The Looff Carousel in

Pawtucket, Rhode Island Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence and East Providence to the south, Central Falls ...

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 ...

which was built in 1895 by

Charles I. D. Looff Charles I. D. Looff was a German master carver and builder of hand-carved carousels and amusement rides, who immigrated to the United States of America in 1870. Looff built the first carousel at Coney Island in 1876. During his lifetime, he bui ...

. The carousel was originally located in a carnival called Lee Funland in upstate, New York. The carousel was relocated to its present location at

Slater Park Slater Park is the oldest and largest public park in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The park is named after Samuel Slater, a famous American industrialist who constructed America's first water-powered textile mill in Pawtucket. The park lies on th ...

in 1910 where it continues to operate.

Notable Features

The carousel features a functioning North Tonawanda Military

band organ A fairground organ (french: limonaire) is a French pneumatic musical organ covering the wind and percussive sections of an orchestra. Originated in Paris, France, it was designed for use in commercial fairground settings to provide loud musi ...

, as well as 44 standing horses, 6 menagerie animals (1 camel, 3 dogs, 1 giraffe, 1 lion), and 2 chariots.

History

In 1910 the City of Pawtucket leased a small lot just southeast of the

Daggett House The Daggett House is an historic house in Slater Park in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The house is the oldest standing house in Pawtucket and one of the oldest surviving buildings in the state. History The large farmhouse was built around 1685 for J ...

to John Walker of Providence, a noted carousel concessionaire. Walker quickly erected a ten-sided wooden canopy and had the Looff carousel moved from New York to Pawtucket. The carousel began operation in Slater Park by July 1910. Locals referred to the site as "The Darby Horses". On July 3, 2010, the carousel celebrated 100 years of operation in Slater Park."After 100 years, merry smiles still go round.", Providence Journal, July 4, 2010 http://www.projo.com/news/content/LOOFF_CAROUSEL_07-04-10_VKJ3D1B_v24.168dadc.html

Gallery

Image:Pawtucket Looff Carousel Horses.jpg, Some of the original hand carved horses.

References

Carousels in Rhode Island Buildings and structures in Pawtucket, Rhode Island Tourist attractions in Pawtucket, Rhode Island Amusement rides introduced in 1895 {{RhodeIsland-stub