Millbrook Park, New Boston - Portsmouth Ohio history

Millbrook Park, New Boston, Ohio Opened in 1902 and flood of 1937 killed it updated 20 Feb 2014   Welcome to Millbrook Park The most popular park in Ohio from 1902 to 1913 ahead of Coney Island in Cincinnati and the Olentanga in Columbus Levi York, a founder of the steel mill and the New Boston town developer, launched a new project in 1899 that he called, "Millbrook Park".  He leased the park to the Portsmouth Street Railway and Electric Light Company to oversee the construction and operation of the park. The acreage when it was completed was 85.4 acres.Over a thousand trees were planted and several types of grass and flowers covered the many acres. The main natural attraction was the lake, which was created by a dam at Munn’s Run. To see the beauty of the park, a person could row a boat, rent a motor launch or take a gondola ride. Although the park was operational in 1902, it was not fully completed until 1910.

Millbrook Park Trolley Station
Getting off the trolley at Millbrook Park trolley station
Getting off the trolley at Millbrook Park The 4 original streetcars had a seating capacity of 24 each.
Millbrook Park baseball field with roller coaster behind it The ballpark built in 1906 was redesigned in 1908 and a grandstand built that seated 1,000 people. The cost to update the field to a professional standard was $6,650. New Boston and Portsmouth High schools used the ballpark and it was also a location for training and professional games. In 1925, the Cincinnati Reds played an exhibition game at the park. The ballpark grandstand was torn down in 1926. Most of the games had moved to the new stadium.
Millbrook Park baseball game
Millbrook another view trolley station on right forefront.
Millbrook Merry Goround The merry-go-round was purchased in 1905 at the cost of $3,900.The ride consisted of beautiful painted animals along with seats for those not wanting a pony ride. The ride operated Saturday and Sunday from 12 noon until 10 p.m. The popular tune that played was "Goodbye My Blue Bell".
Millbrook Park as pictured on a Flood Wall Mural in Portsmouth
Millbrook Park view from the roller coaster
Millbrook Pavilion   The two story Pavilion was built in 1902, by Captain James Smith at the cost of $15,708, from the lumber of the demolished city jail at Front and Washington Streets. The building housed bowling alleys, a rifle range, a soda parlor with pool tables and other games on the first floor. On the second floor was a full-sized skating rink with a dance floor in the center. The famous River City band played music for the dancers and skaters. In 1903, the new pavilion added a restaurant.
Note the Merry Goround on top right.
Milllbrook Park picturesque picture
Millbrook park by the Lake side
Millbrook Park Picturesque Lakeside
Millbrook Park
Millbrook Park Bow Bridge
Millbrook "Y" bridge
Millbrook Park Bridges
Millbrook Park Casino Theatre abt 1910
Millbrook Park Casino Theatre The "Casino was built in 1905, a large beautiful theatre, the two-story frame was built at the cost of $21,500 and had a seating capacity of 500. The Casino was located just inside the park gate (where Cornett Building Supply now is located). The Casino was the area’s social place from 1905 to 1924. The River City Band would perform on Sunday evenings from Memorial Day until Labor Day. Each season there would be plays, concerts, films and even off-Broadway productions.
Millbrook Casino
Millbrook Park Casino
Millbrook Park Dancing Pavilion
Millbrook Park Pavilion
Millbrook Park c 1912
Millbrook Park view colorized
Millbrook Park flowers shaped as a star
Building at Millbrook Park
Millbrook Park ladies by the water
Millbrook Park ladies by water
Millbrook Park lake view
Millbrook Park lakeside view
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A side friction coaster was built in 1902 by Ingersoll, and at that time was the tallest one in the world. Research shows it to have been approximately 60 feet high. It was a modified version of the typical figure-8 layout. The coaster sat south of what is now a series of telephone pole racks. The lift hill faced north. The Park was also home to a carousel, theater, skating rink/dancing pavilion, ball field that was very popular with grandstand seating, three-shaded picnic groves, and a lake for boating. Only a couple structures remain next to the Wal-Mart plaza, and the large recessed area of land north of the park was home to the lake seen in many postcards. A liquor store uses the former trolley station just north of the coaster site. Millbrook was a beautiful place, and an ideal setting for a park. But like so many others, being that close to the river proved fatal. The coaster survived a couple floods, but the one in 1913 damaged it beyond repair and it was never reopened due to the cost involved. The park itself found an end when the great Ohio flood of 1937 wiped out everything along its banks, combined with the growing steel industry that took over the park property. Click here to see the scale model of the friction coaster: MILLBROOK PARK SIDE FRICTION
The Street Railway and Light Company in 1910 bought the roller coaster from the Foy Amusement Company of Cincinnati. The cost was $15,000 for the ride and installation. With more than a half mile of tracks, the coaster was located just west of the ballpark. The coaster cars stopped at a different building than where they started from, and were transferred to the starting point in an enclosed building
The roller Coaster was heavily damaged in the 1913 Flood and never rebuilt because Millbrook Park's popularity had begun to fade so the owners decided it would not be replaced.
Millbrook park scene abt 1907
Looking down on Millbrook park about 1906
Rt. 52 over Millbrook Park lake
Millbrook park entrance to Steel Mills
Looking at steel mills from the Millbrook Park area In the late 1920s, the steel mill began to expand and thus so they filled in several lagoons and canals and by 1935, the park was almost completely dismantled.

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