A Unique Feature of Indian Lake

In 1957, George B. Quatman purchased the west side of the Sandy Beach Amusement Park and the remainder on the east side in 1962. No alcohol or rock and roll music was permitted in the renovated Stardust Ballroom, Old Vienna Gardens and Plaza Hotel, now known collectively as the "San Juan Amusement Park." Mr, Quatman named the park after the apostle Saint John, the protector of the Virgin Mary. He dedicated the park to St. John to protect every woman that came into the park, and operated on a tenet of up-lifting morals of teenagers. Mr. Quatman also installed an Attraction of life-sized statues of the Last Super, which was popular with park visitors. He was never in the amusement park business for personal gain and he donated all the profits to orphans, convents and other charitable causes.
Mr. Quatman's devotion to the Virgin Mary inspired him to build what was the world's largest statue of the Blessed Virgin at the time. The Our Lady of Fatima Monument (known as the "Our Lady of the Lake") was erected during the summer of 1964 after six years of planning and design by the Lima architectural firm of Armstrong and Brown. It was unveiled to the public on June 28, 1964 with a more formal dedication held on August 30, 1964. The 9' 6" statue is a shrine to the apparitions of the Virgin Mary which occurred
in Fatima, Portugal, six times in May to October 1917.
The Statue overlooks Indian Lake from the location called "St. Mary's Point" and was dedicated to the St. Mary of the Woods Catholic Church of Russels Point. It was cast of fiberglass in Miami, Florida and was erected atop a concrete pedestal. Originally a colored water display graced the base of the monument. 7 ½ minutes of music played in 15 minute intervals and the statue rotated 360 degrees. Park visitors could get a closer look at the statue by catching a ride on a miniature passenger train that circled the park and grounds. George B. Quatman passed away at age of 74 on Sept. 25, 1964, less than one month after the statue's formal dedication. Each year on August 15th, a Catholic mass is held at the base of the statue and attended by residents from all over this part of Ohio.

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Show me all markers in:  Russells Point, OH  |  Logan County  |  43348  |  Ohio  |  United States of America

Native Americans
1913 Flood
Islands and Beaches
The Villages
When the Music Died
Boats of Indian Lake
Sandy Beach Bridge
Sandy Beach and the Big Band Era
Sandy Beach Park
Interurban Transportation

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