Levitt
Luzern Custer was born on July 27, 1888 in Dayton,
Ohio and was the son of prominent Dayton dentist,
Dr. Levitt Ellsworth Custer. As a young boy, he frequented
the Wright Brothers’ Bicycle Shop and established
a life-long friendship with the Wright family, especially
Orville.
Custer graduated from the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology in 1913. After briefly working for the
National cash register Company, he founded the Custer
Specialty Company in 1916 and opened his factory on
North Ludlow Street and Franklin Street across from
Chaminade- Jullienne
High School in Dayton. On the fourth floor, he built
the first indoor miniature golf course. The second
floor became an oceanarium, with more than 100 tanks
filled with tropical fish. In later years, a large
arrow was painted on the roof of the factory, which
helped guide pilots to nearby McCook's Field.
About 1925, Custer produced the Custer
Park Car, a battery-operated car that could be used
on any track. It quickly became very popular since
the only installation needed was a flat surface. Custer
then developed the Custer "C" Cycle, a small,
paddlewheel-propelled watercraft, similar to a bicycle.
The pedals turned the paddlewheel in the rear of the
ride and it too quickly became very popular.
In
1940, Custer moved to a larger plant to Linden Avenue
on Dayton’s east side. While Custer’s
work was mainly aviation related, his heart remained
active in the amusement park industry up until his
death. He was a member of the National Association
of Amusement Parks, Pools, and Beaches (today known
as the IAAPA) for many years.
In
the mid 1950’s, Custer moved his factory to
139 Bradford Street just a mile away from his former
location. Custer, 74, passed away August 30, 1962.
The company remained in business until September 11,
1965 when a fire gutted the building and destroyed
all of Custer’s drawings, models and files.
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