New England’s Antique Carousels

Crescent Park Loof Carousel, East Providence, RI

Even though they hearken back to a time gone by, the hand carved antique carousels from the 19th and early 20th century still bring great joy to those who ride them in the 21st century. While they are not high-tech wonders, there is something addicting about trying to get the brass ring that will keep you coming back again and again.

There are 18 operating antique carousels in New England dating from 1876 to the 1940s. The two oldest operating carousels in New England also happen to be the oldest operating carousels in the United States. Here is a list of New England’s antique carousels:

• 1876 - Flying Horses Carousel, Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts
• 1876 - Flying Horse Carousel, Watch Hill, Westerly, Rhode Island
• 1893 - Lake Compounce Carousel, Bristol, Connecticut
• 1894 - Willowbrook Village Carousel, Newfield, Maine
• 1894 - Loof Carousel, Slater Park, Pawtucket, Rhode Island
• 1895 - Crescent Park Loof Carousel, East Providence, Rhode Island
• 1898 - Canobie Lake Park Carousel, Salem, New Hampshire
• 1900 - Storyland Carousel, Glen, New Hampshire
• 1909 - Six Flags New England Carousel, Agawam, Massachusetts
• 1911 - Heritage Museums & Gardens Carousel, Sandwich, Massachusetts
• 1916 - Lighthouse Point Park Carousel, New Haven, Connecticut
• 1914 - Bushnell Park Carousel, Hartford, Connecticut
• 1915 - Atlantic Beach Park Carousel, Misquamicut, Rhode Island
• 1919 - Papoose Pond Resort Carousel, Waterford, Maine
• 1920 - Fall River Carousel, Battleship Cove, Fall River, Massachusetts
• 1920? – Shelburne Museum Carousel, Shelburne, Vermont
• 1925 – Sound View Beach Carousel, Old Lyme, Connecticut
• 1927 - Holyoke Merry-Go-Round, Holyoke Heritage State Park, Holyoke, Massachusetts
• 1928 - Paragon Carousel, Hull, Massachusetts
• 1940s - Easton’s Beach Carousel, Newport, Rhode Island

In addition, Vermont has a Dentzel Carousel Company antique carousel on display dating from 1903 at the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont in their Circus Building.

Photo credits: The picture of the Crescent Park Loof Carousel is from the Wikimedia Commons. It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.