This Sandusky Museum Celebrates Cedar Point History

After graduating from Sandusky’s St. Mary’s High School in 1973, David Kaman got a summer job changing lightbulbs at Cedar Point amusement park. Working nights, he often spent time on the Lake Erie beach, where the park had started with a single bathhouse in 1870.  

“I’d walk out on the sand, listen to the waves and see the stars shining overhead,” Kaman recalls. “It was just beautiful, and I fell in love with Cedar Point.”  

Starting with a stash of postcards his father gave him, Kaman spent decades scouring antique shops and estate and garage sales for Cedar Point memorabilia. When he retired from practicing law in Cleveland, Kaman decided to share his affection for the park with the public by turning his sizable collection into the Downtown Sandusky Cedar Point Historical Museum. Opened in December 2024, the nonprofit attraction is located inside Sandusky’s Merry-Go-Round Museum, which offers visitors a two-for-one bargain by including Kaman’s Cedar Point exhibits in the admission price.

Although the Cedar Point historical museum is based on Kaman’s keepsakes, its collection is growing with the help of donations from park enthusiasts. Candy Frankowski, the park’s former director of operations, even helped Kaman curate his exhibition, resulting in a decade-by-decade trip down memory lane that evokes the fun and excitement of summer days spent at the park.

The museum’s oldest object is an 1893 ribbon commemorating a park outing by employees of the Huber Manufacturing Co. in Marion, while other treasures include a 1906 beach bucket bearing the words “The Finest Bathing Beach in the World,” a 1964 ride sign from the Blue Streak roller coaster’s opening season, and the 1970s-era yellow shirts worn by Jungle Larry and Safari Jane. Also on display are a rare Meribeth doll from the Frontier Trail and photos of Sandusky’s own Jacquelyn Mayer, whose Miss America journey began in 1962, when she was crowned Miss Vacationland in Cedar Point’s ballroom.  

“It’s awesome to have people come in and relive their childhoods by spending time at our museum and then taking a ride on the Merry-Go-Round Museum’s carousel,” Kaman says.

301 Jackson St., Sandusky 44870, 419/626-6111, sanduskycedarpointmuseum.org

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