Return to Mother Goose Land
Ok…last post, I talked about finding the ruins of Mother Goose Land in Canton, Ohio. However, without any sort of context, that story is really pretty meaningless.
Honestly, most of my memories of the place come from pictures. If you ask me about the park, I remember seeing the whale, and I remember falling off of a firetruck they had on display, and that’s about it. However, when I hear other people talk about it, or when I look at the pictures, memories come flooding back. Here is what I remember about the park:
This is right outside the park. I’m the one in the green shirt. This wall is not there anymore.
We’re not in Canton anymore…
Here’s a pic of Willie the Whale in all his glory…
And here are my brother and I visiting Willie!
So, the other day, I went back to visit the park and get some decent shots. Here’s what I saw…
Under the bridge that leads there. Ominous.
The gate is locked. Luckily, the bike path runs around the gate. No trespassing? Try to stop me!
Willie!!!!
On the other side, some of the buildings still stand. I heard that this side of the park became an armory for a while after the park closed.
More buildings.
It’s weird going back there and seeing the entire park gutted. Still, I’m glad they left the whale and a few buildings as a monument to what used to be…
13 July 2009 at 12:18 pm
The pictures are priceless! There is one of these in Wisconsin Dells except there it’s called Storybook Gardens and as a little girl I always wanted to go. I carried the pamphlet around with me. http://www.storybookgardens.net/storybook.html
15 July 2009 at 10:04 am
Awwwwsum! Kelly and I used to talk all the time about going to find the remains of Mother Goose land! So cool that you “found”it on your bike ride. Like everybody else who grew up in Stark County in the 1980s, I have quite a few photos of me and my sister standing around Mother Goose Land in its Reagan-era glory. And like you, I remember the photos more than actually *being* there. My parents have similar nostalgia for Meyer’s Lake Park, which my father, who grew up in Navarre, always describes by saying that he and his sisters felt “so excited” to go there.
16 July 2009 at 8:52 am
Hey Kurt, if your parents have any pics from being at Meyer’s Lake I’d love to have them scanned and emailed to me if you can! I loved Meyer’s Lake, spent Summers there from the age of 3 up to 19 and only have like 2 pics and now I can’t find them! Jason can give you my email if you have any pics!
Thanks!
19 July 2009 at 10:35 pm
While I know we have photos of Mother Goose Land, I don’t remember seeing any photos of Meyer’s Lake. If I ever come across any at home, though, I’ll remember you.
15 July 2009 at 3:37 pm
Yeah, I feel bad that I missed out on Meyer’s Lake Park. You know how I love my amusement parks.
I like to hear about Canton nostalgia. My mum and dad didn’t grow up around here, so I never got to hear about these things.