Wonderland (Columbus, Ohio)

Last updated
Wonderland Community Church surrounded by formerly inhabited land Columbus, Ohio M 127.jpg
Wonderland Community Church surrounded by formerly inhabited land

Wonderland was a community of summer cottages, just outside the Columbus suburb of Gahanna, near a bend in Big Walnut Creek. [1] By the beginning of the Depression, many of the summer cottages were winterized and became year round homes. In the early-1970s Port Columbus International Airport planned an extension of their north runway, and because of the need for a clear approach, the airport authority was given the go ahead to buy out the remaining property owners still living in Wonderland. Some of the homes were moved to Agler Road, alternating new-built homes between relocated homes. The remaining structures were razed, and the area fenced off. Because its congregation was still using its building, and the church was at the eastern edge of the land, Wonderland Community Church, on Friendship Drive, next to the interchange of Interstate 270 and Hamilton Road was allowed to remain. [2]

Contents

History

Local folktales and rumours in Gahanna and on the east side of Columbus up until the early 1980s said that Wonderland was developed after World War I as a "utopia" of sorts, although this has never been proven. The Columbus Citizen, April 23, 1927, page 7 stated that Wonderland Opens Sunday.

Until the early 1980s there were still people living in the community, most of whose children attended Gahanna schools. Many of the homes built during its creation were now well below flood level and when the Big Walnut river rose it would flood houses in the community.

Wonderland never incorporated, and was considered "an accommodation", rather than an unincorporated community.

Related Research Articles

Columbus, Indiana City in Indiana, United States

Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Bartholomew County, Indiana, United States. The population was 44,061 at the 2010 census. The relatively small city has provided a unique place for noted Modern architecture and public art, commissioning numerous works since the mid-20th century; the annual program Exhibit Columbus celebrates this legacy. Located about 40 mi (64 km) south of Indianapolis, on the east fork of the White River, it is the state's 20th-largest city. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Indiana metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Bartholomew County. Columbus is the birthplace of former Indiana Governor and former Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence.

Delaware County, Ohio County in Ohio, United States

Delaware County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is a frequent placeholder on the List of highest-income counties in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 214,124. Its county seat is Delaware. The county was formed in 1808 from Franklin County, Ohio. Both the county and its seat are named after the Delaware Indian tribe. Delaware County was listed as the 35th wealthiest county in the United States in 2020.

Elmhurst, Illinois City in Illinois, United States

Elmhurst is a city mostly in DuPage County and overlapping into Cook County in the U.S. state of Illinois, and a western suburb of Chicago. As of 2021, the city has a population of 47,260.

Galion, Ohio City in Ohio, United States

Galion is a city in Crawford, Morrow, and Richland counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 10,512 at the 2010 census. Galion is the second-largest city in Crawford County after Bucyrus.

Bexley, Ohio City in Ohio, United States

Bexley is a suburban city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The population was 13,057 at the 2010 census. Founded as a village over a hundred years ago, the city of Bexley is an old, tree-lined suburb of Columbus, the Ohio state capital, situated on the banks of Alum Creek next to Driving Park and Wolfe Park, just east of the Franklin Park Conservatory. It is horizontally bisected by the National Road, serving as a reminder of Bexley's origins as a merger between the prestigious Bullitt Park neighborhood to the north, and the Lutheran college community of Pleasant Ridge to the south.

Gahanna, Ohio City in Ohio, United States

Gahanna is a city situated in northeast Franklin County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb of Columbus. The population was 33,248 at the 2010 census. It was founded in 1849.

Whitehall, Ohio City in Ohio, United States

Whitehall is a city in the U.S state of Ohio, located 6.6 miles (10.6 km) east of the state capital of Columbus in Franklin County. Whitehall had an estimated population of 18,062 in the 2010 census. Founded in 1947, Whitehall is a growing suburb of Columbus. Per the U.S. Census Bureau, Whitehall’s population is culturally and racially diverse, with over 50% of the population identifying as black, African American, Hispanic or Latino, with over 20% speaking a language other than English at home.

West Mayfield, Pennsylvania Borough in Pennsylvania, United States

West Mayfield is a borough in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,239 at the 2010 census.

Westerville, Ohio City in Ohio, United States

Westerville is a city in Franklin and Delaware counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. A northeastern suburb of Columbus, the population was 36,120 at the 2010 census with a census estimate of 41,103 in 2019. Westerville is the home of Otterbein University. Westerville was once known as "The Dry Capital of the World" for its strict laws prohibiting sales of alcohol and for being the home of the Anti-Saloon League, one of the driving forces behind Prohibition at the beginning of the 20th century.

Interstate 270 (I-270) is an auxiliary interstate highway that forms a beltway loop freeway in the Columbus metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Ohio, commonly known locally as The Outerbelt, or the Jack Nicklaus Freeway. The zero-milepost is at the junction with I-71 east of Grove City, Ohio. I-270, along with I-670, provides access to John Glenn Columbus International Airport. The entire length of I-270 is 54.97 miles (88.47 km). It is one of four Interstate loops not to run concurrently with another Interstate freeway, the others being I-295 in Florida, I-485 in North Carolina, and I-610 in Texas.

Genoa Township, Delaware County, Ohio Township in Ohio, United States

Genoa Township is one of the eighteen townships of Delaware County, Ohio, United States. Genoa Township boasts scenic open spaces including two recreational reservoirs, excellent service including its own police and fire departments, high quality schools, and proximity to job and entertainment centers.

Alum Creek (Ohio)

Alum Creek is 58-mile (93 km) long creek that runs north to south in central Ohio. The creek originates in Morrow County and then flows through Delaware County and finally into Franklin County, where it ends at Big Walnut Creek, which drains into the Scioto River. Alum Creek is a source of drinking water for the city of Westerville, Ohio.

Columbus, the state capital and Ohio's largest city, has numerous neighborhoods within its city limits. Neighborhood names and boundaries are not officially defined. They may vary or change from time to time due to demographic and economic variables.

Walnut Street Baptist Church (Louisville, Kentucky)

Walnut Street Baptist Church is a Southern Baptist, Christian former megachurch in Louisville, Kentucky. It is associated with the Southern Baptist Convention, Kentucky Baptist Convention, and the Long Run Baptist Association.

Creekside Gahanna

Creekside Gahanna, more formally called Gahanna-Creekside, is a mixed-use development located in downtown Gahanna, Ohio.

Lowfield Heath Human settlement in England

Lowfield Heath is a former village within the boundaries of the Borough of Crawley, West Sussex, England. Situated on the main London to Brighton road approximately 27 miles (43 km) south of London and 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Crawley, it was gradually rendered uninhabitable by the expansion of London Gatwick Airport immediately to the north.

Geography of Columbus, Ohio

The city of Columbus is located in central Ohio at the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers. The region is dominated by a humid continental climate, characterized by hot, muggy summers and cold, dry winters.

Robert Alden

Reverend Edwin Hyde Alden, known as Robert Alden was one of the many real people upon whom Laura Ingalls Wilder based a character in the "Little House on the Prairie" series of books and the NBC television series of the same name.

Kjøllefjord Airport Airport in Lebesby, Finnmark, Norway

Kjøllefjord Airfield is a disused general aviation airport (airfield) located at Kjøllefjord in Lebesby, Norway. It consisted of a 630-by-40-meter gravel runway and a simple small building as a terminal. Plans for an airport in Kjøllefjord were first launched in the mid-1960s. The bush airline Norving was the main proponent as they intended to operate an air taxi and air ambulance service. Construction started in 1973 and the airport opened in 1974. The same year the close-by and larger regional airport, Mehamn Airport opened and Kjøllefjord was only used sporadically. It became abandoned during the 1980s.

Franklin Park (Columbus, Ohio) Place

Franklin Park is a neighborhood located on the Near East Side of Columbus, Ohio. Both the historic neighborhood and landmark, the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, are named after the 88-acre park.

References

  1. "Wonderland (historical)". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey.
  2. Meredith Heagney, "Wonderland church trusts God for future: Neighborhood replaced by runways, and small but loyal congregation aging." The Columbus Dispatch , September 16, 2011.

Coordinates: 40°00′10″N82°52′15″W / 40.00278°N 82.87083°W / 40.00278; -82.87083