a tricycle near the entrance to Rock Springs Park in the 1940s. My immediate thought was that it must have been very cool to grow up in an amusement park and have the opportunity to ride all along the winding paths and roads of the 11-acre property, but as I studied the photograph I noticed that “Dickie’s” trike had a chain drive rather than the pedals attached to the front wheel like the one I rode as a kid. I began to wonder what kind of tricycle it was and looked on-line to see if I could find the name.

Dickie Hand (left) and Jim Wilson (right). This photograph is from Sherry Emery’s collection. It shows the same tricycle pictured in Images of America Rock Springs Park p. 74. (Courtesy of Sherry Emery)

I soon discovered a brand new website where people post pictures of themselves on their childhood trikes and inquire about the brand, the worth, etc. The website is a blog entitled “Tricycle Fetish”. According to Wikipedia,“fetishism” is the act of “attributing religious or mystical qualities to inanimate objects.” I mean, I liked my trike as a kid, but come on! But as I read over the blog, I soon realized that these guys knew their stuff, so…

I never thought I’d say it but, “Thank you Tricyclefetish.com!”

Virginia Gardens Memorial Park Dedicated

This week in Rock Springs Park history, The Virginia Gardens Memorial Park in Chester was dedicated and the first annual Rock Springs Festival was held starting on July 25, 1983.

The East Liverpool Evening Review reported on Saturday, July 23, 1983, “Memories of a colorful bit of local history will be recalled anew this week, as Chester area residents prepare for the first Rock Springs Park festival. Dedication ceremonies are planned Monday evening for the Rock Springs Memorial Park, a small section of fenced land at Carolina Ave. and Sixth St. where the City Planning Commission hopes to locate a permanent museum for park memorabilia. The ceremonies which will feature the first ‘Miss Virginia Gardens,’ Lori Theiss, and her court, are to be part of a four-day celebration.”

There was also a plan to build a small cement block structure to serve as a museum in the park . “Planning Commission member Anne Ford said the commission may consider a 'buy a block' program to help with funding.” The city also applied for funds under the Governor’s Emergency Employment Program to build the structure, but it never came to fruition.

Planners intended the festival to become an annual event and it did continue for several years but ended in the late 80s.

Beaver and Geneva College Excursions

Wednesday, July 27, 1921

On this date, Masons And Families Enjoyed an Outing at Rock Springs Park. About 600 were present from Beaver Valley to attend the event.

About six hundred were present at the outing Wednesday at Rock Springs Park which was held by the Beaver Valley Caravan No. 6. The park, which affords various amusements, was heartily enjoyed. Twenty-two sporting events were planned and carried out with spevial prizes for the winners. A baseball game was played between the upper valley and lower valley teams, the upper valley winning the score 7 to 4. Dancing was continuous from 3 to 10:30 o'clock. The Famous Seven Orchestra furnished the music for the dancing. Zig Zag lolly pops [sic] and soft drinks were furnished for the kiddies. One hundred were present from Beaver Falls, the same number from New Brighton and 400 from Rochester, Beaver and Freedom. The affair was planned by the following committee: Chairman of arrangements, C. Merle Raisley; sports, George H. Hamilton and J. Alex Quay; baseball, Christian H. Lindsay and Harry Fairman; dancing, John P. Scofield; entertainment for children, J.A. Philips and Harvey W. Calhoon; transportation, J.J. Zimmerman. (The Daily Times, July 28, 1921.)

Sunday, July 27, 1930

On this date, friends, faculty and alumni of Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA, took the first of many annual excursion trips from Rochester to Rock Springs Park. The Beaver Daily Times gave a wonderful account of the trip the next day which included the myriad sights, sounds, and colors of an eight-hour trip on the Ohio River. Read it at http://rockspringspark.blogspot.com/2011/07/for-geneva-college-getting-there-was.html.

Miss Marlene Gibbs Crowned Queen of Chester's Golden Jubilee

Friday, July 26, 1957



Margaret Cline Comm (left) and Shirley McCauley featured in 
Chester's Jubilee celebration parade 1957, 


On this date in history, Miss Marlene Gibbs is crowned queen of Chester's Golden Jubilee celebration at the coronation ball held Friday night at Virginia Gardens, Rock Springs Park. See the full article at http://rockspringspark.blogspot.com/2011/04/dancing-in-park.html.

Burnt Cork Players

Hey, is that the famous vaudeville cowboy Will Rogers, the world's best-known celebrity in the 1920s? Nope, sorry. The “real” Will Rogers was, according to his papers, vacationing with his family in Atlantic City, New Jersey in June 1909.

Bun Granville and Will Rogers who give their address as Rock Springs Park, East Liverpool, in the Variety ad were black face or “burnt cork” minstrel comics who appeared on vaudeville stages at the same time Will Rogers was becoming well known as a trick roper.



White blackface performers in the past
used burnt cork and later greasepaint
or shoe polish to blacken their skin.

It is not inconceivable that cowboy Will Rogers might have appeared at Rock Springs Park as he was in the area on several occasions and is known to have performed at East Liverpool’s Ceramic Theater, according to the ELO Historical Society.

“Although the American Theatre continued to sponsor vaudeville shows and the Ceramic sponsored spectacular stage shows and appearances by performers like Will Rogers, both theatres also showed movies.”

Blackface Minstrel shows ended in the United States with the U.S. Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. But those of us too young to remember them might remember the American country music television show Hee Haw (1969–1993). According to one account, its format resembled the content of a minstrel show, musical numbers interspersed with rapid-fire comedy bits.

Beaver People Paddle to Park

Tuesday, July 24, 1906

Merchants Picnic held at Rock Springs Park.

Wednesday, July 24, 1907

Over twenty-one hundred people attended The Beaver County General Hospital Benefit and Merchants' picnic at Rock Springs Park. The front page headline in the Daily Times boasted, "It took Four Trains to Carry Crowd." Read more at http://rockspringspark.blogspot.com/2011/08/1907-merchants-picnic-made-front-page.html.

Wednesday, July 24, 1907

Beaver People paddle in canoes downstream to Rock Springs Park. The canoes were shipped back by freight train. Read more at http://rockspringspark.blogspot.com/2010/08/beaver-people-in-canoes.html.

Wednesday, July 24, 1918

“The Two Generals,” a vaudeville show featuring Adams and Guhl’s Musical Comedy Company begins twice daily shows at Rock Springs Park. The New York Clipper Vaudeville News and Reviews said of Adams and Guhl, “They scored a laughing hit. Their talk is funny and well put over. The bits of business are well handled and got many laughs.”

Sad News

I just received some sad news. Richard “Dick” Bowker passed away last night. Without him, Images of America: Rock Springs Park would not have been published. In fact, every image in the book without a courtesy line belonged to Dick, as it is common practice to give such a contributor a line of gratitude in the acknowledgements. Dick was a collector of all things related to amusement parks and trolleys and his home was both a personal library and museum. Fortunately for us all, our beloved Rock Springs Park was his favorite. In 2009, Dick and I took a road trip from his home in Forest Hills, Pittsburgh to East Liverpool to see and hear the Wurlitzer Band Organ from Rock Springs which is currently on display in the Lou Holtz Upper Ohio Valley Hall of Fame Museum. The Review did a wonderful full page story about our visit which included Dick’s account of recording the organ playing his favorite roll in 1969 and of his riding the Cyclone on Labor Day 1970, as the lights of Rock Springs Park were being turned off forever. Dick and I became friends while working on my book. I have visited him many times these past few years, always taking him to lunch at his favorite Drew’s Restaurant on Ardmore Boulevard. We typically ended each visit watching amusement park videos or listening to polka music. I will miss him, but I am also extremely grateful, as I’m sure you are, that Dick so generously shared his collection with us all.