Cedar Point Ohio 1922 - Then and Thereafter

Guest post by Leroy

This article will locate the exact spot of the 1922 Cedar Point Convention panoramic photograph.

Note: You may need to click on some of the photographs to see them in full.

 

Most of you will know this photo from the 1922 IBSA convention taken at Cedar Point, Ohio, but, where exactly was it taken?

A close examination of the buildings in the background can give us a precise location. Let’s take a closer look, starting from right to left. 

In this image we can identify four landmarks, and with a nice closeup and the help of old postcards and photos, we can positively identify those buildings. In the next four photos you can see a closeup of the IBSA Convention Photo to the right, and a reference photo to the left. Some of the photos were taken from the book Cedar Point – The Queen of American Watering Places, by David W. Francis and Diane DeMali Francis.

First landmark: The Coliseum 

In this old postcard you can clearly appreciate the features of this massive building, called The Coliseum, inside of which was probably given the famous talk by Brother Rutherford when the ADV banner was displayed, Friday, September 8, 1922.

Second landmark: The pagoda styled restrooms 

Just in front of the coliseum there was a small building shaped like an oriental Pagoda, with three levels, and square windows in the second level; this building was a restroom, as you can see in the left photo featured in the mentioned book.

Third landmark: The pagoda styled post office 

Between the trees in the 1922 IBSA Convention photo we can see another pagoda shaped structure, this time it is the post office. This building is still standing today, but it has been recyled as the main gift shop.

Fourth landmark: The Crystal Rock Castle 

In the 1922 Convention photo closeup, you can clearly see one wall of this building, with two arcs at the bottom, and a watchtower and battlements at the top. This building is the Crystal Rock Castle, built in 1904. It was closed to the public in the 50s and later demolished when the current main midway was constructed.

These four landmarks are visible in the next aerial view from 1950. I’ve added the location of the IBSA crowd when the 1922 photograph was taken:

Today, only two of these buildings are still standing, as you can see in the photo below 

In this 2018 photo you can see the pagoda gift shop and the coliseum in the background with its peculiar domes still visible. (Photo: themerica.org)

And finally, here is a current satellite photograph from Google, to which I have overlaid two maps from Francis’ book to show the locations of the different landmarks. This will allow us to locate the exact spot where the crowd and the photographer were standing when the famous panoramic photo was taken back in 1922.

The same photo without the map overlay: 

As shown in this example, looking closely at the details in photos can give key information. When that information is combined with some research sometimes we can reach interesting and new conclusions. These can give color and life to a story and set the scene for important events of the past.