Moxahala Amusement Park goes up for auction

ZANESVILLE - After decades of operation in Zanesville, and then a reopening that lasted a few brief, nostalgic weeks, the Moxahala Amusement Park is shutting down for good. Nearly everything the Nolan family, who owned the park, has that is connected to the park in some way will be up for auction this weekend.

There are giveaways and prizes from the 1940s and '50s, black and white photos of wrestling events, NASCAR events and amusement park events, original advertisements for the park, carousel horses, games, ride and game attendant uniforms, tokens and tickets. Rolls and rolls of unused tickets. There are also copies of ownership deeds dating back to 1841.

"There are a tremendous amount of old items," said Dean Blackburn, one of the auctioneers for the two auctions scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.

These kinds of items are relatively rare to find in an auction, and they tend to sell well, Blackburn said. A previous small auction for the Moxahala Amusement Park that took place five years ago, where a few large posters and some old paperwork were up for bids, attracted specialty collectors from 16 different states.

"It went very well," Blackburn said. "There were a lot of East-coasters. When you get into this stuff, these are collectibles."

On Saturday, the auction for the small items, such as photos, posters and giveaways, will begin at 10 a.m. at 3186 Nolan Road.

On Sunday, the auction for large items, such as building equipment and old arcade games, will begin at 12:30 p.m. at the old Moxahala Park, 3600 Moxahala Place. At 2 p.m. on Sunday, the land itself will go up for bid in eight parcels.

More information about the land is available at www.ProEdgeRE.com, which is the realty agency handling the sale. In total, the entire park takes up about 38 acres.

"If we get bidders from four to five states, I'll be pleased," Blackburn said. "Of course, it just takes two to make an auction."Blackburn and several workers spent weeks going through each item in storage, sorting and arranging them, leading up to the auction. The park has a long history, and the items accumulated throughout the years reflect its past.

"This is it," Blackburn said. "There is no more."

The Nolan family owned and ran the park from 1941 through the 1970s. Members of the family brought the park back for a few weeks this fall, per the wishes of Tim Nolan, whose father ran the park in its heyday. Tim bought the park from his father's estate to open it again, and, when Tim died unexpectedly this summer, the rest of the family wanted to fulfill his dream.

But now, said Scott Nolan, Tim's brother, it's time to move on. The attendance at the reopening wasn't enough to justify opening again, and members of the family wanted to sell the items.

Scott said he had been surprised by how much the previous auction five years ago netted, and those were for items he didn't think would sell at all.

"We were chasing a dying dream," Scott said. "Hopefully (the merchandise) goes to a good home."

He said he did feel like they fulfilled Tim's wishes by reopening, even if briefly, and members of the family were going to work as part of a traveling carnival/amusement park. It just won't be in Zanesville anymore.

"It doesn't make me sad," Scott said. "Another door opens."

ksnyder2@zanesvilletimesrecorder.com

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