Copyright © 2019 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In 1915, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Some of our early work for the season was a black and white window decoration, rather effective. A small church job for Sterling, my hometown. Another job for Youngtown, Ohio, followed by one for Akron, Ohio. A short trip to Detroit to see Fred Ingersoll. Closed a picture set for $1,500.00. He had a fine theatre.” In Detroit, Ingersoll managed the Knickerbocker Theatre.
A picture setting incorporated elaborate painted settings for a projection screen, complete with a painted surround, tormentors, wings and borders.
Frederick Ingersoll (1876 – 1927) is the focus of today’s post. Ingersoll is remembered as an American inventor, designer, builder and entrepreneur. He created the world’s first chain of amusement parks. These are the same Luna Parks that featured many painted attractions by Sosman & Landis artists. The chain of Luna parks is not to be confused with Frederick C. Thompson’s Luna Park on Coney Island. Moses mentioned Fred Ingersoll, of Ingersoll Construction Company, as the studio delivered painted scenery for attractions at the Luna Parks in Pittsburgh (see past post #554) and Cleveland (see past post #493); these were the first two parks in his chain. During Ingersoll’s lifetime, he owned and operated 44 amusement parks.
One of five brothers, Ingersoll was born in New Jersey. Starting out as a designer, Ingersoll Construction Company initially focused on the “figure eight” coaster, scenic railways and Shoot-the-Chutes.
On October 24, 1927, the “Des Moines Register” credited Frederick Ingersoll as “the father of the American roller coaster, responsible for more ups and downs in American merrymaking than any other man” (page 1). The exciting journey of Ingersoll’s exciting life came to a tragic end in 1927. Newspapers across the country reported that Ingersoll was found dead in a concession stand at Krug Park, Omaha. Articles reported that the doors and windows were tightly closed and an open gas jet filled the room with its fumes. The county coroner convinced that death was self inflicted, held no inquest and Ingersoll’s suicidal act was attributed to ill health.
In Des Moines, an article announcing his passing noted, “Ingersoll is well remembered here as the amusement park magnate who installed the roller coaster and other amusement devices at Ingersoll park, the vanished center of gayety once operated at Forty-eighth street and Ingersoll avenue. At that time he was regarded as the foremost amusement park magnate in the country, with important financial interests in parks in Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Philadelphia, as well as Des Moines. At one time he operated five Luna parks in five eastern cities. Besides his interest in the Omaha amusement park, Ingersoll was associated with similar enterprises in Lincoln, Neb. and Detroit. At the time of his death, he has lived for the last eight years in Omaha. Among amusement men, Omer Kenyon of the Garrick Theater said last night; Ingersoll was regarded as the foremost amusement park promoter in the country. To Ingersoll is given credit for the discovery, long before the airplane became a more practical imitation of a bird’s flight, that American’s like the thrill of bird-like soars and dips and glidings. His inspiration led to the rapid blossoming of gaunt white roller coaster structures on the outskirts of most American cities of any size. Later he extended his idea to other thrillers, such as whirling chairs, crack-the-whip rides, and swift revolving swings, on which zestful men and women spent three or four exhilarated minutes for 10 to 15 cents.”
There are many articles about this early-twentieth-century amusement king. For more information, here are two links that present the life of this interesting Sosman & Landis client:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Ingersoll
To be continued…
