Linwood Park, established in 1884, on the Shores of Lake Erie in Vermilion, Ohio, was a part of my life for a number of years. In the early 1980s, as the park was approaching its centennial, I began a project to document the history of the park. The resulting book, THROUGH THESE GATES: LINWOOD PARK, I published in 1984 for the park’s centennial celebration. In the process, to illustrate the book, I collected souvenirs, photographs and postcards of the Park, Vermilion, and Crystal Beach Park.
I learned of eBay a few years after it started in September 1995. I was able to purchase many more Linwood Park items I had not seen before and wish I had had for the book. I spent a number of years purchasing postcards, transfer-ware ceramics, ruby glass varieties, and many other unique souvenirs that had been made for, and sold in the park in the early 1900s. In addition I amassed even more postcards, my collection numbering over 200 Linwood and Vermilion cards, not including duplicates. I have established a separate page for the postcards I am now willing to part with – CLICK HERE FOR LINWOOD POSTCARDS FOR SALE.
But, now having had these items for 30 years it is time to share, and as time permits I will list them here for sale. If you see something you wish to add to your collection — do CONTACT ME. Part of my collection is in this old country store showcase in my bookshop which I have always decorated as a late 19th century country store.
below are some of the ceramic souvenirs I will be illustrating for sale as well as some “Cat’s Meow” buildings of the park, spoons, etc.
on this shelf below I have ruby glassware from the early park days, salt and pepper shakers and more
Finally starting this page in May 2025, besides the above I have ephemera items (many probably the only extant); original artwork I had done for the 1984 book, and various publications about Vermilion and the church organizations at the park over the years. PLEASE VISIT BACK, or FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME in the meantime — thank you, RAY
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SOME MORE PERSONAL HISTORY — My association with Linwood Park furthered my desire to learn more about the development of the summer resort, vacation institutions, and the Victorian way of life. I first saw the park in November, 1964, and was fortunate to own a cottage there from the mid-1970s through the 1980s. In the early 1980s, as the park was approaching its centennial, I began a project to document the history of the park. The resulting book, THROUGH THESE GATES: LINWOOD PARK, was published in 1984 for the park’s centennial celebration. The title came from the feeling I always felt entering “through the gates” into the park. Once inside, Linwood Park is a world away, a peaceful and quiet place, that never changes. When entering “through the gates” for a summer vacation, I always took off my watch to forget about time. Finally at the end of one vacation, when leaving the park, instead of putting my watch back on, I threw it away. That has made a difference in how I feel about life. Life changes for us all, and my ties to Linwood Park ended in 1990. In November, 2000, I was in Ohio on business, and stopped in Vermilion for a few hours to visit Linwood Park. Upon passing THROUGH THESE GATES, I found that at least for Linwood Park, it is always the early 1900s, and “things never change.”
Ray Boas, Bookseller 