The souls of local history
To the Editor,
Charles A. Smith brought electricity to the Steubenville and East Liverpool areas.
His company was the forerunner to Ohio Powers. He also controlled the local entertainment industry when his company built two amusement parks — one in Steubenville, Stanton Park opening in 1901, and the other, Rock Springs Park, that had its roots in the late 19th century.
Steubenville silent screen star Charles Stanton Olge signed with the Thomas A. Edison Photo play company. He invented the Kinetograph.
The theaters of Steubenville were among the first to have electricity. It allowed them to show the new flicker industry not with an old crank projectors but ones powered by electric.
The amusement park was staffed by people selling cotton candy, candy apples and popcorn during the hot summer months who needed work in the wintertime, so they went to local theaters.
The Roustabout also found new ground in the cold times in local taverns, pool halls in the back rooms running dice and card games.
It wasn’t long before the children of the routstabout were being born into the city living in the red light district near the river. With dad long gone a second generation of little roustabouts were born in the city.
Rock Springs Park lasted long enough to awake my interest in amusement, stage and carnivals. I have a photo taken at the Springs in the summer of 1957. In 1915 on June 5, a great fire killed four children in a day when 10,000 people were at the park in what was called the barn.
For those who believe in such things, the souls of those kids could be seen by park visitors.
Michael Traubert
Wellsburg
COMMENTS