Wonderland (Columbus, Ohio) facts for kids
Wonderland was once a small community of homes located near Gahanna, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio. It was nestled close to a curve in the Big Walnut Creek. At first, Wonderland was a place where people had summer cottages. These were like vacation homes.
As the Great Depression began, many people started living in these cottages all year round. They turned their summer homes into permanent houses.
In the early 1970s, the Port Columbus International Airport (now called John Glenn Columbus International Airport) needed more space. They planned to make their north runway longer. To do this safely, they needed the land where Wonderland was. The airport was allowed to buy out the people still living there. Some houses were moved to a nearby street called Agler Road. Other buildings were torn down, and the area was fenced off.
However, one building was allowed to stay: the Wonderland Community Church. It was on Friendship Drive, near where Interstate 270 and Hamilton Road meet. The church was at the very edge of the land the airport needed, and people were still using it.
The Story of Wonderland
For many years, people in Gahanna and eastern Columbus told stories about Wonderland. They said it was built after World War I as a special "utopia," which means a perfect place. However, there is no real proof of this. A newspaper called The Columbus Citizen announced on April 23, 1927, that "Wonderland Opens Sunday." This shows it was a known place.
Why Wonderland Changed
Even in the early 1980s, some families still lived in Wonderland. Many of their children went to schools in Gahanna. Over time, many of the original homes were built too low. This meant that when the Big Walnut Creek flooded, water would often get into the houses.
Wonderland was never officially a town or city. It was just a group of homes, often called an "accommodation." It was not an "unincorporated community" either, which is a type of settlement without its own local government.
