#TBT - LeSourdsville Lake
For today’s #TBT post, we visit the LeSourdsville Lake Amusement Park.
LeSourdsville Lake opened on May 8, 1922 as a beach, lake, and camping resort operated by Edgar Streifthau. In 1934, Don Dazey was hired, and the resort began its transformation into an amusement park. Under Dazey’s guidance, LeSourdsville grew into the 27th largest park in the country despite being just 12 miles from Kings Island.
In 1959, Dazey passed away and Streifthau sold the park to Howard Berni and Frank Murru. However, in 1963, Streifthau got back into the amusement park business when he opened Fantasy Farm directly next door to LeSourdsville Lake. In 1978, after a major expansion, the park’s name was changed to Americana Amusement Park.
In 1990, due to a fire and dwindling business, the park owners filed bankruptcy. The park itself would last until 2000, when it was purchased by Jerry Couch. Couch re-opened the park in 2002, but the venture wasn’t successful. Over the succeeding years, the various rides were either sold, repurposed, or demolished. In 2017, the parts of the park lands were purchased by Butler Tech and the rest were donated to the City of Monroe, who is currently developing a city park and regional bicycle trail.
