1 00:00:02,320 --> 00:00:06,120 Speaker 1: Happy Saturday. We thought that for today's Saturday Classic we 2 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:08,720 Speaker 1: would choose a topic that's on the lighter side, and 3 00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:12,840 Speaker 1: this one mostly is a couple of moments, not as like, 4 00:00:13,039 --> 00:00:15,400 Speaker 1: but mostly on the lighter side. It is our history 5 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:21,520 Speaker 1: of Carousels, which originally came out March. And we usually 6 00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:24,800 Speaker 1: snip out the listener mail segment of our Saturday Classics 7 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:28,159 Speaker 1: since they're usually referencing some other long ago episode that 8 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:30,120 Speaker 1: people may not have heard recently and it could just 9 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:32,800 Speaker 1: be a little jarring. But in this case, the listener 10 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:35,720 Speaker 1: mail inspired the episode, so stay tuned for it at 11 00:00:35,720 --> 00:00:41,760 Speaker 1: the end, So enjoy. Welcome to Stuff You Missed in 12 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:50,839 Speaker 1: History Class a production of I Heart Radio. Hello, and 13 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:54,320 Speaker 1: welcome to the podcast. I'm Holly Frying and I'm Tracy B. Wilson, 14 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:59,120 Speaker 1: and today we're doing another listener request hooray, and it's 15 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:01,640 Speaker 1: a really delightful one. But I'm actually going to save 16 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:04,480 Speaker 1: the information about the listener email that requested it for 17 00:01:04,560 --> 00:01:06,840 Speaker 1: the end of the episode. It'll be our listener mail 18 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:09,959 Speaker 1: segment because it adds a nice coda to the whole story. 19 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 1: Uh So, Tracy, I am sure you remember writing a 20 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:17,680 Speaker 1: carousel or Merry go around as a child, maybe even 21 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:21,720 Speaker 1: as an adult. It is, or at least was a 22 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:24,720 Speaker 1: pretty common part of childhood, but carousels have kind of 23 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:28,160 Speaker 1: become a less and less of an of the moment 24 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:31,639 Speaker 1: kind of part of childhood, even though there are still 25 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 1: a number around and people do still enjoy them, but 26 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:37,560 Speaker 1: they are in some ways part of history, and they 27 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:41,039 Speaker 1: have their own really interesting history there by no means gone, 28 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:42,959 Speaker 1: and we're going to talk about some of the modern 29 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:45,600 Speaker 1: developments in them at the end, but their prevalence in 30 00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:48,400 Speaker 1: the entertainment landscape is not what it once was. They 31 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 1: used to be much more of like an event item 32 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 1: and centerpiece to amusement parks, and so we're actually going 33 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:57,320 Speaker 1: to talk about a few things in this episode. We're 34 00:01:57,320 --> 00:02:00,400 Speaker 1: going to talk first about general carousel history, and then 35 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:03,560 Speaker 1: we're gonna talk briefly about a couple of key innovators 36 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 1: in carousels, and then at the very end there's kind 37 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 1: of a neat story that we're going to talk about 38 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:12,839 Speaker 1: about one particular carousel that has its own history that's 39 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:16,239 Speaker 1: related to the civil rights movement. So it sounds like 40 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:19,600 Speaker 1: a lot, but we're doing, you know, they're kind of 41 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:22,960 Speaker 1: the brief versions of any of those stories. So this 42 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:26,480 Speaker 1: first chuncolate that we're talking about is consistently told anytime 43 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:29,639 Speaker 1: you look at a history of carousels, But in terms 44 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:32,480 Speaker 1: of hard substantiation, it's difficult to come by. It's almost 45 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 1: one of those things that it could be all completely true, 46 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:37,839 Speaker 1: but it could also be one of those things that's 47 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:41,639 Speaker 1: been repeated so much that people accepted as history. Uh. 48 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:43,359 Speaker 1: But like I said, we don't have like so much 49 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 1: hard proof on this one. So yes, and it's so 50 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:48,640 Speaker 1: delightful that it would be such a shame not to 51 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:53,600 Speaker 1: talk about it. So the possible, the possibly apocryphal story 52 00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:57,000 Speaker 1: of carousels actually starts back in the twelfth century with 53 00:02:57,080 --> 00:03:00,360 Speaker 1: a game played by Turkish and Arabian horsemen. And to 54 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:03,560 Speaker 1: play this game, the riders would toss a clay ball 55 00:03:03,639 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 1: containing perfume back and forth while they were on horseback, 56 00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:09,239 Speaker 1: and if a player didn't successfully catch the ball, it 57 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:11,959 Speaker 1: would break and it would cover him in the scent 58 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:16,320 Speaker 1: of failure. Yeah, he would smell good, presumably it was 59 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:18,600 Speaker 1: a perfume, but everyone would know that he had lost. 60 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 1: So it's it's kind of an awkward consolation prize to 61 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:25,800 Speaker 1: smell lovely. But uh, that being kind of the identifier 62 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:29,280 Speaker 1: that you were not as skilled as your challengers. Italian 63 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:32,560 Speaker 1: and Spanish crusaders are said to have witnessed this game 64 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:34,880 Speaker 1: taking place, and that they eventually brought it back to 65 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:38,360 Speaker 1: Europe and there it took on the name Catrocella or 66 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:41,640 Speaker 1: Gero slo uh, depending on which language you're speaking, and 67 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:45,920 Speaker 1: that translated at that time to little War. Later on, 68 00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:49,160 Speaker 1: the French adopted this game and they expanded their play 69 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 1: to include multiple equestrian challenges. These developed into competitions called carousels, 70 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: and participants needed to practice for their matches, so a 71 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:02,640 Speaker 1: training mechanism was developed that had wooden horses mounted on 72 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:06,640 Speaker 1: arms that were suspended from big poles or chains, and 73 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:10,680 Speaker 1: they rotated around a central central point. There wasn't really 74 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 1: a floor on these carousels. Yeah, it's really um. You know, 75 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:20,279 Speaker 1: they're all kind of dangling from above, So not quite 76 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:22,600 Speaker 1: the way you would think of a Carouselar and Merry 77 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:26,120 Speaker 1: go around today, but you know, again dangling. There are 78 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:30,400 Speaker 1: other um rides that have have become popular that are 79 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:32,640 Speaker 1: similar where you spin ours, but I'm like, this is 80 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:35,480 Speaker 1: it's like the swings at the carnival, where you sit 81 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:38,479 Speaker 1: in the swing and it turns and you swing out. Yes, 82 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:41,560 Speaker 1: but for a long time, that's how carousels worked, so uh. 83 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:44,480 Speaker 1: Some versions of these training carousels were pulled by horses 84 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:47,800 Speaker 1: or mules, others were powered by humans. There would often 85 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:50,640 Speaker 1: be a hand crank or a pull rope that created 86 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:54,200 Speaker 1: the movement, and the horsemen would participate in various games 87 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:56,760 Speaker 1: while they were riding these training steeds. And I'm being 88 00:04:56,880 --> 00:05:02,000 Speaker 1: very generous because apparently they were very rudimentary quote horses. Uh. 89 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:04,160 Speaker 1: And one of the games that they would play included 90 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 1: trying to spear a ring with a jousting lance. So 91 00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:09,320 Speaker 1: if you have ever been on a carousel with a 92 00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:11,720 Speaker 1: ring for riders to grab as they pass under or 93 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:15,800 Speaker 1: buy it, uh, this is a callback allegedly to this game, 94 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:19,320 Speaker 1: although those have become less and less popular. This is 95 00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:21,880 Speaker 1: also where that expression grabbed the brass ring comes from, 96 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:25,240 Speaker 1: as the brass ring to be the most prized of 97 00:05:25,279 --> 00:05:29,280 Speaker 1: the rings on a carousel game like this. More often 98 00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:30,960 Speaker 1: you would see iron rings and then there would be 99 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:33,800 Speaker 1: an occasional brass ring. So that association of grabbing the 100 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:36,320 Speaker 1: brass ring with you know, going after the big prize 101 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:40,160 Speaker 1: or going after something is comes all from this. So 102 00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:43,280 Speaker 1: watching sports has been a pastime for as long as 103 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:47,320 Speaker 1: there have been sports, and so spectators watched the horsemen practice, 104 00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:49,800 Speaker 1: and they're said to have grown interested in trying it 105 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:53,520 Speaker 1: out for themselves. So where there's the demand, there are 106 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:56,080 Speaker 1: usually people who are ready to fill it for a price. 107 00:05:56,200 --> 00:05:59,120 Speaker 1: And by the late seventeen hundreds carousels were being made 108 00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:03,039 Speaker 1: not for sports training but for entertainment, and for the 109 00:06:03,080 --> 00:06:06,359 Speaker 1: next hundred years or so, these simple man and mule 110 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:09,680 Speaker 1: power divertisements because they worked pretty much exactly the same 111 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:12,320 Speaker 1: way as the training ones, they were just gussied up 112 00:06:12,320 --> 00:06:15,400 Speaker 1: in a more fun way. Uh, we're appearing at European 113 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 1: festivals and fairs pretty consistently. But because they were powered 114 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:23,960 Speaker 1: either by man or animal, they had to stay pretty 115 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:29,360 Speaker 1: much on the small side. Victorian circus entrepreneur Lord George 116 00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:32,840 Speaker 1: Sanger described the early hand cranked carousels his father once 117 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:37,240 Speaker 1: made in his book Seventy Years a Showman. These rudimentary, 118 00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:41,360 Speaker 1: early merrygarounds had horses that weren't realistic, but they were colorful. 119 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:44,360 Speaker 1: The horses manes and tails are made using rabbit fur, 120 00:06:45,839 --> 00:06:51,680 Speaker 1: and because these still required a living creature, to power them. 121 00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:55,839 Speaker 1: Kids were generally employed to push carousels like singers to 122 00:06:55,880 --> 00:06:59,320 Speaker 1: get these mechanisms to spin. So these were usually the 123 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:02,240 Speaker 1: kids that could not afford to pay for a ride themselves, 124 00:07:02,320 --> 00:07:04,280 Speaker 1: so they would push for the day and then at 125 00:07:04,320 --> 00:07:06,240 Speaker 1: the end of the day they would be paid with 126 00:07:06,279 --> 00:07:10,920 Speaker 1: free rides. There are some sort of dicey tails, mostly apocryphal, 127 00:07:10,960 --> 00:07:13,320 Speaker 1: but I'm sure some of this happened of sort of 128 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:15,880 Speaker 1: near slave labor at some fairs where kids weren't really 129 00:07:15,880 --> 00:07:18,840 Speaker 1: treated all that well. Uh, But for the most part 130 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:21,600 Speaker 1: it seems to have been like a pay for play situation. 131 00:07:22,520 --> 00:07:24,000 Speaker 1: You come and do this work, and then at the 132 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:25,600 Speaker 1: end of the day you get rewarded with a ride 133 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:29,080 Speaker 1: on the carousel. And some mechanisms did not involve children, 134 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:32,280 Speaker 1: and they were turned by horses or, more often at fairs, ponies. 135 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:37,480 Speaker 1: The velocipede was an interesting variation on this idea. Bicycles 136 00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:40,360 Speaker 1: mounted around the outside edge of the carousel would generate 137 00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:45,240 Speaker 1: the circular motion. Those things look so fun to me now. 138 00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:47,960 Speaker 1: I'm reminded for a moment of a ride at the 139 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:51,960 Speaker 1: Georgia Renaissance Festival where you sit in it and it's 140 00:07:52,040 --> 00:07:54,600 Speaker 1: mounted from a pole. In the center and the people 141 00:07:54,680 --> 00:07:56,520 Speaker 1: push it to turn it all the way up the 142 00:07:56,520 --> 00:07:59,560 Speaker 1: pole and it rises up as the thing that's suspending 143 00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:01,640 Speaker 1: it gets after on the pole and then they let 144 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:05,320 Speaker 1: go and you spin on the way down. Oh I 145 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:09,360 Speaker 1: don't I'm having trouble recalling that one. But I maybe 146 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:11,920 Speaker 1: never paid attention to the rides at the Renaisance Festival. 147 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:15,840 Speaker 1: I was probably too busy eating. Uh. In eighteen sixty one, 148 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:18,760 Speaker 1: there was a major leap forward when steam entered the 149 00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:22,080 Speaker 1: picture as a way to power carousels without direct man 150 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:26,200 Speaker 1: or animal power. On New Year's Day, Thomas Bradshaw debuted 151 00:08:26,200 --> 00:08:29,640 Speaker 1: his steam driven carousel in Bolton, England, and it contained 152 00:08:29,640 --> 00:08:33,240 Speaker 1: a London built boiler unit, an engine, and horses that 153 00:08:33,320 --> 00:08:36,520 Speaker 1: have been made by Bradshaw himself, and he patented his 154 00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:41,240 Speaker 1: carousel design in eighteen sixty three. A similar carousel, which 155 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:43,680 Speaker 1: may actually have been the same one from the eighteen 156 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:46,840 Speaker 1: sixty one Bolton debut, was operating at a fair in 157 00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:51,559 Speaker 1: Halifax in eighteen sixty three, and while carousel technology was 158 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:55,280 Speaker 1: moving forward, it wasn't really met with universal enthusiasm at 159 00:08:55,320 --> 00:09:00,640 Speaker 1: the outset. Yeah. A journalist who was describing this installation 160 00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:05,360 Speaker 1: in Halifax described the mechanism as mammoth and overpowered, and 161 00:09:05,360 --> 00:09:07,920 Speaker 1: he wondered how riders were not shot off their mounts 162 00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:12,200 Speaker 1: like cannon balls. Uh. Local residents also fretted over the 163 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:15,520 Speaker 1: possibility that the whole thing would explode explode from the 164 00:09:15,559 --> 00:09:20,480 Speaker 1: pressure of the boiler unit, and there were some claims 165 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:24,080 Speaker 1: and accusations made that they were endangering children by having 166 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:28,400 Speaker 1: this ride available. However, there were not any explosions, and 167 00:09:28,559 --> 00:09:31,600 Speaker 1: people did continue to be interested in carousels, and the 168 00:09:31,640 --> 00:09:34,880 Speaker 1: next couple of years several more of them appeared around Britain. 169 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:38,000 Speaker 1: There's even a newspaper report of a stay a steam 170 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:41,920 Speaker 1: driven velocipede at King's lynmart in eighteen sixty six, although 171 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:44,440 Speaker 1: the records of the mechanism are incomplete, and I'm a 172 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:48,600 Speaker 1: little like, how do you combine the bicycles and the steam? Yeah, 173 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:51,880 Speaker 1: I don't know, but it sounded so fascinating to me. Um. 174 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:54,640 Speaker 1: And then once carousels crossed the Atlantic to the US, 175 00:09:54,800 --> 00:09:58,360 Speaker 1: they really underwent a huge transformation and they became bigger 176 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:01,880 Speaker 1: and flashier and more color full, and the horses became 177 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:06,199 Speaker 1: far more intricate and detailed. Uh. There it was a 178 00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:07,920 Speaker 1: little bit of a shift to sort of the art 179 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:11,920 Speaker 1: of it in many ways. Because the late eighteen hundred 180 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:15,640 Speaker 1: saw major advancements and technology and industry, it wasn't long 181 00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:19,480 Speaker 1: before the carousel saw them too. The so called Golden 182 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:22,280 Speaker 1: Age of carousel's started around eighteen eighty and this was 183 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:25,960 Speaker 1: when merry grounds integrated flooring platforms and up and down 184 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:29,400 Speaker 1: movement of the animals as they circled the central mechanism. 185 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:33,520 Speaker 1: Other variations were tried, including coiled springs to add bounce, 186 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:37,160 Speaker 1: and even animals mounted on undulating tracks to create an 187 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:40,520 Speaker 1: up and down movement. The carousel at the Little Rock, 188 00:10:40,640 --> 00:10:44,199 Speaker 1: Arkansas Zoo, which is called Over the Jumps, still uses 189 00:10:44,240 --> 00:10:47,160 Speaker 1: an undulating track and it's been fully refurbished. If you 190 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:50,720 Speaker 1: ever want to ride one, yeah, so that one instead 191 00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:52,600 Speaker 1: of like the pole sort of moving up and down, 192 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:56,560 Speaker 1: it just follows this nice wave pattern track, so you 193 00:10:56,640 --> 00:10:57,960 Speaker 1: just go up and down. It's a little more of 194 00:10:57,960 --> 00:11:01,040 Speaker 1: a rolling hill effect. It's quite gentle, and as well 195 00:11:01,080 --> 00:11:03,280 Speaker 1: as all of the technical advancements, there were some pretty 196 00:11:03,320 --> 00:11:07,120 Speaker 1: amazing artistic strides going on. So in the US, carousels 197 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:12,240 Speaker 1: UH did not restrict themselves to featuring horses alone, so 198 00:11:12,240 --> 00:11:16,160 Speaker 1: soon unicorns lions, guerrillas, dolphins, giraffes, and a host of 199 00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:21,760 Speaker 1: other animals made appearances as mounts on carousels. For five decades, 200 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:25,520 Speaker 1: carousels stood as the main attraction affairs and amusement parks 201 00:11:25,559 --> 00:11:28,280 Speaker 1: throughout the United States, and people marveled at their beauty 202 00:11:28,280 --> 00:11:32,760 Speaker 1: and their craftsmanship. Carousel rides were a much consumed entertainment 203 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:37,000 Speaker 1: diversion for adults as well as kids, and several different 204 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:41,280 Speaker 1: styles developed in the carousel world in the US. UH. 205 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:45,040 Speaker 1: The Coney Island style it's sometimes called, is sort of 206 00:11:45,040 --> 00:11:48,400 Speaker 1: a show ear style. The horses are painted in really 207 00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:51,960 Speaker 1: bright colors, and they often have jewels attached and metallic 208 00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:55,440 Speaker 1: leaf and the rest of the unit, like the the 209 00:11:55,520 --> 00:11:59,160 Speaker 1: central part in the ceilings often feature multitudes of light 210 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:03,160 Speaker 1: catching mirror. And then the Philadelphia style UH is a 211 00:12:03,160 --> 00:12:06,040 Speaker 1: little bit more realistic in the way its animals are 212 00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:09,520 Speaker 1: painted and created and carved, and it's associated usually with 213 00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:13,600 Speaker 1: really exquisite craftsmanship. The county fair style is populated with 214 00:12:13,679 --> 00:12:17,120 Speaker 1: much simpler designs. UH. These merrygo rounds are usually intended 215 00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:19,560 Speaker 1: to move from place to place like county fairs do, 216 00:12:20,160 --> 00:12:22,839 Speaker 1: so they are by necessity a lot less complex and 217 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:26,679 Speaker 1: they don't have as much decoration. And then just as 218 00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:29,600 Speaker 1: the culture of carousels had really embedded itself in the 219 00:12:29,640 --> 00:12:34,280 Speaker 1: Americana landscape, the Great Depression happened. Like a lot of industries, 220 00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:36,960 Speaker 1: carousel production was hit really hard, and a lot of 221 00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:40,800 Speaker 1: companies significantly reduced their output or closed up shop altogether. 222 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:45,240 Speaker 1: The Golden Age of carousels had ended. And it's estimated 223 00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:47,960 Speaker 1: that more than four thousand carousels were made in the 224 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:51,319 Speaker 1: United States during the Golden Age. Fewer than a hundred 225 00:12:51,360 --> 00:12:55,439 Speaker 1: and fifty of these are still intact. Uh And we'll 226 00:12:55,480 --> 00:12:59,360 Speaker 1: talk a little bit about some restoration efforts later on. 227 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:01,840 Speaker 1: But next we're going to talk about a couple of 228 00:13:01,880 --> 00:13:05,120 Speaker 1: important men in carousel history. There's certainly more than two, 229 00:13:05,960 --> 00:13:07,920 Speaker 1: but in the interests of time, we had to kind 230 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:11,160 Speaker 1: of pick two that are important. But before we talk 231 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:22,880 Speaker 1: about them, let's pause for a quick sponsor break. One 232 00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:26,360 Speaker 1: of the big names in carousel's is Gustave Denzel, and 233 00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:28,960 Speaker 1: he was originally from Germany and he immigrated to the 234 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:31,920 Speaker 1: US in the mid eighteen hundreds, and as a boy, 235 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:35,200 Speaker 1: Denzel had traveled throughout Germany with his family in the summers, 236 00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:39,040 Speaker 1: helping them run their carousel ride. In the eighteen sixties, 237 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:41,960 Speaker 1: Gustave's father shipped the young man, his brothers, and a 238 00:13:42,040 --> 00:13:45,560 Speaker 1: carousel to America on a steamer. When they got there, 239 00:13:45,679 --> 00:13:48,480 Speaker 1: they brought Philadelphia one of the first carousels in the 240 00:13:48,520 --> 00:13:51,960 Speaker 1: United States and they set up shop there. Yeah, so 241 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:54,440 Speaker 1: that's uh, you know, happening at the same time that 242 00:13:55,240 --> 00:13:58,160 Speaker 1: things like the steam power are coming into being. It's 243 00:13:58,160 --> 00:14:00,679 Speaker 1: a little bit after that, uh uh you know. So 244 00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:03,920 Speaker 1: while England is having this little boom of of carousels, 245 00:14:03,920 --> 00:14:06,120 Speaker 1: it is shipping across the Atlantic at the same time, 246 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:08,800 Speaker 1: and there it was certainly happening in other parts of 247 00:14:08,840 --> 00:14:12,600 Speaker 1: Europe as well. The Denzel family built this reputation of 248 00:14:12,679 --> 00:14:15,920 Speaker 1: incredible craftsmanship and they set the tone of realism that 249 00:14:16,160 --> 00:14:19,840 Speaker 1: came to be associated with the Philadelphia style of carousels. 250 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:22,480 Speaker 1: And what's really interesting is that their style stayed really 251 00:14:22,520 --> 00:14:25,480 Speaker 1: consistent throughout the years, even with changes in leadership to 252 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:28,640 Speaker 1: the company. Gustave died in nineteen o nine, at which 253 00:14:28,680 --> 00:14:31,640 Speaker 1: point his son's William and Edward, took over the family business. 254 00:14:33,280 --> 00:14:37,080 Speaker 1: In nineteen twenty, Edward moved to California to run a 255 00:14:37,160 --> 00:14:42,240 Speaker 1: West Coast carousel business and Williams stayed in Philadelphia, and 256 00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:46,040 Speaker 1: after almost twenty years helming the Denzel Carousel Company, William 257 00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:50,760 Speaker 1: died in seven and the company folded soon thereafter, and 258 00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:54,040 Speaker 1: Edward decided to remain in California. He eventually became mayor 259 00:14:54,080 --> 00:14:59,440 Speaker 1: of Beverly Hills. Eventually, Edward's son, who was also named William, 260 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:03,960 Speaker 1: restarted the family business, and his son, William Denzel the 261 00:15:04,080 --> 00:15:09,120 Speaker 1: third still continues this five generation tradition of elegance, both 262 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:15,320 Speaker 1: crafting new pieces and restoring older hair cells. Yeah, one 263 00:15:15,360 --> 00:15:17,040 Speaker 1: of the things that you'll find if you start looking 264 00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:19,320 Speaker 1: around online is that a lot of these companies have 265 00:15:19,440 --> 00:15:22,120 Speaker 1: had sort of a resurgence, and often it's it's family 266 00:15:22,160 --> 00:15:24,880 Speaker 1: members that have reopened them or have just kind of 267 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:27,160 Speaker 1: bolstered them when they were struggling and are now running 268 00:15:27,160 --> 00:15:29,960 Speaker 1: them again, which is kind of a lovely, sort of 269 00:15:29,960 --> 00:15:32,800 Speaker 1: heartwarming part of it. Um. The other man that we're 270 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:36,000 Speaker 1: going to talk about today is Charles I. D. Loof, and, 271 00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:38,960 Speaker 1: like Denzel, Luf was originally from Europe. He was born 272 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:42,200 Speaker 1: in Denmark in eighteen fifty two, and he moved to 273 00:15:42,200 --> 00:15:44,480 Speaker 1: the US in eighteen seventy at the age of eighteen 274 00:15:44,840 --> 00:15:47,960 Speaker 1: and at first, he started as a furniture carver. His 275 00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:51,480 Speaker 1: carousel carving actually started as a hobby. It was something 276 00:15:51,520 --> 00:15:55,600 Speaker 1: he did with his furniture making skills in his off hours, 277 00:15:55,640 --> 00:15:58,160 Speaker 1: but it soon sort of started to become a passion, 278 00:15:58,280 --> 00:16:00,760 Speaker 1: and just five years after arriving in New York, he 279 00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:05,400 Speaker 1: opened his first Coney Island carousel for business. Luke saw 280 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:08,920 Speaker 1: the potential of an amusement destination and he was instrumental 281 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:13,000 Speaker 1: in developing Coney Island as a permanent attraction. Yeah. He 282 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:16,400 Speaker 1: also is often credited with developing or being a major 283 00:16:16,440 --> 00:16:20,560 Speaker 1: contributor to the Coney Island style of carousel horses. And 284 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:23,640 Speaker 1: five years after he opened his carousel and Coney Island, 285 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:26,960 Speaker 1: he opened a carousel factory in Brooklyn and he stayed 286 00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:29,720 Speaker 1: in that location from eighteen eighty until sometime in late 287 00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:32,800 Speaker 1: nineteen o four or early nineteen o five, and at 288 00:16:32,840 --> 00:16:35,480 Speaker 1: that point he moved the business to Riverside, Rhode Island. 289 00:16:36,080 --> 00:16:38,800 Speaker 1: In nineteen ten, he moved again, but this time much further. 290 00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:42,360 Speaker 1: He went across the country to California, and there he 291 00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:45,000 Speaker 1: was instrumental in the development of Venice Beach and the 292 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:49,920 Speaker 1: Santa Monica Piers amusement attractions. Unfortunately, Luf's work building up 293 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:52,480 Speaker 1: the role of amusement parks in America turned out to 294 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:56,200 Speaker 1: be part of the carousel's downfall. Working with his son 295 00:16:56,400 --> 00:17:00,680 Speaker 1: Arthur Charles Luf and the Wholesome Entertainment News he helped 296 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:04,160 Speaker 1: build created this perfect platform for the rise in popularity 297 00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:09,600 Speaker 1: of a different attraction, the roller coaster. And as roller 298 00:17:09,600 --> 00:17:12,959 Speaker 1: coasters became more and more common, they already existed before this, 299 00:17:13,040 --> 00:17:17,440 Speaker 1: but they really started to get a groundhold in terms 300 00:17:17,440 --> 00:17:20,760 Speaker 1: of popularity in the amusement industry, in large part due 301 00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:23,000 Speaker 1: to Luf creating these sort of parks where people would 302 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:26,480 Speaker 1: go uh. They started drawing more and more crowds and 303 00:17:26,600 --> 00:17:29,560 Speaker 1: interesting carousels started to wane because this was a much 304 00:17:29,560 --> 00:17:32,800 Speaker 1: more exciting and thrilling ride uh. And to try to 305 00:17:32,840 --> 00:17:36,720 Speaker 1: regain some market share, the marketing for carousels sort of 306 00:17:36,760 --> 00:17:40,680 Speaker 1: shifted to be like more about kids and children's entertainment, Whereas, 307 00:17:40,720 --> 00:17:43,199 Speaker 1: as we mentioned prior to that, they were touted as 308 00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:47,760 Speaker 1: diversions for children and adults equally. But between the newer 309 00:17:47,800 --> 00:17:50,760 Speaker 1: and more thrilling options and the onset of the Great Depression, 310 00:17:50,800 --> 00:17:53,399 Speaker 1: there just wasn't anyway for merry grounds to keep their 311 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:59,119 Speaker 1: previous status, and when Luke died in all management of 312 00:17:59,160 --> 00:18:02,600 Speaker 1: their California Here ventures went to his son, and Arthur 313 00:18:02,680 --> 00:18:05,240 Speaker 1: eventually sold off the portion of the Peer that the 314 00:18:05,280 --> 00:18:08,439 Speaker 1: family owned, although he continued to operate attractions there for 315 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:12,879 Speaker 1: several years. But eventually the Loof's contracts they're all expired 316 00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:16,880 Speaker 1: and their mini empire was dismantled. Uh The carousel, which 317 00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:20,200 Speaker 1: had originally been part of Loose Santa Monica amusement center 318 00:18:20,200 --> 00:18:23,680 Speaker 1: called the Hippodrome, was sold off in parts to collectors. 319 00:18:24,200 --> 00:18:27,520 Speaker 1: The Hippodrome incidentally, was actually saved from demolition in the 320 00:18:27,600 --> 00:18:31,080 Speaker 1: nineteen seventies when Robert Redford and Paul Newman, as well 321 00:18:31,119 --> 00:18:34,919 Speaker 1: as other local activists saved it, and it still stands today. 322 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:37,720 Speaker 1: It's been renovated a few times and it has a 323 00:18:37,760 --> 00:18:41,440 Speaker 1: different carousel in it. So before we delve into one 324 00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:45,119 Speaker 1: carousel's significance in civil rights history, let's have a quick 325 00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:56,640 Speaker 1: word from a sponsor that sounds super duper. So there's 326 00:18:56,680 --> 00:18:59,560 Speaker 1: one particular carousel that's connected to the history of the 327 00:18:59,680 --> 00:19:03,360 Speaker 1: US civil rights movement. Yeah, it's not like it had 328 00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:05,399 Speaker 1: a huge, big impact, but it's kind of just a 329 00:19:05,400 --> 00:19:08,480 Speaker 1: really beautiful story um and it's a carousel that still 330 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:11,960 Speaker 1: exists today. So as the March on Washington was taking 331 00:19:12,040 --> 00:19:15,760 Speaker 1: place in August nineteen sixty three, a smaller but still 332 00:19:15,800 --> 00:19:19,080 Speaker 1: important event was taking place forty miles north of the city, 333 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:22,320 Speaker 1: and on that day, a white, solely amusement park called 334 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:25,520 Speaker 1: gwyn Oak allowed black children in for the first time. 335 00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:28,399 Speaker 1: Sharon Langley, he was only eleven months old at the 336 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:30,560 Speaker 1: time and was held in place on the saddle by 337 00:19:30,560 --> 00:19:33,760 Speaker 1: her father, was the first African American child to ride 338 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:38,520 Speaker 1: the carousel at the park, along with white children. And unfortunately, 339 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:41,919 Speaker 1: just a few years after the amusement park desegregated, it 340 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:45,240 Speaker 1: actually closed for good, and after a few more years, 341 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:48,440 Speaker 1: the carousel that had stood at Gwynn Park was purchased 342 00:19:48,480 --> 00:19:51,640 Speaker 1: by the Smithsonian that was in and at that point 343 00:19:51,640 --> 00:19:54,960 Speaker 1: it was moved to the National Mall. Seven years after 344 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:57,760 Speaker 1: it's moved to the mall, standing Donna Hunter purchased the 345 00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:01,040 Speaker 1: carousel uh and they have since barrated it there on 346 00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:03,280 Speaker 1: the mall. But during all that time, no one knew 347 00:20:03,280 --> 00:20:06,440 Speaker 1: of this kind of interesting little piece of history attached 348 00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:10,240 Speaker 1: to it. Amy Nathan and author researching civil rights history, 349 00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:13,040 Speaker 1: finally put all the pieces together in two thousand eleven 350 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:16,720 Speaker 1: and notified the hunters of their merriagor rounds historical significance. 351 00:20:17,320 --> 00:20:20,399 Speaker 1: It became part of Nathan's book Round and Round Together, 352 00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:22,959 Speaker 1: Taking Your Ride into Civil Rights History, and the Nathan's 353 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:25,720 Speaker 1: have repainted the horse that Langley rode that day to 354 00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:30,479 Speaker 1: commemorate the Civil rights movement. The National Park Service has 355 00:20:30,520 --> 00:20:35,520 Speaker 1: also included the carousel in educational programming about civil rights. Yeah. 356 00:20:35,560 --> 00:20:37,639 Speaker 1: I just love that there's this wonderful piece of like 357 00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:41,000 Speaker 1: children's history that's also a part of the civil rights movement. 358 00:20:41,320 --> 00:20:45,000 Speaker 1: There's a really sweet picture of Langley writing it with 359 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:47,080 Speaker 1: her dad holding her when she's eleven months old, and 360 00:20:47,119 --> 00:20:49,600 Speaker 1: then as an adult, once they figured out this little 361 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:51,800 Speaker 1: piece of history, she went back and wrote it again 362 00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:56,800 Speaker 1: and it's just so heartwarming. Uh So, while carousels did 363 00:20:56,800 --> 00:20:59,960 Speaker 1: not vanish completely with a great depression, they certainly experience 364 00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:02,919 Speaker 1: is to drop in terms of their presence and their popularity. 365 00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:05,440 Speaker 1: And once the economy picked back up, so did production 366 00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:09,560 Speaker 1: to some degree. But the hand carved carousel horses that 367 00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:13,000 Speaker 1: had been sort of this amazing art that was developing 368 00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:17,119 Speaker 1: were replaced by fiberglass and aluminum versions. No more steam 369 00:21:17,119 --> 00:21:22,000 Speaker 1: powered carousels were made, they had shifted over to electric. Yeah, definitely. 370 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:24,280 Speaker 1: When I was a kid, the thing that we were 371 00:21:24,359 --> 00:21:28,120 Speaker 1: riding into County Fair was a fiber last carousel run 372 00:21:28,119 --> 00:21:31,359 Speaker 1: on electricity, and I was like, why are you making meatus? 373 00:21:35,400 --> 00:21:37,280 Speaker 1: But now as an adult, when I'm somewhere and I 374 00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:41,280 Speaker 1: see some like beautifully restored, handmade wooden carousel, I think 375 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:45,000 Speaker 1: it's very lovely. Yeah, there are still some of those 376 00:21:45,040 --> 00:21:48,400 Speaker 1: hand carved beauties remaining, and the restoration projects have been 377 00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:52,080 Speaker 1: undertaken to keep a lot of them around. Yeah, some 378 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:55,240 Speaker 1: of them are um mounted by you know, just private 379 00:21:55,320 --> 00:21:58,600 Speaker 1: people that sometimes start collecting carousel horses and then decided 380 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:01,679 Speaker 1: they want to put carousels by together others who are 381 00:22:01,680 --> 00:22:05,480 Speaker 1: handled by companies. But in the last four decades, interesting 382 00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:09,480 Speaker 1: carousels and carousel horses as collectors items has really swelled, 383 00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:11,879 Speaker 1: Like in the nineteen seventies, sort of this kickoff just 384 00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:15,000 Speaker 1: happened where people started to become really into them again. 385 00:22:15,520 --> 00:22:18,640 Speaker 1: And unfortunately, part of the problem with keeping carousels going 386 00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:21,000 Speaker 1: is that in many cases it is more profitable to 387 00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:23,720 Speaker 1: sell off the amazing horses than it is to try 388 00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:26,679 Speaker 1: to keep a carousel running, they have to run at 389 00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:31,280 Speaker 1: a profit. There are also some interesting innovations and modern carousels. 390 00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:34,600 Speaker 1: Washington's National Zoo now has one that runs on solar power, 391 00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:36,719 Speaker 1: and all of the animals that are represented there are 392 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:39,480 Speaker 1: endangered species, so it's in line with the Zoo's theme 393 00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:44,800 Speaker 1: of conservation. Uh So, if you love carousels, this is 394 00:22:44,840 --> 00:22:46,280 Speaker 1: our p s A. And you want to see them 395 00:22:46,320 --> 00:22:49,640 Speaker 1: stick around again. They have to operate in a way 396 00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:51,520 Speaker 1: that makes money and makes sense for them to keep going. 397 00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:54,840 Speaker 1: So go ride one. Seriously, if you have a local carousel, 398 00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:56,800 Speaker 1: go buy a ticket to ride, help keep it going, 399 00:22:56,920 --> 00:22:59,280 Speaker 1: visit off, and bring your friends. That's what's going to 400 00:22:59,400 --> 00:23:02,600 Speaker 1: keep this piece of history alive. And so now we're 401 00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:04,560 Speaker 1: gonna tie some things that we've talked about together with 402 00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:06,879 Speaker 1: the listener mail that Holly reference at the top of 403 00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:10,840 Speaker 1: the episode. Uh she or we both actually got this 404 00:23:10,920 --> 00:23:14,160 Speaker 1: email last year. So when we tell you that sometimes 405 00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:18,520 Speaker 1: it takes a while, uh I would say almost always 406 00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:23,040 Speaker 1: said almost always takes a while. Uh yeah, I mean 407 00:23:23,080 --> 00:23:26,320 Speaker 1: I wanna. I know we always say it, but I 408 00:23:26,359 --> 00:23:29,760 Speaker 1: do want to reassure people that even if we haven't 409 00:23:29,760 --> 00:23:32,920 Speaker 1: gotten to your request yet, we may or may not, 410 00:23:33,040 --> 00:23:35,080 Speaker 1: but we're trying to. So we're working through it. And 411 00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:36,879 Speaker 1: this is one of those things that I love the 412 00:23:36,920 --> 00:23:38,520 Speaker 1: second we got it, and then it just kind of 413 00:23:38,520 --> 00:23:40,439 Speaker 1: got back Bernard by other things for a while. So 414 00:23:40,800 --> 00:23:43,960 Speaker 1: and we also do read every single email that we get, 415 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:49,120 Speaker 1: although we are not nearly as good about answering no. Well, 416 00:23:49,119 --> 00:23:52,360 Speaker 1: it's hard to keep up with as well as you know. Unfortunately, 417 00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:56,320 Speaker 1: the podcast is not our only job here, so there's 418 00:23:56,440 --> 00:23:59,000 Speaker 1: we're juggling some stuff. So I hope no one feels 419 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:00,920 Speaker 1: slighted if they don't get a sill reply. We try 420 00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:03,840 Speaker 1: too as many as we can. But anyway, that's the story. 421 00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:06,840 Speaker 1: So this listener mail is from our listener Ashley, and 422 00:24:06,920 --> 00:24:10,399 Speaker 1: she says, hello, ladies. I love your podcast and I 423 00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:13,119 Speaker 1: laugh at your love affairs with delicious food in historical clothing, 424 00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:15,760 Speaker 1: both things I wish I knew more about. I have 425 00:24:15,800 --> 00:24:17,920 Speaker 1: a happy topic for you since you asked for them. 426 00:24:17,960 --> 00:24:21,520 Speaker 1: So recently my job I worked for the world's largest 427 00:24:21,560 --> 00:24:25,880 Speaker 1: manufacturer of wooden carousels, the Carousel Works, incorporated in Mansfield, Ohio. 428 00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:29,280 Speaker 1: This is site of the historic Ohio State Reformatory where 429 00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:32,960 Speaker 1: they filled in the Shawshank Redemption. Our carousels are handbuilt, 430 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:35,560 Speaker 1: hand carved, and hand painted. We are one of the 431 00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:37,600 Speaker 1: few companies in the world that still does this. And 432 00:24:37,680 --> 00:24:40,200 Speaker 1: in addition to having a carousel in nearly every state 433 00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:42,720 Speaker 1: in the Union, we have a carousel in Canada to 434 00:24:42,880 --> 00:24:45,960 Speaker 1: in South Korea, and the only two carousels at sea 435 00:24:46,040 --> 00:24:48,679 Speaker 1: on cruise ships with Royal Caribbeans Oasis of the Seas 436 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:51,399 Speaker 1: and Allure of the Seas. We're putting up our fifty 437 00:24:51,440 --> 00:24:56,119 Speaker 1: five new carousel later in our third in South Korea. 438 00:24:56,600 --> 00:24:59,840 Speaker 1: Right now, we are restoring the historic Euclid Beach Park 439 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:03,639 Speaker 1: Rand carousel that was once located in Cleveland, Ohio, just 440 00:25:03,800 --> 00:25:06,159 Speaker 1: one in a long line of restorations we've taken part in. 441 00:25:06,520 --> 00:25:10,440 Speaker 1: It's also known as PTC Number nineteen. The Philadelphia Toboggan 442 00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:13,040 Speaker 1: Company was one of the premier carousel makers in the States, 443 00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:15,840 Speaker 1: and their name is tossed around with historic carvers such 444 00:25:15,840 --> 00:25:20,199 Speaker 1: as Eleon, Herschel, Spielman, dentzel, Loof, and Parker. Many of 445 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:22,399 Speaker 1: the wood carvers were immigrants who came from Europe and 446 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:25,280 Speaker 1: found work in the States. Many of these carousels were 447 00:25:25,359 --> 00:25:28,800 Speaker 1: richly decorated and painted. However, after the Great Depression, they 448 00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:31,680 Speaker 1: almost all went away and were replaced with a luminium fiberglass. 449 00:25:32,280 --> 00:25:34,600 Speaker 1: It was actually the Carousel Works that created the first 450 00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:38,440 Speaker 1: new hand carved carousel in to have been built since 451 00:25:38,480 --> 00:25:41,960 Speaker 1: the nineteen thirties, using an antique frame but all new figures, 452 00:25:42,080 --> 00:25:45,760 Speaker 1: murals and gears. I grew up riding that carousel. This 453 00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:48,159 Speaker 1: is a really cool part about her job. It's all cool, 454 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:50,600 Speaker 1: but she says, I myself am a painter at the 455 00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:53,680 Speaker 1: Carousel Works, having painted figures and murals for almost three 456 00:25:53,760 --> 00:25:56,280 Speaker 1: years now. You can actually see my paint jobs on 457 00:25:56,320 --> 00:25:59,120 Speaker 1: a carousel near you at the Birmingham Sux. It's kind 458 00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:03,040 Speaker 1: of near a day trip maybe. Um. We built that 459 00:26:03,080 --> 00:26:05,760 Speaker 1: carousel in two thousand two and repainted the figures recently. 460 00:26:05,760 --> 00:26:10,199 Speaker 1: In I painted the clouded leopard and the jaguar. That 461 00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:14,440 Speaker 1: is the coolest thing actually, I actually cyberstocked her work 462 00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:16,320 Speaker 1: and went looking for pictures of the clouded leopard and 463 00:26:16,359 --> 00:26:20,560 Speaker 1: the jaguar at the Birmingham Zoo carousel and they're gorgeous. 464 00:26:20,720 --> 00:26:23,600 Speaker 1: It's so beautiful. I am so thankful for this listener 465 00:26:23,640 --> 00:26:26,240 Speaker 1: mail and the inspiration of it, because it's one of 466 00:26:26,280 --> 00:26:28,920 Speaker 1: those topics that it is really beautiful part of history, 467 00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:32,720 Speaker 1: and I always like supporting artists, and carousels are in 468 00:26:32,720 --> 00:26:36,080 Speaker 1: many cases amazing works of art. So I also kind 469 00:26:36,119 --> 00:26:38,560 Speaker 1: of want to return to the days where we played 470 00:26:38,560 --> 00:26:41,160 Speaker 1: a game of riding horses and throwing perfume at each other. 471 00:26:41,680 --> 00:26:45,800 Speaker 1: I would play that. Well, we can mount that as 472 00:26:45,840 --> 00:26:49,159 Speaker 1: our own game. Can have this sort of horrible office 473 00:26:49,200 --> 00:26:52,240 Speaker 1: game where we all smell like perfume. My thing is that, 474 00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:54,560 Speaker 1: you know, I would want it to be good perfume, 475 00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:58,359 Speaker 1: but that gets really expensive. We can just delete an oil. 476 00:26:58,480 --> 00:27:09,719 Speaker 1: That's what we'll do. They go. Thanks so much for 477 00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:12,880 Speaker 1: joining us on this Saturday. Since this episode is out 478 00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:14,840 Speaker 1: of the archive, if you heard an email address or 479 00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:17,080 Speaker 1: a Facebook U r L or something similar over the 480 00:27:17,119 --> 00:27:20,280 Speaker 1: course of the show, that could be obsolete now. Our 481 00:27:20,280 --> 00:27:24,840 Speaker 1: current email address is History Podcast at i heart radio 482 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:28,159 Speaker 1: dot com. Our old health stuff works email address no 483 00:27:28,359 --> 00:27:31,040 Speaker 1: longer works, and you can find us all over social 484 00:27:31,040 --> 00:27:34,439 Speaker 1: media at missed in History and you can subscribe to 485 00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:37,800 Speaker 1: our show on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, the I heart 486 00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:44,520 Speaker 1: Radio app, and wherever else you listen to podcasts. Stuff 487 00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:46,480 Speaker 1: you Missed in History Class is a production of I 488 00:27:46,640 --> 00:27:50,040 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. For more podcasts from I Heart radio, visit 489 00:27:50,080 --> 00:27:53,320 Speaker 1: the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen 490 00:27:53,400 --> 00:27:54,399 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.