![]() However, after the building and carousel were both placed in the National Register of Historic Places, a restoration campaign was established - including an "Adopt-A-Horse" program - which was ultimately successful. At last the structure was boarded up in 1977. This didn’t happen, but all other sections of the original amusement park on the Lighthouse Point Park site wereĭestroyed. In 1957, the possibility of demolishing theĬarousel was considered. A carved figure representing George Washington in the center of the carousel is shown "leading" the band organ. The inner housing of the carousel contains elaborate paintings showing scenes in and around New Haven Harbor. The carousel building itself is also considered a fine example of seashore amusement architecture from the early 20th century.Īs the popularity of carousels in general began to decline in the 1930s, and as the structure was badly damaged by the hurricane of 1938, the site eventually fell into disrepair. Probability that more than one carver was involved. The figures have been carved in two distinct styles, one much more elaborate than the other, which points to the The horses are shown either standing or jumping, and wearĪ bridle, harness, blanket, and saddle carved in wood. The approximately seventy horses and two dragonĬhariots that comprise the carousel are high-quality samples of carousel In 1927, Murphy sold the carousel to the New Some of the horses in the Lighthouse Park carousel may have beenĬarved by Looff himself others may have been made by Charles Carmel ofīrooklyn, another well-known carver of such figures. Operated a series of such carousels all along the East Coast.) Murphy had been trained by Charles Looff, theįamous Danish-born woodcarver and creator of carousel animals. Murphy Brothers and constructed in the brothers' Savin Rock workshop. The original building of 1905 was replaced inġ916 by Thomas Shanley, head of the East Shore Amusement Company, the originalĭeveloper of the park. The carousel was run by Timothy Murphy of the Lighthouse keeper’s cottage are located within 200 feet of the carousel. ![]() Both the Five Mile Point Lighthouse and the The park represented a cheap way for working-class families to seek amusement in their sparse leisure time. In existence today, there are less than 100 functioning carousels in America.Įarly in the 20th Century, Lighthouse Point Park was built and operated byĪ trolley company seeking new ways to increase ridership. In the 1920s, there were 10,000 such rides This new form of entertainment quicklyīecame popular, and thousands of carousels were created between 1880 and theīeginning of the Great Depression. The first hand-carved carousels were created in It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The carousel was closed and boarded up in 1977, but restored beginning in the 1980s, and today is one of less than 100 such carousels still in operation. It is also an outstanding example of carving and painting in merry-go-round design and workmanship.Īfter the hurricane of 1938, neither the carousel nor the building were fully repaired for years. The carousel is of considerable historical significance, as it was a main source of amusement for working class families in the early 20th Century, who took the trolley to the end of the line to reach it. The structure has two sections: a square pavilion which houses the carousel itself, and a section lower in elevation which houses concessions and other amusements. Located at the southernmost tip of Lighthouse Point Park, an 80-acre recreation area along the east side of New Haven harbor, the building contains one of the largest still-operating carousels, being 60 feet in diameter and containing many animal figures, including horses, two dragon-chariots and a camel, as well as a representation of George Washington. ![]() The Lighthouse Point Park carousel building and ride were constructed in 1916 in the Renaissance Revival style. ![]()
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