Everything about Rose Island Amusement Park totally explained
Rose Island was a popular
amusement park near
Charlestown, Indiana, situated on a peninsula (the "
Devil's Backbone") created by
Fourteen Mile Creek emptying into the
Ohio River. It was a recreational area known as Fern Grove in the 1880s, mostly used as a church camp. It was so named due to the many
ferns that grew there. The Louisville and Jeffersonville Ferry Company acquired it and developed it in order to increase the use of its ferry business. As Fern Grove it thrived on church picnics and family outings.
Heyday
In 1923 David Rose purchased the property, added an
amusement park, hotel, and
swimming pool, spending $250,000 in the process, and renamed it Rose Island. It included a
wooden coaster, termed a racing derby and named the Devil's Backbone in honor of the rock formation, and a
Ferris wheel. There were
wolves in a pen,
monkeys in a cage, and a
black bear named Teddy Roosevelt. There was also a combined dance hall/ice rink. In total, the park was 118 acres. To access it, people either took a
steamboat or they drove to a footbridge to access it. One of the steamboats was called
Idlewild, which would later become the
Belle of Louisville. Others were the
Steamer America,
City of Cincinnati, and the
Columbia. A steam ride from Louisville to Rose Island would take 90 minutes-120 minutes, due to the steamboats only going 7-8 miles per hour. There were also speedboats, such as the
Vivianne III, that could quickly take businessmen back to Louisville. A ticket to ride the steamboat from
Madison was 50 cents. The footbridge was a wooden swinging bridge 50 feet above the creek and easily swayed.
Today
The
Great Depression hurt business, but its closure was due to damage caused by the
1937 Flood. Ten feet of water covered the park, and the damage was too much in order to rebuild for the 1937 season. The bridge was destroyed by fallen trees. Although covered with ivy, the swimming pool was still in excellent condition as late as 1980. Most of the buildings have left no trace, although a few brick formations remain.
Subsequently, the Rose Island area became part of the
Indiana Army Ammunition Plant. When the plant was deactivated, the land was given to the new
Charlestown State Park. There is no access to the area where Rose Island was located, but the concrete pilings of the footbridge connecting the peninsula to the mainland remain and can be seen from one of the park's hiking trails. The state of Indiana has announced an intention to build a bridge to the Rose Island area for state park visitors, but this could be years away.
Gallery
Image:Rose Island Marker.jpg|Historical Marker located at entrance of Charlestown State Park, pertaining to Rose Island
Image:Rose Island pylon.jpg|Pylon that once supported the bridge to Rose Island
Image:Charlestown State Park Trail 3 Start.jpg|Remains of road leading to Rose Island
Further Information
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