The "Swimming In History" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading about one of Lancaster County's swimming pools that existed years ago, but has vanished just as most of the others have in the past.  Back in the early 18th century, Hans Brubaker built a log mill along the Little Conestoga Creek on part of a 150 acre farm to the west of the city of Lancaster.  Hans eventually sold the property, mill and all, to Johannes Stoneman.  The property once again changed ownership years later and when the Steiner family, Johannes and Barbara, bought the property, they constructed a new mill.  A date stone reading 1767 confirms that fact.  The Steiners owned and lived at Abbeyville Mansion, about a quarter-mile east from the mill on Columbia Ave.  

The Mammoth Skyrocket rollercoaster at Maple Grove.

Then in 1826 the mill changed ownership once again when J.S. Graybill bought the property.  But change of ownership didn't stop at that point, since J.S. Kauffman purchased the mill in 1860.  The mill and property was associated with D. Miller's Jefferson Tavern in 1864 and then operated by Samuel Binkley in 1875.  

Trolley to Maple Grove.

Fifteen years later the property was operated as West End park by Aaron H. Summy.  Mr. Summy planted quite a few silver maple trees near the mill and the property took on the name of Maple Grove.  In 1912 Mr. Ralph W. Coho bought the "Maple Grove" property and converted it into an amusement park complete with an airplane ride and a gigantic roller-coaster known as the "Mammoth Skyrocket".  He also built the world's largest swimming pool which allegedly held 2 million gallons of water taken from the nearby Little Conestoga Creek.  He eventually reduced the size of he pool to 1.5 million gallons which now made it Pennsylvania's largest.  

A popular ride at Maple Grove amusement park.

Amusements were added to the pool such as a water wheel, which allowed swimmers to belly-flop on the wheel, and ride it into the water.  There were also four tops that swimmers could stand on and use wheels attached to them to spin the tops.  The building that originally contained the mill was used for pool chemicals and park supplies.  

Maple Grove Park Swimming Pool, Lancaster's largest.

It was at this point that I came on the scene in the mid-1940s.  I can still remember my mother taking me swimming at Maple Grove.  It was sometime in the mid-1970s, after I had departed the swimming scene, that a young black boy came swimming at Maple Grove with his white friend and his friend's mother.  Evidently it was the first time a black child came to Maple Grove to swim.  

Another view of the pool.

When he entered the pool, parents gathered their white children from the pool and left the pool.  After that it began to happen at other pools in the county.  But, that's another story for another day!  Sometime in the 1950s Mr. Coho sold just the amusement park, but eventually ended up selling the pool, mill and land in 1978 to Christ and Elaine Hampilos.  

Another view of the pool.  Check out the bathing suits.

Nine years later, the pool and 7 acre complex by this time, was sold to Lanecor Associates who closed the pool in 1987 and developed the Stone Mill Plaza Shopping Center.  Then in 1993 the pool, mill and surrounding land were signed over to Lancaster County in settlement of unpaid real estate taxes incurred by Lanecor.  In 2001 Ecklin Development Corp. bought the mill from the county for $1.00.  

Some of the pool "toys".

Mr. Robert Ecklin developed plans to renovate the mill to lease offices and retail shops.  But, on Thanks- giving morning of 2005 a blaze broke out in the mill.  It was fought by about 50 firefighters from a dozen companies.  

The Thanksgiving fire at the old mill.

The next day investigators determined that a homeless man using the mill as a shelter was suspected of starting the fire.  The building has since been refur- bished, but appears to be used for nothing but offices at the time.  The glory days of Maple Grove as I remember them are long gone, as are other amusement parks in Lancaster County.  But, the memories that were created over the lifetime of Maple Grove will live on in the minds of those who frequented the place at one time.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The results after the fire.

What the mill along the creek looks like today.