Preface
Greetings from the historian who has never lived in Minerva Park. Preferring to write in the third person, let it be known that Pack has thoroughly enjoyed the people whom he has met during the past nearly three years. Their friendliness and good memories have helped him delve into the Park's colorful history. Most community histories are divided into decades, so that is the selected style for this history.
Without singling out individuals who have been of particular assistance, let it be stated that a number of residents allowed him to drop by their homes on more than one occasion. Still, there will unfortunately be honest errors; he will assume the authorship of such mistakes.
Especially valuable to the historian were the official minutes of the Village Council, the Women's Club, the Civic Association and the Swim Club. His transcription of Council minutes from September 1940 through August 1990 required 40 typed pages!
His bibliography of 326 references includes well over 100 interviews. Scores of articles were located in various newspapers with many statements being incorporated into this history.
Wishing to learn more about the Minerva Amusement Park, he enlisted the support of several area historians. Especially helpful in locating certain newspaper articles and providing slides of certain turn-of-the century structures was Sam Roshon. That walking encyclopedia has for many years been a key member of the Biography-History-Travel Division of the Columbus Metropolitan Library.
Credit is due the people whose names follow for allowing the historian to consider the use of their photographs and slides for inclusion in this history: Jack Dawson, Larry and Betty Dowl, Paul and Marty Fletcher, Herman and Marilyn Groezinger, Melvin and Ruth Hicks, Betty Homer, Gid and Ruth Mussio, Marjorie Kratoville, Richard Paugh, Hank and Madge Stehmeyer, Hugo Wenzel, Jack and Jerri Wunderle, and Mary Yost.
Special thanks are owed the Columbus Metropolitan Library for reproduction of a view of the historic Casino. Appreciation is also due the Westerville Public Schools for providing the photograph of Minerva Park School.
Words cannot adequately express Pack's appreciation to the Suburban News Publications for its loan of all the microfilm reels for every back issue of The Linden News.
Staff members of the Worthington Historical Society were most helpful in providing the minutes for many years of the Sharon Board of Education. Minerva Park School having been located within Sharon Township, it was necessary to study in that society's historic house Dr. Robert McCormick and Jim Taylor were gracious in providing information and photographs of the earlier of the two Minerva Park Schools.
Every existing issue of The Villager was carefully studied; it was a reliable source of happenings . It is evident that in a work of this length it is not possible for footnotes and a bibliography to be included. The historian has deposited a number of items, including the bibliography, with the Westerville Public Library's Local History Resource Center .
Cordially,
Vernon L. Pack