Traction Company Merger Unites Steubenville and Beaver

Friday, June 8, 1906

On this day in Rock Springs Park History, a big traction company merger united Steubenville and Beaver and included 12 miles of East Liverpool Traction & Light of East Liverpool, as well as the line across the Chester Bridge to the Rock Springs.

Read related articles at http://rockspringspark.blogspot.com/2011/07/trolley-merger.html and http://rockspringspark.blogspot.com/2011/07/park-electric-line-part-of-1906-merger.html.

RSP’s Ladies Rest House Featured on New Blog

The Ladies Rest House in Rock Springs Park has been featured on a new blog all about lost women’s spaces. The blog, called “Lost Womyn’s Space” and hosted by Silverside, is a project to commemorate these lost spaces both old and modern.

The Ladies Rest House was a necessary restroom and break room for women wearing tight-fitting corsets and the only original building from the 1890’s remaining in the park when it closed for good on Labor Day 1970.

The first postcard image above shows the Ladies Rest House as it looked in the 1890’s. In this later colorized postcard of the same view, an artist has removed the pole at center. “Often postcard artists would romanticize images by removing all undesirable features, such as telephone poles, junk yards, background clutter, and sometimes even cars and people by painting or air brushing” (Images of America: Rock Springs Park, p19).

Check out “Lost Womyn’s Space” at http://lostwomynsspace.blogspot.com/2012/05/ladies-rest-house-rock-springs-park.html.




Rare rear view of the Ladies Rest House in 1969.

 

Possibly the last photograph taken of the Ladies Rest House prior to its razing in 1974. Notice the band shell stripped down and and made ready for transport to Chester City Park.



Captain Homer Smith Announces All-Day Ride to RSP

Wednesday, June 6, 1928

The Sun Telegraph announced that Captain Homer Smith planned an all-day ride of 100 miles to Rock Springs Park, Chester, W.Va., on July 4, aboard his steamship The Homer Smith. See it at http://rockspringspark.blogspot.com/2010/08/beautiful-steamboats.html.

Fire at the Old Mill

Saturday, June 5, 1915

Fire swept the Old Mill ride at Rock Springs Park taking the lives of three children who were attending a school picnic day. Read more at http://rockspringspark.blogspot.com/2011/03/accidents-and-injuries-at-rock-springs.html.

Charley James Orchestra Played for Dancing

Thursday, June 4, 1936
 
On this date, Charley James and his renowned radio orchestra played for dancing at Rock Springs Park. James and his Orchestra had established "a coast to coast reputation due to their broadcasting activities from the nations leading stations," according to the Daily Times, June 3, 1936.
 
Wednesday, June 4, 1958
 
And later on this date, two boat excursions were scheduled on the Ohio River by the New Brighton Board of Trade and the Lions Clubs to Rock Springs Park, Chester, WV. Read the article at http://rockspringspark.blogspot.com/2011/01/riverboat-excursions-to-rsp-continued.html.

Impromptu Parking

Rock Springs Park was designed as a trolley park and to that end never truly established parking areas for customers arriving by automobile.   

As early as 1908 automobiles carried patrons to the park but parking was limited to found space. At first, as seen in this postcard image, that meant parking along the trolley loop near the lower entrance.

When the park was re-imagined by C.C. Macdonald in the mid to late 1920s an upper entrance was added under the third hill of his new Cyclone Roller Coaster. The aerial photograph below clearly illustrates that the trolley loop all the way back to the lake and bath house was used for parking, as was the area near the Chester High School to access the upper entrance gate.

Black Model Ts line the trolley loop and lower picnic park to the lake, as well as, near the high school to the west.



The series of photographs which follow shows that this trend continued into the late 1960s until the park closed in 1970. Most travelers from Pennsylvania parked near the lower entrance as it was the first one they encountered along Route 30. While those traveling from southern West Virginia along Route 2 or across the Chester Bridge from Ohio may have used the upper entrance more often.

Rock Springs by Boat

Saturday, June 2, 1910

The Daily Times reported on this date, "There is a fine bill at the Hippodrome, Rock Springs Park, this week, any of the acts being well worth the price of admission, including Carl Daman Family, Sensational Acrobats; the Orloff Troupe of Famous Russian Gymnasts and Roberti’s Bears, Dogs and Monkeys.”

Monday, June 2, 1913

The Ohio and Mississippi Navigation Company operated the beautiful Steamer Steel City on a specially conducted excursion Decoration Day (Memorial Day) to Rock Springs Park, the most popular summer park in this section. "Thousands of dollars have been spent in beautifying and adding new attractions. Tickets on sale at wharfboat, foot of Wood St. 75 cents round trip. Boat leaves 8 a.m., returning in evening." (The Pittsburg [sic] Press, May 28, 1913.)

Decoration Day originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War. Southern ladies organizations and southern schoolchildren had decorated Confederate graves in Richmond and other cities during the Civil War, but each region had its own date. Most dates were in May. However, in 1913, it fell on the first Monday in June.