Brady Lake Electric Park
he amusement park that came to be known as Brady Lake Electric Park came into being in 1890, when A. G. Kent purchased the lakefront property (150 acres) and began development. Early attractions included the dance pavilion, summer theater, swimming and bath houses, toboggan slide, and a miniature railroad. Eventually, a 75-passenger steamboat and 40 rowboats plied the waters.
Opening day was June 11, 1891. In spite of rain, 2,000 funseekers arrived, most via the P&W or Nypano trains.
Kent operated the park only its first season. The next year, it was sold to the Spiritualists, who ran it several seasons. In 1902, ownership passed to Milton Kneifel, C. M. Davis, W. H. Donaghy, and Warren Lane. The largest one-day crowd is believed to have been about 10,000.
The Interurban line came to Kent in 1895 and was extended to Ravenna—via Brady Lake—in 1901, enabling throngs to partake of the park’s attractions. These eventually included a figure-8 roller coaster, picnic area, midway, and pony track.
A crowd of 6,000 attempted to board an insufficient number of the Northern Ohio Traction & Light (NOTL) Interurban cars in 1902, causing a melee and a few injuries. Some didn’t reach home by train until the following morning.
By now, the town had become a resort community, with cottages springing up along
the shores. The park was billed as “Ohio’s Most Perfect Playground.” Ravenna’s Wilson family operated it in the 1930s. Cab Calloway played Brady Lake, and the strains of Rudy Vallee’s My Time is Your Time were known to waft across the waters.
A group of Clevelanders ran the attraction in the 1940s, debuting a night club, slot
machines, and bingo. It was the gambling that brought about the park’s downfall. In all, it had a great run of 53 years.
The man who started it all, A. G. Kent, died in 1900.
Pictured here are some scenes from Brady Lake’s amusement park days.
