Experts estimate that 3,500 wooden carousels were built at the turn of the 20th century, with only 150 remaining.
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WASHINGTON – In the shadows of Washington National Cathedral on Saturday afternoon, Esme Olsen sat on a colorful wooden horse, waving to her mother and grandmother while she and dozens of smiling children were spinning around and around.
It was a moment when the girl was eagerly waiting for her ever since she learned that the Cathedral’s two-day fundraising event featured a merry-go-round.
“I like how fast it went,” the 9-year-old said of the sound of an antique Wallitzer organ playing “The Carousel Waltz.” She added, “I wish I could go up and down.”
What Esme didn’t know was that the antique wooden carousel she rode was one of a rare group of merry-go-rounds built at the turn of the 20th century, and still spins over a century later.
Experts estimate that as many as 3,500 carousels were built by several American companies and artisans from the 1880s to the 1930s. Today, around 150 remain, only a few of them are still working.
“That’s pretty amazing,” said Patrick Wentzel, president of the National Carousel Association. “These vehicles are the only bone-lide items that you can ride, not just touch, but also throw away your feet.”
These spinning historical artifacts are survivors of decades of economic, social and technical disruption, from the invention of Great Repression and roller coasters to countless carousel frenzys.
In the face of what appears to be an imminent extinction, nonprofits, local governments, museums and other groups intervened to save the last American carousel. These operators pay the best dollars by artisans and professional mechanisms to maintain and renovate vehicles from the century to maintain the original design and craftsmanship.
This job is financially burdensome, but today’s carousel caretakers are on their mission to maintain the remainder of the golden age of carousel production.
“It’s completely financially vulnerable,” said Carol Kelleher, a member of the All Hallows Guild, which maintains the National Cathedral carousel. “But we want to leave it as is.”
A short history of American carousels
The Merry-Go-Round was born in Europe, but did not gain popularity in the US until the late 1800s, when German and British artisans were using the country’s vast, untouched forests.
These sculptors, although many sculptors are classically trained, have been hand-covered and painted intricate designs that often evoke memories of their hometown. Meanwhile, cities and small towns were looking for attractions to develop parks and attract crowds. The lively, spinning carousel was the perfect spotlight.
To meet the growing demand, businesses began to jump out and stir vehicles. A small version for traveling the carnival for town squares and entertainment parks.
However, the carousel boom that began at the turn of the 20th century came to an abrupt end. The rapid decline was touched by World War I and was delimited by the Great Repression.
“The park was closed and no one was buying a carousel,” Wentzel said. “It killed almost everything.”
After World War II, Carousel saw a modest revival when new companies began making them out of cast aluminum. And later fiberglass – a material used in most modern carousels today. These hundreds of easy-to-built vehicles appeared in suburban parks in the postwar period. However, unlike their wooden predecessors, these lacked the craftsmanship and personality that defined the early days.
Collectors noticed, and by the 1970s and 1980s, wooden carousel animals began to appear at auctions, discovering that operators could make more money selling individual horses than maintaining the entire ride. For carousel lovers, it was devastating.
“The carousel numbers were each sold for $40,000,” Wentzel said. “It was really tragic.”
Movement to preserve what remains
The antique carousels were left to be demolished or deteriorated, and the National Carousel Association was formed and helped to maintain them. The group eventually found success as local governments, museums and nonprofits joined the cause and often maintained the carousel with sudden economic losses.
“We haven’t sold carousels in 20 years,” Wentzel said.
Today, these historic rides can be found in parks, playgrounds and museums across the country, but they do not remain completely original. Many replaced steam engines with electric motors, replaced pipe organs with modern sound systems, and installed straps and lamps for wheelchair accessibility.
Kelleher, who helps maintain the carousel at the National Cathedral, said the ride has seen several major restorations over the past 60 years. In 2021, the guild hired the company for a multi-year project to complete all 22 ride animals.
“It’s a big effort,” Kelleher said.
In New Philadelphia, Ohio, the 1928 carousel is the heart of Tascola Park. Like the Washington carousel, the 1990s saw major renovations, including painting jobs and new $53,000 motors.
Richard Gaib, president of nonprofit RTY Inc., which oversees the ride, says it’s money worth the money to make sure people in New Philadelphia can enjoy the carousel, as he and his family have been around for decades.
“I have my photo in that carousel with my grandparents and now my grandchild is helping me manipulate it,” he said. “It’s like a part of our family, and for many people in town.”
Artisans live in traditional carousels
The grassroots movement to restore and maintain antique carousels has created a stable flow of work for a small group of skilled artisans.
One of the leading companies in this field is carousels and sculptures based in Marion, Ohio. The workers have renovated some of the nation’s most beloved merry-go-rounds, including the Washington National Cathedral carousel.
Todd, a former cabinet maker known as “The Carousel Doctor,” founded the company in the 1990s as the movement to restore antique carousels was full of energy. What began as an foray into carousel repairs turned into a job in his life.
Today, events and his 20 employees maintain dozens of carousels across the country, repainting animals, upgrade mechanical systems and routine maintenance. They also began building their own carousels from scratch in a 30,000-square-foot warehouse in Marion.
“I can’t speak for everyone, but we’re busier than ever,” he said.
Still, the events had to confront an existential threat to his business: an older workforce of carousel artisans.
About five years ago, he noticed that most of his employees were over 60 years old, with some in their 70s. To ensure his trade future, he began hiring and training what he considers a new generation of artisans, including his son, whom he hopes to eventually take over the family business.
“This shop has a good feeling right now about the future,” he said. “We haven’t counted to the end of years anymore.”
“Some magic”
On May 3rd, a long family was eagerly waiting for the historic carousel outside the Washington National Cathedral.
Among the bustling crowd was 81-year-old Catherine Wardrow. He was with his family. Wardrow said he couldn’t ride the carousel himself, but he came to love them through his granddaughter Emily.
For Emily, who was nonverbal and suffering from mobility, the carousel was the only vehicle she could safely enjoy. Until her death at age 25, Emily asked to be taken to a carousel at a mall near her home in Columbia, Maryland.
“She’s going to be spinning around – she was very happy,” Wardrow said. “It was one of the few things that brought her joy and brought her joy to come with her grandma and ride the carousel.”
Others reflected emotions and often linked carousels to their childhood memories.
Sarah Allsen, who took her son and daughter to a cathedral fundraising event, said she grew up riding a carousel for over 100 in Hershey Park, Pennsylvania.
What she said is the whims and accessibility of the animals that make the ride special.
“Everyone can continue with them,” she said. “And it doesn’t matter how old you are – people just love to ride horses.”
Its enduring appeal is part of what continues to be committed to their restoration work. For them, and for countless people who enjoy riding a round of merry-go-rounds, the carousel is more than a mechanical novelty.
“It might seem like a kind of pointless thing – a bunch of animals in circles,” Geings said. “But when you get on, there’s magic coming in. The lights turn on, the music goes, and people laugh. Suddenly, there’s something magical.”
