I can’t believe this weekend is Memorial Day. It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating Easter and the first days of spring. Although the weather forecast is pretty cool this weekend to be sure, Memorial Day for a lot of us signifies the first days of summer.

In my family, we usually spend the weekend at the pool; and on Monday, we would spend time at my grandmother’s home enjoying a picnic.

In our area, summer is a busy time, and it’s a season I look forward to because there is so much to do. We spend a lot of time at the pool, working in the yard and spending time together as a family.

At Historic Fort Steuben, summer means fairs, festivals and concerts. Next week, on Thursday, we have our first concert at the Berkman Amphitheater in the park, featuring Linden and Melvin to open, and Into the Blue, an Electric Light Orchestra tribute band.

The concerts go on every Thursday through the end of July, except for June 23, when we host the United States Army Field Band Jazz Ambassadors, and a concert followed by fireworks on July 4. On June 7-8, we will have our annual Ohio Valley Frontier Days. This is one of my favorite events because it is all about history. We show so much history at the festival and participants can really get a good sense of what life was like in the 18th century at the fort.

If you are a regular reader of this column, you will know that I write about the fort and its history often because it is an important part of our history in this area.

For the soldiers who occupied the fort, the summer months were spent working on the survey of the Seven Ranges, especially in the summer of 1786. The fort wasn’t built until October of that year. The survey ended by the late spring of 1787, so the fort was never occupied during the summer months.

In the past, recreation in the summer was similar to what we do now, I would imagine. Swimming, playing games, spending time as a community and enjoying community celebrations. One place that was frequented a lot in the old days in Steubenville was a place called Town Rock. Actually, it wasn’t in Steubenville, but just across the river on the West Virginia side near the Market Street Bridge. This area was a place where residents would go and picnic near the riverbank and enjoy the natural beauty of the place.

There were natural rock outcroppings and a few caves as well. Some, at certain periods of history, were home to Native American remains. Many of these caves were destroyed or covered up when the railroad, and later the road, were put in.

Another place residents would go for a picnic would be Union Cemetery. It’s hard to believe that a cemetery would be a place for recreation, but that’s exactly what the cemetery was designed for when it was established in 1854.

It was a garden cemetery with meandering walkways, garden paths and grassy areas where people could come and spend the day with their loved ones, both living and deceased. The original entrance to the cemetery was through what is today, Beatty Park, and that area provided a beautiful area for visitors to enjoy as well.

A little later in the early 20th century, folks didn’t have to go to the cemetery to have a good time. Around the turn of the century, a new amusement park opened in a small valley between Steubenville and Toronto called Stanton Park. Today, state Route 22 occupies that spot near the City of Steubenville’s pumping station near the river.

The park wound up the valley at Alikanna with Wills Creek flowing through it. Stanton Park was created, like many of the parks in those days, by the trolley companies hoping to give riders a reason to ride the rails. In this case, it was created by the Steubenville and East Liverpool Traction Co.

Attractions at Stanton Park were numerous and included a roller coaster, carousel, Ferris wheel, lake and bandstand.

According to a Herald Star article reproduced by the Jefferson County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society, Stanton Park contained 85 acres of wooded land with paths, ravines, bridges, majestic trees and even a waterfall. Attractions included a refreshment booth with a popcorn machine, auditorium, a casino, ballroom, a large soda fountain, shooting gallery, movie gallery, athletic machines and souvenir booths to round out the site.

In the late 1920s, the park was offered to the City of Steubenville, but the offer was declined. It was reported though that in 1929, Stanton Park hosted more than 85,000 visitors. Later, a modern swimming pool was added, being 75 x 135 feet, complete with locker rooms and shower facilities.

As the park declined, soon only the pool and a roller rink were still useable. Today, there is nothing left of the park where so many enjoyed summer days of picnics, dances, roller skating and rides with family and friends.

Stanton Park overlooked the area of Half Moon in West Virginia, and at that farm there was also an airport where air shows were sometimes held, especially when the Fort Steuben Bridge opened in 1928.

The residents of Weirton and Holliday’s Cove had a few places of recreation to enjoy in the area. In the early days, there was Sugar Camp Hollow located along the lower end of Pennsylvania Avenue near the Starvaggi bus garage. That area was full of mature trees, a baseball field and a picnic ground. The location was later used as the slag dump from the mill.

There was a small amusement park in the early ’20s which was located along Kings Creek near where Kings Creek Road meets state Route 2. Later, when Marland Heights Park and pool opened in 1934, residents of Weirton had a new, modern park facility to enjoy the summer days.

In the mid ’40s there was a small park located in Chestnut Woods across Pennsylvania Avenue from Crest Street. Picnics and events were held in the little park there through the summer.

Summer in our area has aways been a time for fun, relaxation and recreation. Although we don’t have places like Stanton Park, the airfield at Half Moon or Sugar Camp Hollow, we still have great places to go. But regardless of where you go, spending time with family and friends still makes any summer day a special one. May your summer be special, wherever you spend it.

(Zuros is director of Historic Fort Steuben.)