The Columbus-area village that was once an amusement park

Our Franklin County Historical Marker Tour is taking a fun trip to the site of a former theme park.

The marker: Minerva Amusement Park/The Green Line at 2920 Minerva Lake Road.

Flashback: It all started with a missed train. Hundreds of Westerville residents with 1891 State Fair tickets were left stranded when a train headed to the fair didn't stop for them.

• Angry discussions eventually led to Garry Waldo Meeker's creation of an electric railway between Westerville and Columbus.

The intrigue: To encourage ridership, Meeker built an amusement park on a plot of farmland he owned along the route.

• Minerva Park first opened in 1895 toward the end of the Gilded Age, a time when Americans learned to enjoy the benefits of public recreation.
• The park featured a small zoo, a bird museum, scenic views and a 2,500-seat theater for vaudeville performances.

The "Scenic Railway" roller coaster at Minerva Amusement Park. Photo courtesy Columbus Metropolitan Library

Yes, but: It only lasted for seven seasons, with patrons drawn instead to the larger Olentangy Park operating in present-day Clintonville.

• Years later, Minerva Park turned into a housing subdivision and the village was incorporated in 1940.

4️⃣6️⃣ down, 82 to go .