WASHINGTON – On a humid Saturday afternoon in the shadow of the Washington National Cathedral, Esme Ohlsen sat atop a colorful wooden horse and waved to her mother and grandmother as she and a dozen smiling children spun around and around. It was a moment the young girl had eagerly awaited ever since learning that the cathedral's two-day fundraising event would feature a merry-go-round. "I like how fast it went," the 9-year-old said over the sound of an antique Wurlitzer organ playing "The Carousel Waltz." She added, "I wish it went up and down." What Esme didn't know was the antique wooden carousel she rode is one of a rare group of merry-go-rounds built at the turn of the 20th century and still spinning more than 100 years later. Experts estimate that as many as 3,500 carousels were built by a handful of American companies and artisans between the 1880s and the 1930s. Today, about 150 remain and only a fraction of those are still operational. "It's pretty amazing," said Patrick Wentzel, the president of the National Carousel Association. "These rides are the only antiques that you can not only touch but throw your leg over and ride." These rotating historical artifacts are the survivors of decades of economic, social and technological upheavals that destroyed the majority of their peers, from the Great Depression and the invention of the roller coaster to an antique carousel frenzy that saw countless carousels broken apart and sold piecemeal. Faced with what appeared to be a looming extinction, nonprofits, local governments, museums and other groups stepped in to save the last of the great American carousels. These operators pay artisans and specialized mechanics top dollar to maintain and refurbish the century-old rides, all in an effort to preserve their original design and craftsmanship. Though financially burdensome, today's carousel caretakers have made it their mission to preserve what remains of the golden age of U.S. carousel production. "It's completely financially indefensible," said Carol Kelleher, a member of the All Hallows Guild, which maintains the carousel at the National Cathedral. "But we want to keep it the way it was." Merry-go-rounds originated in Europe but didn't gain popularity in the U.S. until the late 1800s when artisans from Germany and England capitalized on the country's vast, untouched forests. These carvers – many of them classically trained – hand-chiseled and painted intricate designs that often evoked memories of their homelands. Meanwhile, cities and small towns were developing parks and looking for attractions to draw crowds. Vibrant, spinning carousels became a perfect centerpiece. To meet rising demand, companies sprang up and began churning out rides – smaller versions for traveling carnivals and larger ones for town squares and amusement parks. However, the carousel boom that began at the turn of the 20th century came to an abrupt end. The rapid decline was touched off by World War l and punctuated by the Great Depression. "Parks were closing down and no one was buying carousels anymore," Wentzel said. "That pretty much killed everything." After World War II, carousels saw a modest revival as new companies began making them from cast aluminum and, later, fiberglass – the materials used in most modern carousels today. Hundreds of these easier-to-manufacture rides appeared in suburban parks across postwar America. But unlike their wooden predecessors, these lacked the craftsmanship and individuality that defined the earlier era. Collectors took notice, and by the 1970s and '80s wooden carousel animals began appearing at auctions as operators discovered they could make more money selling individual horses than maintaining entire rides. For carousel enthusiasts, this was devastating. "Carousel figures were selling for $40,000 apiece," Wentzel said, recalling how beloved, historic carousels were dismantled for profit. "It was really tragic." As antique carousels were dismantled or left to deteriorate, the National Carousel Association formed to advocate for their preservation. The group eventually found success as local governments, museums and nonprofits joined the cause, often maintaining carousels at a steep financial loss. "We haven't sold any carousels for 20 years now," Wentzel said. Today, these historic rides can be found in parks, playgrounds and museums across the country, though few remain fully original. Many have replaced steam engines with electric motors, swapped out pipe organs for modern sound systems and installed straps and ramps 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, including a 1990s campaign where donors adopted and redesigned the animals. In 2021, the guild hired a company for a multi-year project to touch up all 22 of the ride's animals. "It's a huge undertaking," Kelleher said, noting that it costs between $6,000 and $8,000 to restore each animal. In New Philadelphia, Ohio, a 1928 carousel is the centerpiece of Tuscora Park. Like the carousel in Washington, it underwent a major renovation in the 1990s, including a new paint job and the installation of a $53,000 motor. Richard Geib, president of the nonprofit, RTY Inc., which oversees the ride, says it's well worth the money to make sure the people of New Philadelphia can enjoy the carousel as he and his family have for decades. "I have pictures of me on that carousel with my grandparents, and now my grandkids are helping to operate it," he said. "It's almost like a member of our family and it's like that for a lot of people in town." The grassroots movement to restore and maintain antique carousels created a steady stream of work for a small group of skilled artisans. One of the leading companies in this field is Carousels and Carvings, based in Marion, Ohio. Its workers have refurbished some of the country's most beloved merry-go-rounds, including the carousel at the Washington National Cathedral. Former cabinetmaker Todd Goings, known as "the carousel doctor," founded the company in the 1990s as advocacy to restore antique carousels was in full steam. What started as a foray into carousel repairs turned into his life's work. Today, Goings and his 20 employees maintain dozens of carousels across the country, repainting animals, upgrading mechanical systems and performing routine maintenance. They have also begun building their own carousels from scratch inside the company's 35,000 foot warehouse in Marion. "I can't speak for everyone, but we are busier than ever," he said. Still, Goings has had to confront an existential threat to his business: the aging workforce of carousel craftsmen. About five years ago, he realized most of his employees were over 60 and some were well into their 70s. To secure the future of his trade, he began hiring and training what he sees as a new generation of artisans, including his son, whom he hopes will eventually take over the family business. "The shop has a good feeling about the future now," he said. "We're no longer counting the years to the end." On May 3, a long line of families waited eagerly for a turn on the historic carousel outside the Washington National Cathedral, which is only operational for two days out of the year. Among the bustling crowd was 81-year-old Katherine Wardlaw, who attended the event with her family. Wardlaw said she was never able to ride carousels herself but grew to love them through her granddaughter Emily. For Emily, who was nonverbal and struggled with mobility, the carousel was the one ride she could enjoy safely. Until her death at age 25, Emily would beg to be taken to the carousel at the mall near her home in Columbia, Maryland. "She would go round and round – she was so happy," Wardlaw recalled. "It was one of the few things that brought her joy, to come with granny and ride the carousel." Others echoed the sentiment, often tying carousels to their own childhood memories. Sarah Ohlsen, who brought her son and daughter to the fundraising event at the cathedral, said she grew up riding the over-100-year-old carousel at Hersheypark in Pennsylvania. What makes the ride special, she said, is both the whimsy of the animals and its accessibility. "Anyone can go on them," she said. "And it doesn't matter how old you are – people just love getting on a horse." That enduring appeal is part of what keeps Goings and others committed to their restoration work. For them – and the countless people who've enjoyed a ride on a merry-go-round – carousels are more than mechanical novelties. "It could seem kind of pointless – a bunch of animals going around in a circle," Goings said. "But when you get on, the magic comes. The lights turn on, the music plays, people laugh – and suddenly, there's something magical." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:How America's great carousels are still spinning a century later
