Postcard Memories is a weekly series of historic postcard views and photos submitted by Marcel Rousseau.
Some were previously published by the Orillia Museum of Art and History and in the book Postcard Memories Orillia.
Shown in this postcard view, mailed in 1916, are the ladies’ and men’s bathhouses built in 1911.
The ladies’ bathhouse on the left was built on the narrow beach and had concrete steps along the front reaching the water. The men’s bathhouse was built a little farther back from the lakeshore with a small grassy sitting area between the steps and the water.
Swimmers would relax on the grassy areas on both sides and between the two bathhouses.
Years later, a small concession stand was built between the two buildings and with a shortage of beach area, sand was trucked in to fill in the small bay.
The drive through the park was a circle around the pavilion as it is today, but also extended to Bay Street and passed directly behind the two bathhouses.
The ladies’ bathhouse burned down in 1958 after 47 years of service and a new building to accommodate both men and women was built in 1960.
Since then, a new, larger structure has been built to service the demands of a growing community.
