Streifhthau Turnpike Cars

They were built on the grounds of the Fantasy Farm Amusement Park in Middletown, Ohio, developed and managed by Edgar Streifthau. Edgar also was owner of the Streifthau Manufacturing Company which built Erie motorbikes. He was the founder of LeSourdsville Lake Amusement Park also known as Americana. Edgar teamed up with Frank Dodd of Oxford, Ohio to build a turnpike car. [READ MORE]

Americana Amusement Park/LeSourdsville Lake web site

Although LeSourdsville Lake has fallen on hard times for the moment, there are efforts to revive this park. It has a very strong following despite the fact that 15 miles away sits Paramount's Kings Island. But LeSourdsville Lake is not meant to compete with an industry giant. Its purpose to provide an alternative to the mega commercialism you find at theme parks these days. A place where you don't stand in line for two hours to ride a 2:30 second ride. A place where the grandparents can take their grandchildren and not have to worry about losing them among the vast crowd. A place that you can sit back and enjoy the sounds of the rides or the smell of the midway treats. A place you can return to again and again without taking a loan out against your home. A place that we love to call, "The Lake." [READ MORE]

Kings Island Lion Country Safari Tram

After the 1993 season, Paramount's Kings Island closed down the Wild Animal Habitat and enlisted the assistance of the Cincinnati Zoo to relocate the animals. The safari tram was sold to Jim Bonaminio, owner of Jungle Jim's in Fairfield, Ohio. The tram sat in a storage building behind the massive Jungle Jim's complex located on State Route 4 just north of I-275 while Bonaminio concentrated on expanding his internationally-known grocery store. The complex now encompasses over 10 acres and will feature the return of the safari tram as part of the expansion. Although the safari tram is not a ride per say, it still represents a part of amusement park history that will be preserved and enable thousands of patrons that visit Jungle Jim's weekly and enjoy a part of history. No date has been set on the reopening of the tram.

LeSourdsville Lake Arcade machine

LeSourdsville Lake/Americana web site owner Scott Fowler recently purchased a circa1940s aracade machine that was used at LeSourdsville Lake in the 1940s and 50s. It was placed in storage during the 1960s and sold at a 1975 auction to a family in Carlisle, Ohio. Scott purchased the machine in 2006 and is planning to restore it back to its original condition.