The George F. Johnson Recreation Park Carousel is a historic

carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...

located at

Binghamton Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflue ...

Broome County, New York Broome County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the county had a population of 198,683. Its county seat is Binghamton. The county was named for John Broome, the state's lieutenant governor when Br ...

. The carousel and its pavilion were built in 1925. The carousel is housed in a wooden, one story, 16-sided, pavilion topped by a

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, from ...

. The carousel has 60 horses standing four abreast, each of which is a "jumper," and two chariots. It was constructed by the Allan Herschell Company and contains its original Wurlitzer Military Band Organ. The carousel was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1992. This carousel, the gazebo, and the entire Recreation Park served as inspiration for Binghamton native

Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator/on-screen host, best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his anthology television series ' ...

's classic '' Twilight Zone'' episode " Walking Distance". Serling is honored with a bronze plaque in the floor of the gazebo, as well as with paintings depicting memorable scenes from ''The Twilight Zone'' on the carousel. This is one of six carousels donated to the citizens of Broome County by

George F. Johnson George Francis Johnson (1857–1948) was an American businessman. Biography Early life George Francis Johnson was born in Milford, Massachusetts, on October 14, 1857, to Francis A. Johnson and Sarah Jane (Aldrich) Johnson. His siblings wer ...

(1857–1948), president of Endicott Johnson Corporation. ''See also:'' The others, located in the Greater Binghamton Region, are: * C. Fred Johnson Park Carousel * George W. Johnson Park Carousel *

Highland Park Carousel Highland Park Carousel, also known as En-Joie Park Carousel and Ideal Park Carousel, is a historic carousel located at Endwell in Broome County, New York. The carousel was purchased between 1920 and 1925 and moved to its present site in 1967. I ...

Ross Park Carousel Ross Park Carousel is a historic carousel located at Binghamton in Broome County, New York. The carousel is housed in a wooden, one story, 16-sided, pavilion topped by an eight sided cupola. The carousel has 60 horses standing four abreast, eac ...

West Endicott Park Carousel West Endicott Park Carousel is a historic carousel located at Endicott in Broome County, New York. The carousel was purchased about 1929. The carousel is housed in a wooden, one story, 16-sided, enclosed pavilion. The carousel has 36 figures: 3 ...

References

External links

Visiting information on the Broome County carousels
Parks in Broome County, New York History of Broome County, New York Carousels on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) National Register of Historic Places in Broome County, New York Amusement rides introduced in 1925 Buildings and structures in Broome County, New York Tourist attractions in Broome County, New York {{BroomeCountyNY-NRHP-stub