The C. W. Parker Carousel is a carousel built in 1912 currently operating in the

Burnaby Village Museum The Burnaby Village Museum, previously known as the Heritage Village, is an open-air museum in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, located at Deer Lake Park. It is open seasonally from May to September and opens for special events taking place Sept ...

Deer Lake Park Deer Lake is a lake in central Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. Deer Lake is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna and features a number of walking trails. These trails connect the lake and its surrounding forests and fields to a number of am ...

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British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. The carousel was built by the C. W. Parker Company and is also known as the Parker #119 and the Burnaby Centennial Parker Carousel. The carousel was the 119th such machine built by the C. W. Parker Company, earning it its "Parker #119" nickname. The carousel contains 41 horses and operates at a

pavilion In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings: * It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...

known as the Don Wrigley Pavilion located at one of the museum's two entrances, earning the entrance the name "Carousel Entrance".

History

The carousel was built in 1912 at Leavenworth,

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

by Charles Wallace Parker who owned the C. W. Parker Company, and was the 119th one made by them. It was sold in 1913 for $5,886.00. The carousel toured

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for two years with the Lone Star Circus. In 1915 the machine was shipped back to the factory. It is believed that the machine was rebuilt by the factory. Some fancier horses and heavier rounding boards may have been added. Some of the horses were built in 1917 and some in 1920–1922. The history of the carousel from 1915 to 1936 is unknown. The carousel was purchased by Happyland, an amusement park in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

in 1936. The carousel remained at Happyland until the amusement park was demolished in 1957. It was moved to the new small pavilion in Playland, (another amusement park in Vancouver) until that too was demolished in 1972. From 1972 to 1989, Parker #119 was operated outdoors, and was put away each winter. In 1989 it was announced that the carousel would be sold off horse by horse at an auction in New York. Local residents came together to save the carousel and formed the "Friends of the Vancouver Carousel Society". It was at this time that the carousel was nicknamed the Parker #119. In May 1989, the

agreed to provide a home for the carousel and the "Friends", led by President Don Wrigley, set about raising the $350,000 to purchase the machine. Keith Jamieson, a carousel expert, was brought in to coordinate the rebuilding project. In 1990, the carousel was purchased. Funds were also raised to pay for the restoration. People who donated money could sponsor a horse and later name it. The museum agreed to build a new

to house the carousel. The pavilion, named the Don Wrigley Pavilion was completed in 1993. The carousel was then named the Burnaby Centennial Parker Carousel.

Carousel horses

The carousel's horses are listed here: Notes: # Not on carousel # Not really a horse, but considered one of listing purposes # Is really four small metal ponies and a wheelchair # Has many sponsors # Is really two small metal ponies

Carousel horse notes

This section notes horses that are not actually on the carousel and horses that are not really horses. Some of the carousel's horses are not actually horses, but are listed as such for the purpose of creating a list on the carousel's horses. Examples of this are Horse #38, "Gold Heart Chariot" and Horse #40, "Wurlitzer Band Organ". Horse #37, known as "Old Paint", was sponsored by the

and was not restored, as a reminder to visitors of the sorry state the carousel was in when the museum first acquired it. The horse was named for the "old paint" that was originally on the carousel before it was restored. The horse is currently in a display case next to the carousel. Horse #39 is really four small ponies and a

wheelchair A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebr ...

. This was placed to make the carousel accessible to

toddlers A toddler is a child approximately 12 to 36 months old, though definitions vary. The toddler years are a time of great cognitive, emotional and social development. The word is derived from "to toddle", which means to walk unsteadily, like a child ...

and

disabled Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, ...

people. Horse #41 is really two small ponies. While originally on the carousel with Horse #39, they were removed to make room for Horse #39's wheelchair and placed, one each, at the museum's two entrances. There were originally two chariots on the carousel. One has since gone missing while the carousel was under the ownership of a theme park. The ponies which now form Horses #39 and #41 were added to the area where the other chariot was originally placed. Horse #38 was also cut in half, removing the backdrop and adding more seats to the carousel (a plan to generate more income from the carousel by allowing more people to ride it, done by one of the carousel's theme park owners). When the carousel was bought by the museum, Horse #38 underwent restoration, adding a backdrop to it, making it a chariot once again.

Carousel horse rows

Row 1: Outside: #1 Captain Julius, Middle: #13 Nipoti, Inside: #25 Pisces Row 2: Outside: #2 Royal Burnaby Belle, Middle: #14 Mr. Ed, Inside: #26 Meg Row 3: Outside: #3 Champion, Middle: #15 Allegro, Inside: #27 Wheeler Row 4: Outside: #4 Firefly, Middle: #16 John Ernest, Inside: #28 Guppy Row 5: Outside: #5 Phar Lap, Middle: #17 Betty B., Inside: #29 Rebel Row 6: Outside: #6 Scampering Dawn, Middle: #18 Bingo, Inside: #30 Royal Warrior Row 7: Outside: #7 Vanessa, Middle: #19 Dyck, Inside: #31 Venus Row 8: Outside: #8 Treasure, Middle: #20 Twister, Inside: #32 The Colonel Row 9: Outside: #9 Mignonette, Middle: #21 Centennial, Inside: #33 Happy Marie Row 10: Outside: #10 Valiant, Middle: #22 Tommy D., Inside: #34 Shannon Row 11: Outside: #11 Vivian, Middle: #23 Rose B. Inside: #35 Annie Row 12: Outside: #12 Nareena, Middle: #24 James, Inside: #36 Royal George

External links

City of Burnaby C. W. Parker Carousel webpage

for details of fate of some C. W. Parker carousels, roller coasters & Carousels webpage {{coord, 49.240718, -122.967623, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:CA-BC, display=title Carousels Amusement rides introduced in 1912 Buildings and structures in Burnaby Tourist attractions in Burnaby 1912 establishments in Kansas

History

Carousel horses

Carousel horse notes

Carousel horse rows

See also

External links