1927 - Rental Cottages and a 20 room hotel opened. Water toboggan slide added.
1928 - Passenger boat runs up and down the lake every 1 1/2 hours: far is 25 cents.
1929 - Monon railroad offers weekend excursions for $3 round trip from either Indianapolis or $3.50 from Chicago.
1930- New Ideal Beach Ballroom opened.
1932 - Vaudeville acts, radio stars and moving pictures presented every Sunday afternoon and evening.
1937 - 12 foot wide, 650 foot promenade pier built around bathing beach. Dance pavilion (ballroom) doubled in size to 6,000 square feet and roll back roof installed.
1940 - Roller Skating Rink, grocery store, novelty and curio shop opened.
1941 - Bowling alley opens
1944 - Archery and miniature golf are added. Water merry-go-round is featured at the bathing beach.
1947 - First permanemt rides, the Ferris Wheel, the Merry-Go-Round and the Rolo Plane - later called The Bullet - are added. Rides on the Wahoo Jr., a Chris Craft wooded hull inboard speed boat operating from its dock next to the Ballrom, thrill guests.
1951 - New Beach House Hotel opens, replacing original structure.
1952 - Name changed to Indiana beach. New Kiddyland is connected to Beach by a new boardwalk.
1954 - Park's southern area raised from a submerged island in Lake Shafer.
1955 - Indiana Beach begins advertising on TV in Indianapolis, Bloomington and Lafayette, Ind., and Champaign, Ill.
1959 - new Aqua Theater introduced with Water Ski Show and boat jumping through fire. Ski Show is now in its 42nd season.
1961 - Introduction of- the Shafer Queen padle wheel passenger boat.
1965 - Indiana Beach Campground open. Sky Ride, Bumper Cars and Antique Atuos rides are added.
1966 - New 400-foot, steel suspension bridge built to connect Indiana beach to new south parking lot.
1969 - Mytery Mansion dark ride opens. Now called the Den of Loast Thieves.
1970 - Campground ferryboats added to carry campers from campground to Indiana beach Boardwalk.
1971 - Galaxy roller coaster added.
1978 - Superstition Mountain opens.
1983 - Haunted Castle opens.
1984 - The Tig'rr Coaster is introduced to Indiana Beach.
1986 - Adopted the popular mascot, I.B. Crow, and "There's more than corn in Indiana" advertising theme. Rocky Rapids Log Flume opens.
1987 - Water Park opens featuring Action River and 3 Water Slides.
1989 - Giant Gondola Wheel added.
1990 - New Attractions include Falling Star ride and Boat Tag.
1991 - Waterpark expanded with addition of 2 new tube slides and longer, quarter mile Action River.
1992 - The Water Swings are added to the arsenal of Indiana Beach rides.
1994 - New 4.5 million dollar Hoosier Hurricane roller coaster opens.
1995 - Sky Coaster thrill ride added.
9/10th of an acre of lake is filled on north end of Indiana beach for future expansion. (This is where Double shot and Big Flush are located)
1998 - Yogi Bear Jellystone Camp Resort opens. Big Flush Water Coaster added.
1999 - Frog Hopper and Double Shot rides are added.
2000 - Renovation of Dr. Frankenstein's haunted Castle is completed. Indiana Beach celebrates 75th season.
2001 - Cornball Express roller coaster opens.
2002 - The Superstition Mountain ride is removed and the building structure is used to house the new Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain roller coaster.
2003 - Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain opens.
2004 - Air Crow, a flying scooters ride custom built for Indiana Beach, is built over the water near the Tig'rr Coaster. Sections of Lost Coaster are reprofiled and retracked to improve the ride, themeing is added as well as other improvements.
2005 - Indiana Beach celebrates its 80th season. A new swinging ship kiddie ride is installed next to the Sea Dragon. The Tubs are removed from Kiddie Land to make room for more seating.
2006 - Splash Bash area is built in water park area. Spash Battle ride is built repacing Boat Tag.
2007 - 3D Motion Theater is added between Double Shot and Big Flush. New "Pirates Revolt" ski show debuts. Choas ride is removed. Main gate is remodeled.
2008 - Check back soon.
The unusual thing about them was there were no outdoor privies. Everything was very modern. Earl picked out a lot where he wanted his cottage and from then until 1925, the family spent every summer at the lake.
During those three years, Spackman said, many other people came to the area located on both sides of Honey Creek where it empties into Shafer Lake. Many people wished there was a beach where they could swim in comfort This gave Earl an idea. The bank that started to develop the area was in financial trouble and could no longer keep its building promises. So Earl leased the land from the bank. At that time, the lake?s water level had been lowered to help fill the newly formed Lake Freeman.
The early days of the beach were modest, Tom Spackman said.
In 1926, when it opened, there were some rental boats, a pavilion for picnics and a refreshment stand where young Tom got his first job.
From this modest beginning, business really boomed, despite the Depression. By 1930, there were rental cottages and a hotel. A ballroom was built, but the night before the first band played the structure burned to the ground. The Spackmans were undaunted and rebuilt the ballroom. ?It went over real big, but it was during the Depression, so instead of taking a girl on a date, she paid her own way in,? Spackman recalled.
In 1933, prohibition was abolished and the Roof Garden, which served beer, was built. Spackman said the big-name bands from WGN in Chicago came for one-night stands at the Beach.
?One of the most famous was Glenn Miller and his band. ?They played here in 1941, ? Spackman said. Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman also played at the beach.
Earl Spackman died in 1946 and Tom took over.
?I saw trends changing. We put in some amusement rides, rebuilt an inn and upgraded the cottages, ? he recalled.
Around that time, people visiting Ideal Beach had a problem finding a place to stay because the area was becoming more popular. Many people were buying homes and living on the lake year-round. Rental cottages were becoming scarce. That?s when Spackman developed the idea for a campground. The Indiana Beach campground opened in 1965. Located just west of Indiana Beach, it contains more than 1,800 camp-sites. In 1951, Spackman went to Atlantic City and fell in love with the Boardwalk. He came back and constructed one on the Beach. It has become very popular for people who just want to stroll and enjoy the sights.
He also decided the place needed a different name. ?I wanted something more geographical, so people would know they had been away from home,? he said.
Indiana Beach was born.
He put in his first roller coaster because he found people wanted bigger rides. He has continued to upgrade the Beach amusement rides with the newest and biggest improvements, the Hoosier Hurricane and the Cornball Express.
"About half of our business comes from Illinois,? Spackman said. People there have discovered Indiana Beach is resonably priced, especially for families with young children.
He said such families do not like to go to the expensive theme parks because the many rides aren?t suited for children.
At Indiana Beach, with its low gate prices, both parents and kids can have fun.
Most of the Beach?s business comes between 50 and 150 miles away, with Indianapolis and Chicago contributing the most visitors.
Indiana Beach attracts more than 735,000 people each summer. The addition of the Hoosier Hurricane helped boost gross receipts 12 percent in 1994 compared to the previous year.
In 2002 Indiana Beach had Custom Coasters International build thier second coaster at the park, The Cornball Express. The following year came the Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain, the third roller coaster built by C.C.I. at Indiana Beach.
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