Carousels, also called merry-go-rounds, used to be found in nearly all the big cities and in numerous parks. Some carousels were large while others were small and transportable, one man operations that would be set up at a location and, after collecting all the pennies for rides, would be moved to another setting.
Children loved carousels back then just as much as they do today.
Auto Merry-Go-Round
At one time horses and mules pulled the merry-go-round in circles for the entertainment of children and adults, and were subjected to the non-stop sound of the blaring organ music. That started to change in 1904 when inventors started coming up with new plans to run a merry-go-round.
One inventor and several manufacturers put a patent on an “Auto Merry-go-round.” The models of this new invention were made of steel and some wood slats. The “engine” was made with “ball and roller bearings… arranged so that when the swing is loaded on one side it will run as easy as though the weight was evenly distributed.” To make the merry-go-round go round, a person had to stand at a lever and push it back and forth. The merry-go-round would gain speed and could be kept in motion with “only a slight effort.”
Two types of these lever machines were patented. The first was for a backyard merry-go-round that could seat up to four adults or eight children. The other was for people who ran merry-go-round businesses and had sixteen seats. [SOURCE]
Carousel Music
The organ music is a major part of the carousel experience and many different songs have been played over the years. For the carousel that was once at the Pinewood Amusement Park in Kansas they played, back in 1905, “In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree,” “Marching to the Music of the Band,” “March Lorraine,” “Pretty Lips,” “Goodbye My Lady Lover,” “Yankee Doodle Boy,” and others. [SOURCE]
Taught to Ride Horses
In 1917, a newspaper printed a photo and announced that artillery men were being taught to ride on carousel horses. Talk about a WTF moment. The brief little article states that:
“Members of field artillery battery being taught to ride by means of the whirling carousel horse.
“The men learn how to mount and dismount while the horse goes up and down and around. It has proved an excellent means of breaking the recruits into the rudiments of horseback riding.” [SOURCE]
Carousel Rivals
Owners of the small, transportable carousels made their money setting up their carousels and charging for rides. It just so happened that two carousel owners became bitter rivals in New York City in 1919. They each accused the other of stealing customers and working the other’s spots. One day the two men broke out into a fight. One man got punched and the other got stabbed. The man that was stabbed fell to the ground. People ran to find a policeman while the guy that did the stabbing made a run for it.
In the struggle between the policeman and the stabber, the police officer let out two shots. The policeman shot a 14 year old boy through the head and hit an 11 year old girl. The police officer was suspended from duty and later charged with felonious assault. [SOURCE]
Accidents Were Common
Accidents were common on the carousel rides. There were no safety measures and parents seemed to think that you could plop a small child on the carousel and he’d stay put. The following 1922 newspaper articles tells what happened to one father when he tried to give his 3 year old son a carousel ride:
“…at Coney Island today I saw a young man place a three year old on a horse and tie a strap about his body so he would not fall. But, when the carousel was started the child fell and hung head first while the carousel whirled around. The child’s father, who had been sitting on a bench nearby, made a flying leap at the carousel, but missed his footing and was dragged about twenty yards, holding fast to an iron rod. He was able by using all his strength to pull himself up and got on the carousel barely in time to save his child from falling to the ground and probably being killed.” [SOURCE]
Exquisite Carvings
Carousel figures were once hand carved out of wood. They were beautiful masterpieces that collectors seek out and collect today.
Horse figures were not the only figures on the old carousels. In this article from 1904, a storm washed away some of the figures from one businessman’s carousel:
“Herman Kenselman, whose merry-go-round was washed out to sea in the storm of Saturday, has engaged seven men to recover some of the wooden figures of fishes, dragons, and other animals which broke away from the wrecked carousel. He has found no traces of two of the most valuable figures, which were life sized mermaids, carved by hand, at a cost of $300 each. He hopes to recover some of the larger wooden serpents and mermaids for the reason that iron plates were attached to them, which would act as keels and prevent them from splitting…” [SOURCE]
