Final Sunset for Crystal Beach – November 1962

Although Cedar Point is well-known nationally as an amusement park, fewer and fewer people these days remember that Vermilion, Ohio once had one of its own for more than half a century. 

Crystal Beach Amusement Park was a very popular destination since 1907, with a variety of attractions to amuse and entertain its visitors. But it all ended sixty years ago in October - November 1962 when the landmark park was sold and its rides auctioned off.

Below is the announcement of the sale of the park on the front page of the October 30, 1962 Journal.

The article notes, "In the transaction, permission was granted for the amusement park owners to retain possession of the rides, which will be dismantled and moved from the site." The Friday, November 9, 1962 Journal included the article below about the upcoming auction.

"Everything which is the property of the park's owners will be sold on the spot," the article points out. "Probably the most fantastic item ever to be offered for auction will be the giant roller coaster which has been enjoyed by millions since its erection in 1925."

Ten days later as reported in the November 19, 1962 Journal, the auctioneer's gavel came down, and the roller coaster rolled away forever for $400.

Today, Crystal Beach is honored with a marker (which I wrote about here) at the site of the former amusement park.

Crystal Beach Roller Coaster Article – May 1951

Proper maintenance of amusement park rides has long been a safety concern. Just as Cedar Point in Sandusky makes it a priority today, Crystal Beach in Vermilion did more than seventy years ago.

The article below, which appeared in the Lorain Journal back on May 5, 1951 provides a nice glimpse of the work involved in removing rust from the roller coaster at Crystal Beach.

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Rust Removing Crew Works To Ready Big Vermilion Coaster

Tour Hard Work On First Trip

By ROBERT TATE

Ever wonder – as you took your stomach on a two-minute tear on a roller coaster – how it would be to get out and walk and push the one - ton car up one of those deep tips?

Three men were doing that yesterday afternoon at Crystal Beach Amusement park, Vermilion.

RUST BATTLES RUST ON GIANT COASTER

Every year about this time, Rust battles rust on the big coaster, 11 miles west of Lorain.

It's Henry Rust, the man in charge of the dipsy doodle speedway in the sky, who attacks the red rust on the strip metal tracks.

Because of the rust, the six-passenger coaster cars can rarely get around the nearly half-mile circuit on the first attempt each spring.

To get everything ready for the first night of thrills tomorrow, Rust enlisted Paul Ries, Vermilion, shooting gallery operator, and James Ryan, Crystal Beach's manager, to help.

Equipped with oil cans, the trio rode a single car up the first incline. At the top, the cable released the car for what is normally a gravity-powered dash up, down and around to the starting point.

But with rust dragging at the under wheels and side wheels which prevent sway by pressing against side boards, the car slowed to a stop half-way up two dips. Each time safety locks caught the car and the Big Push was on.

Over the top, the men dived back aboard like sailors scrambling into a lifeboat.

To keep up speed on the easy slopes, they pushed with one leg like kids on a giant scooter. Three times the journey was made before the oiling and rust-wearing was done.

Ryan, who lives at 1202 Hawthorne-av, and is safety director of Lorain, said the highest point is 60 feet.

"In the dips, they reach a speed of 70 m.p.h.," he said. That's considerably faster than Ryan's policemen will permit motorists to drive on city streets.

"There is absolutely no danger as long as everyone sits down and keeps his safety belt strapped," Ryan went on. He said the only bad accident in 26 years came when a boy stood up.

The coaster gets faster as the season progresses. Tomorrow night the ride will take two and a half minutes, elapsed time. Later on it will require just one minute, 55 seconds. Both times include one minute towing to get to the top.

After the season closes in the fall, and until winter sets in, Rust inspects and repairs the man-made forest of timbers. He and his family live inside the roller coaster jungle in a small house.

"We use only Alabama long leaf pine with very few knots," commented Ryan. "Wood that we remove is used elsewhere around the park. It's still good."

As far as the skimpy coat of paint on the structure, he explained that, altho customers have more confidence in pretty, heavily-painted framework, insurance inspectors frown on it. They don't want possible defects covered up.

Vermilion in Post Cards – Part 4: Lighthouse, Vermilion-on-the-Lake and Crystal Beach

Today I’m wrapping up my series on Vermilion as seen though postcards found mainly on Ebay. We'll start with Vermilion’s lighthouse, which was a popular postcard topic.

(I’m fairly ignorant about Vermilion history, and was surprised to read on a Wiki page that the lighthouse shown in the above postcards was taken down in 1929 and sent to Buffalo (where it was originally built) to be renovated. Although today it is privately owned, it’s still in use in New York as the East Charity Shoal Light.)

The Vermilion-On-The-Lake clubhouse was also a popular postcard subject. I wrote about this iconic building a few times, including here.

I’ve done a couple posts about Crystal Beach. Lately there have been many vintage postcards for sale on Ebay for this iconic Vermilion attraction. Some of the postcards seem like they should be for one of the other same-named amusement parks, but the backs of them and postmarks confirm that they are indeed Crystal Beach in Vermilion.

(Postmarked 1910)

(Postmarked 1914)

(Postmarked 1927)

(Postmarked 1943)

It’s a little harder to find postcards of Cask Villa (soon to get its own post on this blog).

But I was happy to find a vintage postcard of one Vermilion subject that I’ve written about, namely Motel Plaza. It was part of my series about Rusine’s (here). And it’s still doing business out there on U.S. Route 6 with the same name.

Erie County Bank Grand Opening in Vermilion – April 1969

(Courtesy Lake Shore Rail Maps)

On the face of it, the stately KeyBank building (above) on Liberty Avenue in Vermilion (U. S. Route 6) across from the shopping center may not seem like anything to be nostalgic about.

But the building's location is what's notable: it was built on the former site of the Crystal Beach ballroom.

At right is a terrific photo from Drew Penfield's Lake Shore Rail Maps website showing the ballroom and just how huge the domed structure was. (Click here to visit the website’s fascinating Vermilion pages, which include a capsule history of Crystal Beach amusement park, which closed at the end of the 1962 season.)

April 29, 1949 Ad Promoting Bands Appearing
at the Crystal Beach Ballroom

Anyway, the building that is currently home to KeyBank had its Grand Opening as the main office of Erie County Bank back on April 12, 1969. As an article in the Journal on April 10th noted, “The bank is located on the former site of the Crystal Beach ballroom across from South Shore Shopping Center on US 6 (Lake Road).

“Prizes, gifts, displays and refreshments will highlight the grand opening of the installation which offers complete banking services.

“The new main building houses the offices of the president and other bank officials off the main lobby. On the second floor at the mortgage department, checking and proof department, board room, employes’ lounge and a community room equipped with tables, chairs and a kitchenette. Its capacity is 60 persons.”

Erie County Bank was established in 1940. Society Bank of the Firelands was its successor bank, followed by KeyBank.

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The Vermilion Photojournal featured this night shot of the building on the front page of the April 10, 1969 edition.

Crystal Beach Park Historical Marker

The new plaque commemorating Crystal Beach amusement park
on the grounds of the Crystal Shore Apartments in Vermilion

May 28, 1947 ad for Crystal Beach
from the Lorain Journal

Anyone with an appreciation for the past should be pleased with recent efforts being taken to make sure that local history isn’t forgotten.

The erection of permanent historical markers in places that can be easily viewed by the public is a nice new trend. On Monday, I wrote about an Ohio Historical Marker dedicated last month in Avon Lake at the shopping center, honoring the old interurban station that was once at that location.

Well, a little less than twenty miles to the west in Vermilion, historical markers were recently erected commemorating Crystal Beach Park, the amusement park once located there.

According to this article in the Chronicle-Telegram by Rini Jeffers, a commemorative plaque was installed on a pylon that once anchored a ride called the Tumble Bug. Today the pylon serves as a base for a flagpole on the grounds of the Crystal Shore Apartments.

Here’s a closeup of both sides of the historical plaque.

For the complete history of Crystal Beach, including rare archival photos, be sure to visit this link on historian Rich Tarrant’s always interesting Vermilion Views website. Rich also has a well-written piece about the park on the Vermilion Photojournal website.

Crystal Beach Park 40th Anniversary Ad – May 28, 1947

Crystal Beach Park in Vermilion first opened on Decoration Day (later renamed Memorial Day) 1907. Thus, the 40th Anniversary of the park was a big event, and was heralded in this ad, which appeared in the Lorain Journal on May 28, 1947.

The ad is a nice snapshot of all the rides and attractions that Crystal Beach offered at that time: Crystal Thriller, Tumblebug, Dodgem, Rocket Ship, Merry Go Round, Loop A Plane, Caterpillar, Miniature Railway, Kiddie Rides, Ponies and Miniature Golf.

Amusements listed in the ad included a Fun House, a Shooting Gallery, Bingo, Dart Game, Balloon Bust, and a Fish Pond.

Crystal Beach Park was well known for the popular Big Bands that performed there. Upcoming bands listed in the 1947 ad include Frankie Masters, Stan Kenton (one of my father's favorites), Carmen Cavallaro and Vaughn Monroe.

For a really terrific history of Crystal Beach Park that includes many wonderful photos and postcards, be sure to visit this link on Rich Tarrant's Vermilion Views website. Crystal Beach Park has been a regular topic on the Vermilion Views website over the years, so if you type in "Crystal Beach" in the search box at the bottom of the page, it will bring up the links of additional posts that mention it.

Courtesy Ebay

Drew Penfield has a nice history of Crystal Beach Park on the first page of the Vermilion section of his Lake Shore Rail Maps website, including some great photos.

Rusine's Part 2

Vintage postcard

Did you know that, in addition to the bookstore, the Rusine family also operated a motel?

As Robert Rusine explained, "Our motel was on Route 6 and 2. Motel Plaza, across the street from the Crystal Beach roller coaster. For ten years I mowed the lawn on our property, which was 11 acres.

1950s phone book ad

"The sounds of the roller coaster which faced our property were enticing. Slowly the chain would pull the roller coaster to the top, and then it would make the curve before its long descent with people screaming at the top of their lungs.

"But I was mowing the lawn, which took all day."

Robert obviously inherited his father's strong work ethic.

"Coming from an ethnic Russian background," he explained, "my dad was born poor, did not speak English when he started school, but worked tirelessly all his life, and when he died all his properties were fully paid as was our custom."

Motel Plaza is still there out on Route 6 in Vermilion. As Robert notes, "Still in business. Same name and same rooms after fifty years."

"My dad worked both of those businesses each day, every day of the year for almost his entire adult life," said Robert. "Never a vacation."

Michael Rusine passed away on June 20, 1989. He had owned and operated his bookstore for more than 6o years. He was also a former Lorain Jaycees Man of the Year, and was a state award winner for selling bonds during World War II.

Robert Rusine sums up his father simply and lovingly.

"My dad was a good guy."

Special thanks to Robert Rusine for sharing his memories.

Modern views of the motel