Flying Horse Carousel | |
Location | Watch Hill, RI |
---|---|
Coordinates | 41°18′32″N71°51′31″W / 41.30889°N 71.85861°W |
Built | 1876 |
Architect | Charles W.F. Dare Co. |
Part of | Watch Hill Historic District (ID85001948) |
NRHP reference No. | 80000019 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | January 11, 1980 [1] |
Designated NHL | February 27, 1987 [2] |
Designated CP | September 5, 1985 |
The Flying Horse Carousel is a historic carousel in Watch Hill, the principal summer resort area of the town of Westerly, Rhode Island, United States. It is one of two in the state designated as National Historic Landmarks, along with the Crescent Park Looff Carousel in East Providence. It is the oldest operating carousel in the United States in which the horses are suspended from chains. [3]
The carousel is believed to have been built around 1876 by the Charles W. Dare Company of New York. This is about the same time attributed to the construction of the Flying Horses Carousel in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, although both dates are based on inferences and lack certainty. It consists of twenty horses in two sizes which are suspended by chains from sweeps radiating out from the center of the carousel under its canopy. The bodies of the horses are believed to have been carved from single blocks of wood, with the legs carved separately and attached. The horses still have their original agate eyes; other trappings have been replaced, including manes and reins. The chains holding the horses are attached to the rump and to an iron bar added to the pommel, apparently a modification. When the carousel rotates, centrifugal force drives the horses outward, giving rise to the name "flying horses." The horses in the Oak Bluffs carousel are fixed to columns between spreader panels above and a platform below. [3]
The carousel is located in a wood-frame pavilion at the end of Bay Street in Watch Hill. It is a ten-sided structure with a hipped roof, and appears to date to the early 20th century. A low picket fence surrounds the structure to prevent access to the space in which the horses fly when the carousel is in operation. The floor of the pavilion is now concrete; it was originally sand. [3]
Children younger than 12 years old may ride. In the middle of the ride, a device holding metal rings is lowered for riders to grab as they pass. The last ring is brass, granting the rider a free ride token. The cost for riders on the outer horses is $4.00, whereas a ride on the inner is $1.00.
The carousel was originally part of a traveling carnival until 1879, when the carnival was forced to abandon it in Watch Hill. It was powered by a horse at that time, with music provided by a hand-cranked organ. Power was provided by water in 1897, and the carousel was electrified about 1914. It was extensively damaged by the New England Hurricane of 1938 which devastated Watch Hill. However, its horses were recovered from the sand dunes and the carousel was restored to operation; three chariots were lost which were not replaced. The carousel and its buildings have been the subject of repairs and restorations in the following decades. [3] It is maintained by the non-profit Watch Hill Improvement Society.
The carousel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987. [2] It operates annually from June to Labor Day.
Westerly is a town on the southwestern coastline of Washington County, Rhode Island, United States, first settled by English colonists in 1661, and incorporated as a municipality in 1669. Westerly is a beachfront community on the south shore of the state with a population of 23,359 as of the 2020 census.
A carousel or carrousel, merry-go-round (international), Galloper (international) or roundabout is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The "seats" are traditionally in the form of rows of wooden horses or other animals mounted on posts, many of which are moved up and down by gears to simulate galloping, to the accompaniment of looped circus music.
Playland, often called Rye Playland and also known as Playland Amusement Park, is an amusement park located in Rye, New York, along the Long Island Sound. Built in 1928, the 280-acre (110 ha) park is owned by the Westchester County government. Beginning in 2018 the park has been operated under contract by Standard Amusements.
Watch Hill is an affluent coastal neighborhood and census-designated place in the town of Westerly, Rhode Island. The population was 154 at the 2010 census. It sits at the most-southwestern point in Rhode Island. It came to prominence in the late 19th and early 20th century as an exclusive summer resort, with wealthy families building sprawling Victorian-style "cottages" along the peninsula. Watch Hill is characterized by The New York Times as a community "with a strong sense of privacy and of discreetly used wealth," in contrast with "the overpowering castles of the very rich" in nearby Newport.
Euclid Beach Park was an amusement park located on the southern shore of Lake Erie in the Collinwood neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, which operated from 1895 to 1969.
The Flying Horses Carousel is the oldest operating platform carousel in the United States. Located in the historic resort community of Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, on Martha's Vineyard, the carousel was apparently first located in New York City before being moved to the island in the 1880s.
The Myrtle Beach Pavilion was a historic pay-per-ride, no parking fee, 11-acre amusement park that was located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina at the corner of 9th Avenue North and Ocean Boulevard. It was just a few blocks down from another Myrtle Beach amusement park, the Family Kingdom Amusement Park; both in the "heart" of Myrtle Beach. "The Pavilion" had well over 40 different attractions for kids and thrill-seekers alike, and included the wooden rollercoaster Hurricane: Category 5. Despite all the best efforts made by citizens to save the park, it was lost to redevelopment in 2007. While the park was officially closed and became a vacant lot on 9th Avenue and Ocean Boulevard in 2007, some of the rides and attractions were moved to Broadway at the Beach. Broadway at the Beach and the land at 9th Avenue are both owned by Burroughs & Chapin.
The Ameri-Go-Round was the name given to two carousels, one at each of Marriot's Great America amusement parks, Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois and California's Great America in Santa Clara, California.
Misquamicut State Beach is a seaside public recreation area in the town of Westerly, Rhode Island. It occupies a portion of Misquamicut Beach, a 3-mile-long (4.8 km) barrier island that extends westward from Weekapaug to Watch Hill and separates Winnapaug Pond from the Atlantic Ocean. The state beach covers 51 acres (21 ha) and features a large beach pavilion with multiple public facilities.
Charles I. D. Looff was a Danish master carver and builder of hand-carved carousels and amusement rides, who immigrated to the United States of America in 1870. Looff built the first carousel at Coney Island in 1876. During his lifetime, he built over 40 carousels, several amusements parks, numerous roller coasters and Ferris wheels, and built California's famous Santa Monica Pier. He became famous for creating the unique Coney Island style of carousel carving.
Santa Cruz Looff Carousel and Roller Coaster On The Beach Boardwalk is a National Historic Landmark composed of two parts, a Looff carousel and the Giant Dipper wooden roller coaster, at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, California, United States. They are among the oldest surviving beachfront amusement park attractions on the west coast of the United States. They were listed as a pair as a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
The Cass County Dentzel Carousel, formerly known as the Spencer Park Dentzel Carousel and also known as the Riverside Park Dentzel Carousel or Logansport Carousel, is a historic carousel in Riverside Park of Logansport, Indiana. Built by the Dentzel Carousel Company, probably by 1900, it is one of the company's oldest surviving menagerie-style carousels, with animals likely hand-carved by George Dentzel. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
Broad Ripple Park Carousel is an antique carousel in The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. It was installed in 1917 at an amusement park near the White River in Indianapolis, Indiana, where it remained until the building housing it collapsed in 1956. The ride's mechanism was destroyed, but the animals were relatively unscathed and put into storage by the park's owners, the Indianapolis Department of Parks and Recreation. The animals were carved by the Dentzel Carousel Company some time before 1900 but were assembled by the William F. Mangels carousel company, which also supplied the engine powering the ride.
The Allan Herschell 3-Abreast Carousel is a carousel built in 1916 by the Allan Herschell Company. The carousel features 35 hand-carved jumping wooden horses and two hand-carved chariots which serve as benches. The carousel is one of only four large carousels made by the Allan Herschell Company between 1915 and 1927; in addition, the horses on the outer rim feature gentle faces and detailed, deep woodwork, making them a rarity among the company's designs.
The Lander Park Carousel, known also as Parker Carousel, Dickinson County Parker Carousel, or Riverton Park Carousel is a historic carousel in Abilene, Kansas. Built around the turn of the 20th century, it is one of only three surviving carousels out of about 68 built by Abilene's Charles W. Parker Carousel Company, and it is the only remains of the company in Abilene today. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987. It is now a feature of the Dickinson County Heritage Center, a local history museum.
Crescent Park Looff Carousel, also known as Crescent Park Carousel or more officially as Crescent Park Looff Carousel and Shelter Building, is a National Historic Landmark in East Providence, Rhode Island.
Crescent Park was an amusement park in Riverside, East Providence, Rhode Island which ran from 1886 to 1979. The park was known for its Rhode Island Shore Dinners, the Alhambra Ballroom, and its midway.
The Forest Park Carousel is a historic carousel at Forest Park in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, U.S. The carousel, one of two known surviving carousels built by Daniel Carl Muller, was built c. 1903 and contains 52 figures and its original band organ. Originally located in Dracut, Massachusetts, the carousel was relocated to Forest Park in 1972, replacing an earlier carousel on the site. The ride, operated by NY Carousel since 2012, is part of a seasonal amusement center called Forest Park Carousel Amusement Village. The Forest Park Carousel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 and has been a New York City designated landmark since 2013.
The Flushing Meadows Carousel is a carousel located in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in the New York City borough of Queens. It contains four rows of figures, including 64 jumping horses, 7 standing horses, 1 menagerie animal, and 2 chariots. It was created to serve patrons of the 1964 New York World's Fair by combining two earlier carousels, both of which were carved in Coney Island in the first decade of the twentieth century by renowned carver Marcus Illions. During the fair, it stood on a nearby site within the park, and it was moved to its present site in 1968, where it has remained in service ever since.
The B&B Carousell is a historic carousel at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York City. It was built by Coney Island-based manufacturer William F. Mangels c. 1906–1909, with wooden horses carved by Marcus Illions. The carousel has been relocated and refurbished several times over its history. The B&B Carousell has been located in Luna Park since 2013.
Media related to Flying Horse Carousel, Watch Hill, Rhode Island at Wikimedia Commons