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Ad Rates / Articles / Classified Ads / Editorial / Home / Links / Showtime   1906 Roseneath carousel has entertained generations    List Ray Yurkowski Next   Roseneath carousel a Sunday summer draw   By Ray Yurkowski There are few summer attractions that inspire the same magic as an antique carousel.   And in Roseneath, Ontario, a small community on Hwy. 45 north of Cobourg, kids of all ages can ride real, hand-carved wooden horses on an authentic work of art.   The Roseneath carousel is a rarity. Built by the C.W. Parker factory in 1906, there are only three like it in North America. And, even though it took $400,000 to restore, according to the (U.S.) National Carousel Association, it is worth more than $1 million today.   That is quite a profit, considering what the Roseneath Agricultural Society paid for it in 1932. Forty jumping horses, two boats and one vintage Wurlitzer organ were brought to Roseneath from Mohawk Park in Brantford for $675. It was a bargain, and a way to bring their downtown park to life.   Seven wheelbarrows, piled high mechanical parts, were dragged to the site "and it was resurrected here," says Society secretary-treasurer Barb Foreman.   About 20 years ago, German master carver Konstantin von Waldburg restored the herd.   "Only a few had to have a few pieces replaced," said Foreman. A leg here, or an ear there, fallen to the test of time, but "most of the horses are intact."   Charles Wallace Parker, born in Griggsville, Illinois, on April 26, 1864, got into the amusement ride business when he bought a used carousel in 1892. He soon began doing repairs and, while working on other carousels, would replace the manufacturer's name with his own.   It wasn't long before the C.W. Parker factory began building "carry-us-alls" (his play on words for carousel) and other amusements rides. The company produced about 1,000 carousels, which were sold to traveling carnivals worldwide. Only 16 are known to be in operation today.   There are three main styles of carousels, says Woodcarving Illustrated magazine - the Coney Island, Philadelphia and County Fair. The Coney Island style, from the New York City waterfront, features flamboyant, highly animated horses while the Philadelphia style is more realistic and usually carries military-style trappings. The County Fair style, started at the Parker factory, was built for durability and mobility to meet the needs of the growing popularity of traveling carnivals.   But experts agree, from the mid-1890s to about 1915, Charles W. Parker horses (and there is no record of Parker making any other carousel animal than the horse) were unmistakably Parker creations.   When the Roseneath Carousel was built, Eugene Drisco and Leon White were creating the horses at the C.W. Parker factory as master carvers at the shop. That was five years before Parker moved his operation from Abilene to Leavenworth, Kansas in 1911.   As well, Roseneath may have another claim to fame - one with an historic American presidential connection.   In the book A Pictorial History of the Carousel, author Frederick Fried mentions a historical footnote regarding Parker carousels, most especially those manufactured in 1906.   "Right across the tracks from the Parker factory at Abilene, was the Eisenhower home," writes Fried. "Stories have long persisted that our former president (Dwight) sanded horses in the Parker factory. The year appears to be 1906, when Ike was but 14 or 15 years old."     By 1925, the wooden carved horses were being phased out and replaced by aluminum cast figures.   Parker continued the operation until his death in 1932. His son continued the company in Leavenworth until 1955 when he moved to Florida.   In the UK and Europe, merry-go-rounds (as they're called in those countries) usually turn clockwise while North American carousels typically go counter-clockwise.   Experts figure the reason the American version turns anti-clockwise is so the rider can use their right hand to catch a brass ring. According to the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, brass ring devices were developed during the heyday of the carousel - about 1880 to 1921 - and the lucky one or two who managed to grab the ring got a free ride.   The Roseneath Carousel also comes complete with a vintage Wurlitzer military-style No. 125 player organ, alone worth more than $30,000 and one of only six of its kind still known to exist. The center cabinet houses piccolos and horns with percussion provided by drums at each side and a cymbal on top.   Foreman recalls a couple that visited Roseneath for a nostalgic ride on the carousel.   "They were 94 years old and when they got on the horses, everyone else backed off," she said. "They didn't say anything, they just left them to ride. When the ride ended, we gave them another ride, all by themselves.   "Everybody has his or her own memories," she added. "Grandparents will bring their grandchildren and, when asked, will say, 'no, I don't want to ride.' Well, all of a sudden, they'll go for a ride and they're the ones who don't want to get off.   "I spend three-quarters of my time here," says Foreman.   Not that it's a hardship, but she does admit it takes a lot to keep a full-sized antique in running order.   "We're getting to the point where we're going to need help," she said.   Currently, the Society is raising money to refurbish the heritage building that houses the 105-year-old artifact.   Open Sundays from 1 to 3 p.m. throughout the summer, the grand finale is in October when the carousel is the centerpiece of the Roseneath Fair. This year, the 143rd edition runs Oct. 1 and 2 at the fairgrounds on County Road 45 in Northumberland County.     Return to top of page   This Is Livin' Publishing © 2011 581 8th Line West, RR1 Hastings, ON, K0L 1Y0 Phone/Fax: 705-696-1833   webmaster