Spin me 'round and 'round...

I do love a good carousel. Love to hear the music, see the lights, watch them twirl, and hear the children laugh. I, once again today, did another recon mission for some night photography later in the summer. I look forward to seeing these old carousels lit up once again.

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Childhood Memories

A little bit of the history of these old beauties here in the area...

George F. Johnson (1857-1948), a local shoe manufacturer and a great benefactor to the Binghamton area, donated six beautiful carousels to local parks within Broome County.

He felt that carousels contributed to a happy life and would help youngsters grow into strong and useful citizens. "George F" believed carousels should be enjoyed by everyone and insisted that money should never be charged for the "magic ride."

Now, in their 7th decade, these magnificent machines still spin from Memorial Day to Labor Day at no charge.

The carousels were all manufactured by Allan Herschell Companies of North Tonawanda, New York, in the "country fair" style. Calliope sounds of the original Wurlitzer Band Organs can still be heard in Recreation Park and Ross Park.

If you ride all of the carousels, you will be delighted by gorilla chariots, horses with hidden lions in the saddle blankets, a pig and even a dog. Every carousel in Broome County is a "jumper." Broome County has the only carousel collection of this kind in the world. Of the fewer than 170 antique carousels remaining in the United States and Canada, six are in Broome County. All six are now on the New York State Historic Register and the National Register of Historic Places.