by Rose Ann Hirsch

Created on: December 17, 2010   Last Updated: April 22, 2011

The oldest and most beautiful amusement park ride of the past and the present is the carousel. Every amusement park has a carousel. It is the heart of the park. It may not be as fast as a roller coaster, but it is the one ride people of all ages gravitate to. Everyone can ride a carousel, from tiny babes-in-arms to the very old. It is a delightful ride of splendor, a feast for the eyes. Paired with the brassy, rousing music of a band organ, the carousel brings smiles to the faces of all who rides it.

Also known as a Merry-Go-Round, Flying Jenny, Roundabout and  Whirligig, the carousel has been around since medieval times. Used as a means of practice for knights, medieval carousels consisted of barrels with wood horse heads attached and were turned by pages or servants.  Royalty saw this as a  possibility for fun and soon had carousels built for their own entertainment. Soon the carousel began turning up in village street fairs where peasants paid to ride one of the rough-hewn wooden ponies.

In the United States carousels began appearing as early as 1840. The ponies were simple wood carvings suspended from sweeps at the top of the ride and were powered by man or mule. As master woodcarvers immigrated to America, carousels blossomed into works of art. Most of the master woodcarvers settled in Coney Island. Others settled near Philadelphia. Still others were found in Western New York state and throughout the west. The carousel horses came alive under their skilled carving knives. What is known as the Coney Island and Philadelphia styles of carousels showcase realistic horses with cocked ears, muscular legs, flowing manes and tails. Their blankets, saddles, chest bands and bridles were carefully detailed and embellished with jewels and carved accents like tassels, small animals, cherubs, birds and the United States flag. The Coney Island carvers like Marcus Illions and Charles Carmel used silver and gold leafing on the trappings and gold leaf on their horses' manes. Both styles of carousels were large machines with as few as 2 rows of animals to as many as 5 rows. Chariots, rounding boards and inside panels were decorated with intricate carvings, elaborate paintings, mirrors and lights.

County Fair style carousels originated in two areas; North Tonawanda, New York and Abilene, Kansas. These were traveling or portable machines that operated at county fairs and in towns throughout the country. The horses were plainer than their east coast

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