LeSourdsville Lake, Americana focus of new book

If you go

MONROE — LeSourdsville Lake may never reopen again, but memories of the amusement park will take new form in a book authored by a former park employee.

Local historian Scott Fowler has compiled more than 200 photos and images from the local amusement park’s history in his book, “LeSourdsville Lake Amusement Park.”

The book will have a special premiere at Traders World flea market in Monroe, not far from the park grounds, on May 21 and 22. Fowler will sign copies of the book and share memories of the park.

An employee at LeSourdsville from 1977 to 1983, Fowler began researching the history of LeSourdsville Lake and other Ohio parks. In 2001, he established the Southwest Ohio Amusement Park Historical Society Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Ohio’s amusement park heritage.

Having done all that work, Fowler already had a lot of research at hand when he signed the contract to write the book last year.

“It kind of stems back to my website. I had adopted the name after Park River (the previous owner) had sold it ... a lot of the history had been documented for years. I got to go back through the newspapers and see the actual stories on the park,” Fowler said.

The park was founded in 1922 by Middletown, hardware store owner Edgar Streifthau. It became more of a traditional park in 1934 when Middletown architect and eventual park owner Don Dazey was hired to rebuild the bathhouse, which had been destroyed by an accidental fire, according to Fowler.

The park changed its name to Americana in 1978, and it remained open through 1999. Jerry Couch, an area RV dealer, bought the park and opened it for one season in 2002, but financial difficulties prevented a reopening of the park, where Couch built a new RV dealership. It has been closed ever since. The book ends on a melancholy note, with a picture of the park’s boarded-up facilities.

“I hope people get a sense of the park’s history and relive some of their favorite memories there,” Fowler said.

Fowler will be signing from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 21, and from noon to 4 p.m. May 22. Traders World is off exit 29, on the east side of I-75. The 128-page book also will be available for purchase online at www.arcadiapublishing.com or www.soaphs.com. It retails for $21.99.