This was called Americana in the 80's and I used to go there all the time. It was a poor man's King's Island, basically and we were poor, so . . . There was also a place next to it called Fantasy Farm which was aimed at younger kids. Thanks for the tour!
That hurts my heart to watch!! I've been there 100 times or more!! From when i was a baby and i took my now 16 year old daughter there once in 2002 when she wasn't even 1 year old! Tey shut it down shortly after. So many of my old family photos are from there! Anyone else remember being able to gain admission with a single can of RC Cola back in the day lol? Makes me feel so old but im only 37! Fascinating to watch though if youve been there alot u can still remember exactly how it looked! Such a bummer. I still look over there every time I drive past!! Those were the good ol days before Hamilton turned to a complete sh*t show...
Yed my husband was just telling me about the rc cans when we came upon this video if you have any old pictures of this Lasorda Ville you are willing to share it would be greatly appreciate it would love to see them
WOW! My first time there was in 1967. Yes the Great Miami River fed the lake there with water. That big field you walked across used to be the lake, seems like it was much deeper than that. That lake had tons of fish in it. I remember throwing a hand full of popcorn in it and dozens of fish would attack it. I guess someone bought the old roller coaster too. Those were the days. Yes, Kings Island put them out of business. Last time I was there in the 80's wasn't hardly couple hundred people there or so.
We used to get in it and push the paddleboat if it stalled,wasn't e an waist deep. I always heard it was man made, for ice for ice boxes when they were a thing.
Shortdawg411 There are other videos of this place that are much older then mine. But I figured several people filmed it just based on all of the tagging
Yeah I have seen several videos from the past but I have never seen anyone go in there and walk around like you have. My friend did a flyover with his drone: ua-cam.com/video/iTV1L6KDSjU/v-deo.html Check it out.
3:40 was the lost and found/ticket office. I was there once when I got lost and they let me go because my parents wouldn't come get me when they called over the intercom. It closed in 2002. An RV dealership bought, tried to run it, but couldn't pull in enough money and couldn't keep it up to code despite his promise to. 8:17 was the kid show area with puppets. There used to be a lake with a big ol paddle boat. One time a fish jumped in to the boat and all the passengers were running around trying to get it out. There was a sky ride that went over the lake, a roller coaster called the Screeching Eagle and a small metal coaster. They had a big log ride on the one end of the park with a barn that went through a few phases including a petting zoo when Fantasy Farm closed down. This park was open when you could turn your children loose, enjoy a few beers and spend all day walking the oval, riding rides, hanging out until the park closed. I miss it.
It was LeSourdsville Lake Amusement Park. Then it was renamed Americana in the late 70s. It closed in the late 90s and reopened in 2002 as LeSourdsville Lake Amusement Park again. The field you walked thru was the lake. A train went from the station you were at and went to a Western Town at the far end of the lake. I was there the year it re-opened but some rides including the train wasn't running.
I remember Lesourdesville lake/Americana very well.it had changed many times over the years!!! I think the earliest I remember going there...was about 1975❤the original park was the best!!!
I just read it opened in 1922, changed a bit through the years, had a bad fire in 1990, 5 million in damage, reopened in 2002, but couldn't make enough money to stay open. So closed again. Cool explore. Thanks for sharing.
This video made me cry. Sooo many wonderful memories growing up in that area. The Friday nite dances, working in the hat stand, meeting my first husband there. OMG, so many great memories.
My mom daddy and grandpa loved it there. And I loved it too. I used to swim in the kitty pool and swim in the big pool. My grandpa would cry if saw the park now.
Missed an area that was outside the gates. There were train cars left there, chairs, all kinds of cool stuff. I’m sure it’s all gone now but it was cool to look at while it was there. Sad to see it go honestly.
This place actually closed in the late 90's and reopened again in 2002. It was only open for 1 season and closed early at that. I used to live in that area a while back. The Screechin Eagle coaster was the main attraction and it had other rides like: The Electric Rainbow, Calypso, Scrambler, Space Combat and a second coaster called The Serpent. They had other rides as well in addition to an anamatronic band similar to the old Showbiz Pizza Place. Americana/Lesourdesville Lake was a fun place to be in the 1980's. Unfortunately some RV asshole let the place become what it is now.
The place was popular for company picnics, my dad's company back in the 1950's had a yearly event there. Also back in the 1970's next door to the park was a kiddie themed location called Fantasy Farm.
Went there many time for my dad’s yearly company picnic. He worked at the Monsanto Mound Labs in Miamisburg, really enjoyed the park but Kings Island was just too much for it to compete.
My first job as the Arcade Manager when I was 16. Good times with all my co-workers and the circus people were a trip. Sadly, the owners, The Bernie family, were money hungry and never invested into the park.
I've lived in this area since 1996, I remember spending a lot of Summers there and I even went there the last year closed in 2002. My favorite ride was the log flume and I also loved the train and the lake with all the giant carp inside of it! I remember they had little machines you pay a quarter it would dispense fish food, there was a ton of fish in that lake. If you go to jungle Jim's there's carts that look like bears that used to be the honey bee that was a merry-go-round type ride. Monroe historical society had a small exhibit on it last year. I know that it probably didn't make as much money as let's say Kings Island but it was still a very enjoyable Park and it was a reasonable price. I miss it a lot.
loved the video, had some wonderfull times going there back in the 80's early 90's. still have a visitors pamphlet from there. i was at the mercy of my dad taking us there vs. king's island. mostly the family wanted to go to k.i. being newer more to do.i'm 45 now great nastalgia there. lots of fun. God bless you all!
Such good memories there. Cheap admission and you essentially cover the whole park in less than 3 hours, with lines...lol. I loved going to the Western Town on the train with my grandmother. She wasn't having any other rides....lol
wow i spent so much time here in the 80's when i was a kid but the middletown area is dead now , if AK Steel ever goes you might as well put a closed sign on the whole city.
Just moved down here from the Cleveland area for a few months to help my son. Seen that and would've loved to see it back when it was operating. Reminds me of chippewa lake
Park closed in 2002, rides removed in 2010. Before the rides were removed, this place was featured on Life After People, the episode titles "Sin City Meltdown" to show what happens when the architecture of ammusment is not maintained.
It was called Americana too. Fantasy Farm was the park beside it. They was said to have been miss treating the animals there. It closed down way before Americana. Have great memories of both places.
Fantasy farm was built by the same family that built LeSourdsville park, they had a falling out with their partners and started their own park. I loved both parks.
MY MOM AND DAD came here when they were dating. They took my brother and I when we were kids. It was next to Fantasy farm. When I got older my best friend and I went just about every weekend. It's so sad to see it like this.
It brought back a lot of memories. I worked at that park when I was going through college, and it was some of the best times I ever had as a young adult. I worked with some fantastic people, who became lifelong friends, and all the parties and memories working there came flooding back. It was really sad to see how this once great little place ended up. At least I still have my memories of what it used to be.
La-Swords-ville great amusement park in it's day but could not compete with the attractions at KI Kings Island. spent many days there when I was young. We NEVER thought of it as a suburb of Dayton it belong to Hamilton Middletown area. started as a picnic grove owned by the Laswordsvile family with boating and dance music as things progressed rides and other amusements were add. I favorite as a child was the Old Woman in a shoe slide. Some of the family is buried in Mason, Ohio. My Great Grandfathers sister married a cousin of the family. I still remember the ads "if your looking for fun in the moonlight or sun come out to LaSwordsville. Ride the rides swim and get tan, dance to the tune of your favorite bands.So if your looking for fun in the moonlight or sun come out to LaSwordsville Lake.
It was a fun place. You used to be able to keep your glass mug at Tombstone Territory, I have photographs of my parents lounging at the pool from before I was born. They used to have famous Big Bands play at the Stardust dance hall.
I was working in Miamisburg, and had driven past these two parks. Thought it might have been interesting to visit with my family, but never did. Very sad...
I miss this old park, I started working here when I was 14 and would pick up shifts in later years. Was involved with it up till I was about 31. Nice park. Too bad the last people that ran it, had no clue about running an amusement park.
Hi, When I saw the sign I was so happy, then you started to talk about the park. When the video hit 3:22 mins. and you came in that's when I got real emotional. That was the "INFORMATION BOOTH" and I WORKED THERE. THAT WAS IN THE SUMMER OF 1990. In that area I was in charge of renting strollers, grills, sold ice, cigarettes, made employee's ID's and Customer's Season's ID's. I still remember everything like it was yesterday. I tell you something that is not in the video. YOU COME IN AND ON YOUR RIGHT IS A 1/2 BATHROOM. YOU PASS IT AND THERE IS ANOTHER DOOR WHICH IS IN FRONT OF YOU. YOU OPEN THE DOOR AND WHEN YOU ARE COMING IN ON YOUR LEFT IT WAS AN ICE FRIDGE. THE LITTL ROOM THAT YOU ARE SAYING IT COULD A PLACE FOR A HOMELESS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. AT THE TIME I SAW YOUR VIDEO IN 2017 AND THE LAST TIME I SAW OR WAS IN THAT ROOM WAS 27 YEARS!!! THAT'S WHEN I REALLY GOT VERY, VERY EMOTIONAL. THANK GOD I SAW YOUR CHANNEL AND THAT AMAZING VIDEO. NOW I HAVE SOMETHING TO PROBE IT. I STILL HAVE MY ID FROM WHEN I WORKED AT THE PARK. THAT HALF OF THE YEAR I SPENT IN THE PARK AND MY MIDDLETOWN WILL NEVER GO AWAY MY MIND AND MY HART. SO IF YOU WANT TO SEE THAT AND SOME PICTURES AS WELL LET ME KNOW. THANK YOU SHARING AND BRINGING LOVELY MEMORIES THAT I WAS ABLE TO SEE AGAIN!!!! THANK YOU!!!! Kindest regards, Martin Sordo
I was a kid when we went as a whole family. We went there more times than I can count. It was was an amusement park for bluecollar working class folk. Really sad to see that place go to seed.
I wish there were more videos of this place , mainly the main park,which is long gone. I went there a lot as a child through the 80s. So many great memories. I welcome any more footage you can. I follow a guy who tried but got caught by the owner. Thanks for risking getting caught!!!
This used to be called la sordsville then later changed it to Americana. It was around since the 60s and closed down in the very early 90s. We used to come here every summer in the 70s and 80s. It was a fun place and lots of great memories.
I'm very surprised four years ago that all the equipment is still in the buildings like a Pepsi cooler stainless steel counters, fountain machines that should have been picked up by the vendor. Now I think all the buildings have been removed.
So sad! Took my kids there late 80's early 90's. Was called Americana then. Clean, nice, affordable! Yes there was a nice pool there too! This is unbelievable!
Best park ever, way better then kings island, coney island. You could get in free with a can of Rc soda Use to go here all the time as a kid. They had the best log flume ride ive seen. Sucks they closed. Ty for ur video. Brought back alot of memories.
im into amusement park history even with parks i never even been too! like this one and there is something that seems to stick out from the rest of the small town parks that are now gone....see you hear about how much people miss the big parks of back in the day that are now gone like,Palisades park,Crystal Beach,Geauga Lake,and Riverview. The were the bigger parks in main cities that still seem to have a following even if they are gone. you hear stories about them from all sorts of people making you wish they still existed! then there is the small town parks...the ones that arnt as well known but missed by locals,and while many are sad and share memories nothing compares to the sorrow i seen when it comes to this small town little park...like not just typical "hoo hum i miss childhood" sadness but more like almost mourning or something you'd see akin to missing one of the big world famous parks. i wonder what made this small town park stick out from the rest. O.O
I have video of the last year it was open. Many tried to keep it open, but Kings Island and Coney Island (big attractions) left it lacking. When Middletown and Franklin lost companies it hurt. This park was where business came for company picnics.
Every summer as a kid we'd go there in the 60's and early 70's. Then we started going to Kings Island because it was closer. (We lived in Lebanon OH when it opened, you could see the fireworks from our bedroom window)
I went to that park in the early 80s, when I was probably 7 or 8. It was called Americana then. I don’t have many memories left, but I think there were two roller coasters there. I remember some kind of auto racing type ride near the front, possibly in a figure 8. Even though it wasn’t anything like what it is now, or even close, I remember wishing we had gone to Kings Island instead. Still, I’m sure I had plenty of fun.
hey buddy, when i was a kid... it was the place to go. when you enter the gates ,the area to the right was all picnic area. all the companys in the area had picnic days for there employee in the summer time. to the left of the enterance, you had food, and small rides. the larger open field was a lake. past the food, you had arcades game and larger rides . there was a sky ride that went across the lake to the very back of the park where they had an old west town. live was good!
As I understand it, they tried re-opening it with cheaper foreign attendants, rather than local help, and many didn't speak English very well, disregard for courtesy and service expectations, fell way short, and so the attendance dried up.
That was when the Bernie family sold it.. it was already on its last leg. Us kids that worked there, and the maintenance crew were the only things kept it rolling.
I went there many times in the 1970s, the last time I think was early 1980s. I saw a youtube video of a guy trying to do what you did and the owner showed up and asked him to leave.
I spent many years growing up here and working here. Also, Nik Wallenda and his family did wire walking acts here as well that's when I met Nik. He is an awesome person and his family is awesome as well. Good people!!
We went to fantasy farm and Americans a lot as kids. I was heartbroken when I was to short to ride the big kid ride and had to watch my siblings. My younger stepbrother was taller and got to ride. But the next year i could ride everything. Good times.
I worked there for 2 summers when I was in college. It was a lot of fun. Great memories also of going there when I was young. They had really good waffles there, not like Waffle House but big and crunchy with powdered sugar on top.
ya they had many rides....but you went in the wrong direction from the entrance.....to the right was the picnic area and off to the left was the way to the rides.....they did dchange the name to Americana and also Fantasy Land was more of a petting zoo and for younger children. Great memories from this place...we would go every year for about 15 years during my days growing up.
D. Patric Hayes are the rides still sitting around? I’m wanting to explore this place but not really if the only thing left is old gutted buildings tagged by a bunch of kids.
It's pronounced le swords ville, but it was Americana Amusement Park. If you were serious about having fun, you had to burn gas and money and time off the clock to go to Cedar Point 4 hours away or get killed on a ride at local Kings Island. Americana was a place where you took a kid to kill a day eating bad pizza, slushies, and walk around, ride the coaster. It was a cheap day off. And be home for dinner.
This was called Americana in the 80's and I used to go there all the time. It was a poor man's King's Island, basically and we were poor, so . . . There was also a place next to it called Fantasy Farm which was aimed at younger kids. Thanks for the tour!
I used to go with my church’s youth group every summer. Good memories!
That hurts my heart to watch!! I've been there 100 times or more!! From when i was a baby and i took my now 16 year old daughter there once in 2002 when she wasn't even 1 year old! Tey shut it down shortly after. So many of my old family photos are from there! Anyone else remember being able to gain admission with a single can of RC Cola back in the day lol? Makes me feel so old but im only 37! Fascinating to watch though if youve been there alot u can still remember exactly how it looked! Such a bummer. I still look over there every time I drive past!! Those were the good ol days before Hamilton turned to a complete sh*t show...
Yed my husband was just telling me about the rc cans when we came upon this video if you have any old pictures of this Lasorda Ville you are willing to share it would be greatly appreciate it would love to see them
Yeses. Miss this place.
Went there every summer, from 82' to 92'.
same here i miss so much but i still have so many memories of it all through my child hood through late teen age years
And Fantasy Farm was right next door
Wow this is just horribly sad. Remember going there as a kid. Its like it never even existed
I know
WOW! My first time there was in 1967. Yes the Great Miami River fed the lake there with water. That big field you walked across used to be the lake, seems like it was much deeper than that. That lake had tons of fish in it. I remember throwing a hand full of popcorn in it and dozens of fish would attack it. I guess someone bought the old roller coaster too. Those were the days. Yes, Kings Island put them out of business. Last time I was there in the 80's wasn't hardly couple hundred people there or so.
We used to get in it and push the paddleboat if it stalled,wasn't e an waist deep. I always heard it was man made, for ice for ice boxes when they were a thing.
The coaster was too much of a liability (too many urban explorers) so they tore it down. Some of the cars went to a museum.
oh just breaks my heart...so many childhood memories there!
Loved that old park. We used to go there when we were kids. Great video.
Shortdawg411 There are other videos of this place that are much older then mine. But I figured several people filmed it just based on all of the tagging
Yeah I have seen several videos from the past but I have never seen anyone go in there and walk around like you have. My friend did a flyover with his drone: ua-cam.com/video/iTV1L6KDSjU/v-deo.html
Check it out.
Remember Tomestone Teritory The bar has peanuts on the floor.
3:40 was the lost and found/ticket office. I was there once when I got lost and they let me go because my parents wouldn't come get me when they called over the intercom. It closed in 2002. An RV dealership bought, tried to run it, but couldn't pull in enough money and couldn't keep it up to code despite his promise to. 8:17 was the kid show area with puppets. There used to be a lake with a big ol paddle boat. One time a fish jumped in to the boat and all the passengers were running around trying to get it out. There was a sky ride that went over the lake, a roller coaster called the Screeching Eagle and a small metal coaster. They had a big log ride on the one end of the park with a barn that went through a few phases including a petting zoo when Fantasy Farm closed down. This park was open when you could turn your children loose, enjoy a few beers and spend all day walking the oval, riding rides, hanging out until the park closed. I miss it.
It used to be called Americana. I went there many times as a kid and in my teens. My first job was there in 1994.
It was LeSourdsville Lake Amusement Park. Then it was renamed Americana in the late 70s. It closed in the late 90s and reopened in 2002 as LeSourdsville Lake Amusement Park again. The field you walked thru was the lake. A train went from the station you were at and went to a Western Town at the far end of the lake. I was there the year it re-opened but some rides including the train wasn't running.
I remember Lesourdesville lake/Americana very well.it had changed many times over the years!!! I think the earliest I remember going there...was about 1975❤the original park was the best!!!
Yes it was
Loved that place. You can barely recognize it now. They even drained the lake. I went when it was Americana. Last trip was in 88'
I just read it opened in 1922, changed a bit through the years, had a bad fire in 1990, 5 million in damage, reopened in 2002, but couldn't make enough money to stay open. So closed again. Cool explore. Thanks for sharing.
This video made me cry. Sooo many wonderful memories growing up in that area. The Friday nite dances, working in the hat stand, meeting my first husband there. OMG, so many great memories.
Did you ride a bicycle down there from east Dayton.
My mom daddy and grandpa loved it there. And I loved it too. I used to swim in the kitty pool and swim in the big pool. My grandpa would cry if saw the park now.
Missed an area that was outside the gates. There were train cars left there, chairs, all kinds of cool stuff. I’m sure it’s all gone now but it was cool to look at while it was there. Sad to see it go honestly.
This place actually closed in the late 90's and reopened again in 2002. It was only open for 1 season and closed early at that. I used to live in that area a while back. The Screechin Eagle coaster was the main attraction and it had other rides like: The Electric Rainbow, Calypso, Scrambler, Space Combat and a second coaster called The Serpent. They had other rides as well in addition to an anamatronic band similar to the old Showbiz Pizza Place. Americana/Lesourdesville Lake was a fun place to be in the 1980's. Unfortunately some RV asshole let the place become what it is now.
johnsos9 totally agree an RV company should never run an amusement park.
I use to go there with my family when I was a child!
The place was popular for company picnics, my dad's company back in the 1950's had a yearly event there. Also back in the 1970's next door to the park was a kiddie themed location called Fantasy Farm.
Was racking my brain trying to remember that name, thank you!
Went there many time for my dad’s yearly company picnic. He worked at the Monsanto Mound Labs in Miamisburg, really enjoyed the park but Kings Island was just too much for it to compete.
My first job as the Arcade Manager when I was 16. Good times with all my co-workers and the circus people were a trip. Sadly, the owners, The Bernie family, were money hungry and never invested into the park.
I've lived in this area since 1996, I remember spending a lot of Summers there and I even went there the last year closed in 2002. My favorite ride was the log flume and I also loved the train and the lake with all the giant carp inside of it! I remember they had little machines you pay a quarter it would dispense fish food, there was a ton of fish in that lake. If you go to jungle Jim's there's carts that look like bears that used to be the honey bee that was a merry-go-round type ride. Monroe historical society had a small exhibit on it last year. I know that it probably didn't make as much money as let's say Kings Island but it was still a very enjoyable Park and it was a reasonable price. I miss it a lot.
The same here. I keep looking at video's like this to see where the log ride was located and to see what if anything exists from that area.
loved the video, had some wonderfull times going there back in the 80's early 90's. still have a visitors pamphlet from there. i was at the mercy of my dad taking us there vs. king's island. mostly the family wanted to go to k.i. being newer more to do.i'm 45 now great nastalgia there. lots of fun. God bless you all!
Wow, brings back memories...I was a life guard there in 1985... Great times as well as a great place to work.
Such good memories there. Cheap admission and you essentially cover the whole park in less than 3 hours, with lines...lol. I loved going to the Western Town on the train with my grandmother. She wasn't having any other rides....lol
Tombstone Territory
wow i spent so much time here in the 80's when i was a kid but the middletown area is dead now , if AK Steel ever goes you might as well put a closed sign on the whole city.
Just moved down here from the Cleveland area for a few months to help my son. Seen that and would've loved to see it back when it was operating. Reminds me of chippewa lake
I have a video of its sister park Fantasy Farm. Not a whole lot there, but enough for some glorious nostalgia. Thanks for filming this :)
Fabulous Beast Fantasy Farm was for the real kiddies....such a good time there. Lots of field trips there
I'm from Ohio, grew up in this area and went to this park often, and I have to say that this state is f-ing depressing, which is why I left.
sorry to hear they drained the lake. loved the monster carp swimming in it, feeding them from the coin op machines
Good times
Park closed in 2002, rides removed in 2010. Before the rides were removed, this place was featured on Life After People, the episode titles "Sin City Meltdown" to show what happens when the architecture of ammusment is not maintained.
Looks like they took the train track down, too, which is kind of rare. Fascinating video!
It’s pronounced Le-Swords-Ville
I still have a photo of my family doing the old west style cantina photo op. I’ve been there a lot and kind of wish it was still around.
It was called Americana too. Fantasy Farm was the park beside it. They was said to have been miss treating the animals there. It closed down way before Americana. Have great memories of both places.
The train track was a small train that went all around the park.
The park at the 27 min mark was another park called Fantasy farm .
jeff morrison yea, it was essentially next door....
Fantasy farm was built by the same family that built LeSourdsville park, they had a falling out with their partners and started their own park. I loved both parks.
MY MOM AND DAD came here when they were dating. They took my brother and I when we were kids. It was next to Fantasy farm. When I got older my best friend and I went just about every weekend. It's so sad to see it like this.
I went here as a young child. Fond memories.
It brought back a lot of memories. I worked at that park when I was going through college, and it was some of the best times I ever had as a young adult. I worked with some fantastic people, who became lifelong friends, and all the parties and memories working there came flooding back. It was really sad to see how this once great little place ended up. At least I still have my memories of what it used to be.
La-Swords-ville great amusement park in it's day but could not compete with the attractions at KI Kings Island. spent many days there when I was young. We NEVER thought of it as a suburb of Dayton it belong to Hamilton Middletown area. started as a picnic grove owned by the Laswordsvile family with boating and dance music as things progressed rides and other amusements were add. I favorite as a child was the Old Woman in a shoe slide. Some of the family is buried in Mason, Ohio. My Great Grandfathers sister married a cousin of the family.
I still remember the ads "if your looking for fun in the moonlight or sun come out to LaSwordsville. Ride the rides swim and get tan, dance to the tune of your favorite bands.So if your looking for fun in the moonlight or sun come out to LaSwordsville Lake.
It was a fun place. You used to be able to keep your glass mug at Tombstone Territory,
I have photographs of my parents lounging at the pool from before I was born. They used to have famous Big Bands play at the Stardust dance hall.
I was working in Miamisburg, and had driven past these two parks. Thought it might have been interesting to visit with my family, but never did. Very sad...
I miss this old park, I started working here when I was 14 and would pick up shifts in later years. Was involved with it up till I was about 31. Nice park. Too bad the last people that ran it, had no clue about running an amusement park.
The Bernies? Or those that came after?
What looks like a big grassy field in the middle of the park used to be the lake
Hi,
When I saw the sign I was so happy, then you started to talk about the park. When the video hit 3:22 mins. and you came in that's when I got real emotional. That was the "INFORMATION BOOTH" and I WORKED THERE. THAT WAS IN THE SUMMER OF 1990. In that area I was in charge of renting strollers, grills, sold ice, cigarettes, made employee's ID's and Customer's Season's ID's. I still remember everything like it was yesterday. I tell you something that is not in the video. YOU COME IN AND ON YOUR RIGHT IS A 1/2 BATHROOM. YOU PASS IT AND THERE IS ANOTHER DOOR WHICH IS IN FRONT OF YOU. YOU OPEN THE DOOR AND WHEN YOU ARE COMING IN ON YOUR LEFT IT WAS AN ICE FRIDGE. THE LITTL ROOM THAT YOU ARE SAYING IT COULD A PLACE FOR A HOMELESS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AT THE TIME I SAW YOUR VIDEO IN 2017 AND THE LAST TIME I SAW OR WAS IN THAT ROOM WAS 27 YEARS!!! THAT'S WHEN I REALLY GOT VERY, VERY EMOTIONAL.
THANK GOD I SAW YOUR CHANNEL AND THAT AMAZING VIDEO. NOW I HAVE SOMETHING TO PROBE IT. I STILL HAVE MY ID FROM WHEN I WORKED AT THE PARK. THAT HALF OF THE YEAR I SPENT IN THE PARK AND MY MIDDLETOWN WILL NEVER GO AWAY MY MIND AND MY HART. SO IF YOU WANT TO SEE THAT AND SOME PICTURES AS WELL LET ME KNOW.
THANK YOU SHARING AND BRINGING LOVELY MEMORIES THAT I WAS ABLE TO SEE AGAIN!!!! THANK YOU!!!!
Kindest regards,
Martin Sordo
Went there in the 40s and 50s wonderful memories. Used to swim in the lake before they built the pool. They had sandy beaches!
thank you for posting this. i've always wanted to explore but they tore it all down & rebuild before i could
I was a kid when we went as a whole family. We went there more times than I can count. It was was an amusement park for bluecollar working class folk. Really sad to see that place go to seed.
I wish there were more videos of this place , mainly the main park,which is long gone. I went there a lot as a child through the 80s. So many great memories. I welcome any more footage you can. I follow a guy who tried but got caught by the owner. Thanks for risking getting caught!!!
Loved going here when it was open,that and Fantasy Farm next door
Eric, it actually reopened and closed for the last time in 2002.
i have flown my drone there many times, after basically growing up in that park.
I was thinking about taking my drone out there before they tear it down. Is there a good place to park that won't draw excess attention to us?
That's the branch line for CSX that run's from By Armco To The CSX Main Line.
This was a happening place back in the day. I worked there in the 80's
The cranck was for cars 2 seaters that air lifted u over the whole lake i could cry americana is gone
This used to be called la sordsville then later changed it to Americana. It was around since the 60s and closed down in the very early 90s. We used to come here every summer in the 70s and 80s. It was a fun place and lots of great memories.
I'm very surprised four years ago that all the equipment is still in the buildings like a Pepsi cooler stainless steel counters, fountain machines that should have been picked up by the vendor.
Now I think all the buildings have been removed.
So sad! Took my kids there late 80's early 90's. Was called Americana then. Clean, nice, affordable! Yes there was a nice pool there too! This is unbelievable!
Best park ever, way better then kings island, coney island. You could get in free with a can of Rc soda Use to go here all the time as a kid. They had the best log flume ride ive seen. Sucks they closed. Ty for ur video. Brought back alot of memories.
im into amusement park history even with parks i never even been too! like this one and there is something that seems to stick out from the rest of the small town parks that are now gone....see you hear about how much people miss the big parks of back in the day that are now gone like,Palisades park,Crystal Beach,Geauga Lake,and Riverview. The were the bigger parks in main cities that still seem to have a following even if they are gone. you hear stories about them from all sorts of people making you wish they still existed! then there is the small town parks...the ones that arnt as well known but missed by locals,and while many are sad and share memories nothing compares to the sorrow i seen when it comes to this small town little park...like not just typical "hoo hum i miss childhood" sadness but more like almost mourning or something you'd see akin to missing one of the big world famous parks. i wonder what made this small town park stick out from the rest. O.O
If you are interested there is a book "LeSourdsville Lake Amusement Park
Book" by Scott E. Fowler. It's an ingesting read.
It was a very popular place decades ago.
Back in the 50s we had Lakeside over by the VA which was a big amusement park to
Was there as a kid. Fantasy Farm!!!!
I went here with my family when i was 7 my dads work is now there
I have video of the last year it was open. Many tried to keep it open, but Kings Island and Coney Island (big attractions) left it lacking. When Middletown and Franklin lost companies it hurt. This park was where business came for company picnics.
Every summer as a kid we'd go there in the 60's and early 70's. Then we started going to Kings Island because it was closer. (We lived in Lebanon OH when it opened, you could see the fireworks from our bedroom window)
I went to that park in the early 80s, when I was probably 7 or 8. It was called Americana then. I don’t have many memories left, but I think there were two roller coasters there. I remember some kind of auto racing type ride near the front, possibly in a figure 8.
Even though it wasn’t anything like what it is now, or even close, I remember wishing we had gone to Kings Island instead. Still, I’m sure I had plenty of fun.
hey buddy, when i was a kid... it was the place to go. when you enter the gates ,the area to the right was all picnic area. all the companys in the area had picnic days for there employee in the summer time. to the left of the enterance, you had food, and small rides. the larger open field was a lake. past the food, you had arcades game and larger rides . there was a sky ride that went across the lake to the very back of the park where they had an old west town. live was good!
the parking lot was a camper sales place huge for along time ,b4 that it was americana amusement in the 80s an b4 that lesourdsville amusement
I was there in 1989, it was a really good amusement park
As I understand it, they tried re-opening it with cheaper foreign attendants, rather than local help, and many didn't speak English very well, disregard for courtesy and service expectations, fell way short, and so the attendance dried up.
That was when the Bernie family sold it.. it was already on its last leg. Us kids that worked there, and the maintenance crew were the only things kept it rolling.
Couch sold all the rides then finally sold the property.
I went there many times in the 1970s, the last time I think was early 1980s. I saw a youtube video of a guy trying to do what you did and the owner showed up and asked him to leave.
So Sad so many memories
I’m 55 and I know it’s like their gone forever Which I guess they are
Drinking game alert! Take a shot every time he says vise-versa lmfao
Yeah, I loved the footage but the narration was cringe-worthy.
I spent many years growing up here and working here. Also, Nik Wallenda and his family did wire walking acts here as well that's when I met Nik. He is an awesome person and his family is awesome as well. Good people!!
Try Stricters Grove! It's the oldest amusement park in Hamilton and Coney Island being oldest in Cincinnati.
We went to fantasy farm and Americans a lot as kids. I was heartbroken when I was to short to ride the big kid ride and had to watch my siblings. My younger stepbrother was taller and got to ride. But the next year i could ride everything. Good times.
That would be i. The 70's
Mark Teicher... my mom and her family lived next door in the 50s
i worked there 14 till i was 16 n games then kiddie rides. great memories
Cant believe places just left abandoned like this
Fantasty Farm became a dirt go kart racing track and go kart parts store owned by Appco around 1993.
I worked there for 2 summers when I was in college. It was a lot of fun. Great memories also of going there when I was young. They had really good waffles there, not like Waffle House but big and crunchy with powdered sugar on top.
Funnel cakes
ya they had many rides....but you went in the wrong direction from the entrance.....to the right was the picnic area and off to the left was the way to the rides.....they did dchange the name to Americana and also Fantasy Land was more of a petting zoo and for younger children. Great memories from this place...we would go every year for about 15 years during my days growing up.
D. Patric Hayes are the rides still sitting around? I’m wanting to explore this place but not really if the only thing left is old gutted buildings tagged by a bunch of kids.
it had a cool old wooden roller coaster that was sketchy as heck in the 80s shame its gone to this kings island took its bizz i thunk
This is really sad to see.
want to take a risk? explore the old longaberger building, by Dayton road and highway 16
So that one guy took down all the rides??
Some were already gone
Is that the old americana
Couldn’t compete with Kings Island.
Our after prom was here 1986 this is sad
Use to be a wonderful place
was a big deal when I was a kid in the 60s
The lake hade huuuuge fish in it .. and the gumball machines with food for the fish 😊😥
It's last year was 1999/2000 I went there growing up I'm from this area
And water fountain for kids to play in.
went there in 73 for JR high New Salem INdiand
H2O blaze 🔥🔥🔥
Everyone forgets to show the Western town out back, if it's still there.
Yeah it use to be good amusement park back in the day but taggers sucks
It's pronounced le swords ville, but it was Americana Amusement Park. If you were serious about having fun, you had to burn gas and money and time off the clock to go to Cedar Point 4 hours away or get killed on a ride at local Kings Island. Americana was a place where you took a kid to kill a day eating bad pizza, slushies, and walk around, ride the coaster. It was a cheap day off. And be home for dinner.