July 8, 2008

Coney Island, Cincinnati, Ohio

Next we headed over the Kentucky border.

Then we headed back over the Ohio border.

We landed at one of America's oldest amusement parks, Coney Island.

Not to be confused with Brooklyn's Coney Island, this park opened in 1886 on the shores of the Ohio River.

We waited in line while guests enjoyed the Ferris Wheel.

The 120-year old park has been ravaged by flooding many times during its history, but has always managed to rise from the water.

The largest flood in its history occurred in 1937.


This is not a pretty picture.

Visitors to the current Coney Island can be entertained by three different live shows daily. Here we are Stuck in the 80's.

The Python is one of several thrill rides still running at the park.

Back to the show for Island Beats.
Funhouse mirrors make Marlon believe he has lost a lot of weight...
and Doug look much taller.
Get a peek inside the circus in Under the Big Top.
Watch this video of Coney Island.

After leaving Coney Island, we drove across the "Big Mac Bridge".
Near the Olive Branch Campground in Oregonia we came across the Caesar Creek Gorge.

To be continued...

Greater Cincinnati Police Historical Society Museum

Next we headed to The Greater Cincinnati Police Historical Society Museum.

Entering visitors are greeted by what appears to be a stuffed police dog named Handsome who was found as an abandoned puppy and spent 14 years assisting the Cincinnati Police.

Displays include those showing a wide variety of guns used throughout the history of the department...

samples of the uniforms worn throughout the years...

different styles of handcuffs used to restrain the bad guys...
old police station communications equipment...
and lie detection equipment.
This 1965 Harley Davidson Electra Glide was used by the police department of nearby Newport, Kentucky.

Visitors can also learn about notorious criminals in Ohio history such as "Pretty Boy" Floyd and "Machine Gun" Kelly.


To be continued...

William Howard Taft National Historic Site

Today we went to see three long-standing historic sites of the Cincinnati area.

First up was the William Howard Taft National Historic Site. The site includes the house in which the 27th President of the United States lived his entire childhood.

This desk was used in the law practice of Taft's father.

This "portable" gas lamp came with its own cord.

The house has been restored to how it appeared during Taft's childhood. The furniture is of the period, although not necessarily owned by the Tafts.

Let's go up the stairway.

The stairway ends at the second floor where bedrooms can be found on either side of the hall.

Did you know William Howard Taft was the only President of the United States to later become Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?

This display demonstrates how the elephant is a direct descendant of William Howard Taft who at over 300 pounds, by the way, was the heaviest U.S. President ever elected.
Strangely enough, he is also the only president since 1909 to have facial hair while in office.

This Bible was used in both 1909 and 1921 in Taft's swearing in as President and Chief Justice.
The house had indoor plumbing by the fall of 1851. Here is one of its cisterns.
In case the front of the house looked small, here is the back. The house was subdivided and apartments were rented out in the 1940s before being acquired by the William Howard Taft Memorial Association in the 1950s.
Then, on Taft's 107th birthday, September 15, 1964, the home became a National Historic Landmark.

The house is located in the Mount Auburn Neighborhood. Mount Auburn was founded as a hilltop retreat for Cincinnati's social elite where wealthier people could escape the dirt, heat, smoke and crowded conditions of the lower city.

To be continued...

List of Most Recently Published Blog Entries

This is a list of our most recently published blog entries. As we are filling in prior years randomly, this list will be useful for locating...