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Come and Ride the 1901 Parker Carousel
A complete hand-carved working carousel, manufactured in Abilene at the beginning of the 20th century by C. W. Parker Amusement Co. All rides are $2.00 per person. C. W. Parker began building carousels in Abilene back in 1896. He had always had a love for mechanical entertainment devices such as shooting galleries. One day while taking his young daughter to the store, they passed by a carousel. Gertrude was very interested in this ride. She asked her father if she could ride. As most kids, she kept asking until he gave in.
The Heritage Center Carousel was built in Abilene in 1901 and traveled with a carnival for many years. The carnival apparently incurred a large debt in Riverton, Wyoming, and to pay off the debt, they sold the carousel to a Mr. Tom Knight who ran the local drive-in theater. Children would ride the carousel until it was dark enough to show the movies. When Mr. Knight's health forced him to close his drive-in, the carousel was left abandoned, and grass and weeds grew up around the horses and other carousel parts. After his death, his wife contacted the Dickinson County Historical Society about purchasing this unique property. This was 1976. The Board of Trustees decided to raise the $8900 necessary to bring the carousel back home to Abilene. They wanted to have it running that year as part of the Bi-Centennial celebration. However, when the DCHS group arrived in Wyoming to bring it home, it appeared that they had purchased a piece of junk. It took nearly ten years to restore the carousel so people could once again enjoy the old fashion entertainment. Many volunteer hours from many people went into the restoration of this treasure. In 1987, the National Park Service named the Abilene carousel a National Historic Landmark. In 1995, the National Carousel Association named our carousel a National Historic Carousel, one of only 12 in the US to date. The Heritage Center is very proud of the carousel and since 1987, thousands of people each year have enjoyed the carousel. Each person who rides the carousel receives a reproduction ticket to keep. All rides are $2.00 per person.
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412 South Campbell, Abilene, Kansas 67410 -- directly east of the Eisenhower Center 785-263-2681 e-mail heritagecenterdk@sbcglobal.net Open daily all year. Winter Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM Saturday 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM --- Sunday 1:00 AM - 5:00 PM Extended hours from Memorial Day thru Labor Day - Open until 4:OO PM Monday - Friday and until 8:00 PM Saturdays Admission fee: $4.00 for those 16 years and older. Carousel extra. Seniors (62 and over) $3.00. Carousel extra. Carousel only $2.00 each Children (age 2-15) $2.00 each and includes Carousel. Inquire for group rates of 8 adults or more and school group rates. Site Hosted by ACCESS ONE Online Service, Abilene. Site designed by Mary Lambert |
Located in
Abilene, Kansas
He also was very interested in the carousel. So much that he actually
went out and purchased one. After a while he felt he could build a better
one. In 1896, he built his first carousel which was the beginning of the C.
W. Parker Amusement Company.
The Heritage Center of Dickinson
County