Historic Carousels: Works of Art in Motion

Did you know carousels, aka merry-go-rounds, can be traced back to a skill-testing competition for knights and cavalry soldiers?  A small ring would be suspended by a ribbon from a tree branch or pole.  Then the competitors would ride their horses past the target at a full gallop while simultaneously attempting to pierce the ring with their lance.
Apparently, these tournaments inspired the creation of “an amusing alternative to this difficult feat of horsemanship, in which a rotating platform was combined with plush seats or small wooden horses, so that riders could more easily and comfortably play the game.  Within a few years [around 1690], this invention became a popular form of entertainment, allowing the aristocracy to whirl about and play ‘pierce the ring’.” reports Tobin Farley in his essay Daniel Carl Muller the Artist as Carousel Carver.  These early carousels―small portable machines propelled by simple manpower or actual horses―eventually, became more common as they spread beyond the European aristocracy.
Perhaps the carousel’s roots inspired the gorgeous armor-clad carousel horse shown below.  This mighty steed is one of the 63 glorious wooden horses, hand-carved by master carver Charles Carmel (1865-1931), on Knoebels Grand Carousel in Elysburg, Pennsylvania.

Here’s a closer look.

This Grand Carousel dates back to 1913 during the “Golden Age of the Carousel” in North America (1870-1930).  It has obviously been restored since then.
The idea of spearing a small ring from a galloping horse has endured and evolved into “brass ring carousels”.  Only a few carousels, including the Grand Carousel, offer this feature whereby a wooden arm holds metal rings just out of reach of the carousel’s riders.  Riders are challenged to grab a brass ring for a free ride.  At just the right moment, riders seated on carousel animals in the outside row reach far out from their seats to try pulling a ring from the holder.  Not all the rings are brass, however, so riders may have to grab multiple rings to get a brass one.  As you might have guessed, the expression “grab the brass ring” (commonly used to describe striving for the highest prize) originates from this game.

Carmel’s hand-carved wooden horses on the Grand Carousel really are spectacular.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Carmel wasn’t the only skilled craftsman to carve beautiful carousel horses and animals during the golden age.  In fact, it is Gustav Dentzel who is often credited with introducing the modern carousel to North America.
Dentzel learned about carousels from his father Michael Dentzel, who, according to the Dentzel website, “traveled in horse drawn wagons through the southern German countryside with his portable hand carved machine, going from fair to fair or market” during the summer months.  He spent the off-season carving carousel animals and making wagons.  Farley continues the story, “In 1864, Gustav Dentzel (1846–1909) immigrated to the United States, bringing pieces of a small carousel he had made with his father in their hometown of Kreuznach, Germany.  Dentzel settled in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, where he opened a cabinetmaking shop and also began fabricating portable carousels for local fairs and parks.”
Dentzel’s carousels evolved from the small, portable carousels he toured throughout the countryside into some of the most incredible and beautiful carousels ever made.  “Gustav worked very hard and found himself hiring many German and Italian immigrants, who were trained in the old country, to do the carving. These carvers were classically trained as apprentices and carvers of architecture and saints for the churches.” reports the Dentzel website.

Another immigrant from Germany, Charles Looff (1852–1918), settled in Brooklyn, New York where he started building carousels and other amusement park rides.  A rivalry developed between the Dentzel and Looff carousel-building companies pushing them to create increasingly ornate and higher-grade carousels.  As demand grew, it soon became the heyday of carousel manufacturing.
“By the early 1900s” reports Fraley, “there were at least eight full-time manufacturers of carousels in the United States, all competing for an expanding market. Trolley companies, both private and municipal, looking for ways to encourage weekend streetcar riding, built small parks for recreation at the ends of lines, often with bandstands, pavilions for picnics, and electric-powered carousels with band organs.  With the proliferation of such parks, permanent carousels with more ornate and finely carved figures took the place of simpler, portable machines. … The last of the grand wooden carousels was created … in 1932. By that time, the country was experiencing the Great Depression, and amusement parks were no longer purchasing elaborate new carousels.”
Only about 150 of the approximately 4,000 hand-carved wooden carousels created during North America’s Golden Age of the Carousel remain today.  I’m fortunate to have visited three of them including two Dentzel carousels located in North Carolina―the Pullen Park Dentzel Carousel in Raleigh…

…and the Burlington City Park Dentzel Carousel in Burlington.

These two carousels were built around the same time, between 1905-1912, at the Dentzel Carousel Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Both are considered menageries because they include a mixture of horses and other animals.  The Pullen Park Carousel boasts a total of 52 hand-carved wooden animals including 19 jumpers, 10 standers and 23 menagerie animals plus 2 chariots.  While the Burlington Park Carousel has 46 hand-carved wooden animals including 16 jumpers, 10 standers and 20 menagerie animals plus 2 chariots.
Carousel horses, by the way, are generally described by their stance―stander, prancer or jumper―and their location on the original carousel platform such as outside row or inside row.
A “stander” is a stationary horse with three or four feet on the platform.  A “prancer” is a stationary horse with rear feet on the platform and front feet raised.  A “jumper” moves up and down with all four feet off the platform.  Jumpers are also known as “gallopers”.  The below image provides examples of each stance from the Pullen Park Carousel.

The menagerie on these two carousels showcases a variety of charming animals.  Here are some examples from the Burlington Carousel.  There is an elegant long-necked giraffe, …

… a pair of fleet-footed ostriches, …

… a pair of running cats with fish in their mouths, …

… a majestic tiger, …

… and a pair of hopping rabbits.

This vibrant, bird-adorned chariot is one of two chariots on the Burlington Park Carousel.
Joyful sound is an important element of the carousel ride experience.  Carousel organs, such as the Wurlitzer #125 band organ on the Pullen Park carousel, were designed to simulate small brass bands.  Signs at Pullen Park proclaim “Our carousel organ plays the happiest music on earth”.
The Dentzel carousels also have spectacular carved horses.  Here are a few of my favorite photos of carousel horses from the Pullen Park Carousel.

“These animals are hand carved out of bass and poplar wood and are a hollow series of boxes and wood pieces glued together with hide glue into the basic shape, and then carved by hand. The Dentzel carvers were noted for their realism in the carving of the veins and muscles of the animals. The eyes are glass with pupils, and the tails are real horsehair.” reports the Burlington NC City website.  Here are a few of my favorites from the Burlington Park Carousel.

As you can see from the photos, the animals and other components of these carousels have been beautifully restored.  In fact, the Burlington Park Carousel recently underwent a 4-year refurbishment by a specialty carousel restoration and manufacturing company in Ohio.  The company, Carousels and Carvings, was founded by Todd Goings, an award-winning master carousel carver and restorationist.  Their website shares this insight―“Built in a handful of master artisan workshops from the 1880s to the 1930s, wooden carousels are participatory folk-art environments that set whimsical carved animals to music and movement in custom-built mechanical frames”.
Today Goings, and a number of other specialized professionals throughout the country, work to “keep the art of American carved wooden carousels alive”.

More Info

Photographs in this blog post were taken at the following carousels:
. Grand Carousel at Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania, USA
. Pullen Park Dentzel Carousel in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
. Burlington City Park Dentzel Carousel in Burlington, North Carolina, USA.
To find carousels near your destination, check out the Carousel Census Map managed by the National Carousel Association which lists and maps classic wood carousels, classic metal carousels and new wood carousels in the USA and Canada.
A handful of North American museums are dedicated to historic wooden carousels including two I’ve visited:
. Knoebels Carousel Museum in Elysburg, Pennsylvania, USA
. New England Carousel Museum in Bristol, Connecticut, USA
Other museums that look promising include:
. Merry-Go-Round Museum in Sandusky, Ohio, USA
. C.W. Parker Carousel Museum in Leavenworth, Kansas, USA
. Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum in North Tonawanda, New York.
The following resources were consulted in writing this blog post:
. National Carousel Association website.  This association is devoted to promoting the appreciation, conservation and enjoyment of the art of the classic carousel.
. Carousel History website which shares a treasure trove of historical information through 28 years of Carousel News & Trader back issues originally published between 1985 to 2013.
. The Dizzy History of Carousels Begins with Knights a 2017 Smithsonian Magazine article by Kat Eschner
. Tracing the Roots of the Carousel a 2015 article on the Showmen’s Museum website
. Carousel and Carvings website of award-winning carousel carver and restorationist Todd Goings
. These Gorgeous Southern Carousels Will Make You Nostalgic 2016 Alabama.com article by Kelly Kazek
. Daniel Carl Muller the Artist as Carousel Carver  Americana Insights essay by Tobin Fraley
. Dentzel.com website by William H. Dentzel III identified as “the main standard bearer for the Dentzel Carousel Company”.
. Various Wikipedia entries.

Today’s Takeaways

1. Only about 150 of the approximately 4,000 hand-carved wooden carousels created during North America’s Golden Age of the Carousel remain today.
2. “Wooden carousels are participatory folk-art environments that set whimsical carved animals to music and movement in custom-built mechanical frames”.  Todd Goings
3. Consider visiting a historic, hand-carved, wooden carousel near you or your next destination.