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Discover Mid-America — November 2005

Museum honors ‘carousel king’

Jerry Reinhardt, director of the C. W. Parker Carousel Museum in Leavenworth, KS, was addressing a dozen or so museum visitors in a small meeting room.

“The Parker carousels were not built to be works of art,” he said. “They were built to make money! C. W. Parker had a knack for finding what the people wanted, and he made a fortune giving it to them.”

Parker, who became the largest manufacturer of carousels and amusement rides in the world, started in Abilene, KS. At the age of 17, he bought a “high striker” device and enticed local cowboys to spend their quarters trying to hit the striker hard enough to ring the bell. Not many of them did, and Parker was on his way.

He would later buy and remanufacture “track machines” that predated the later carousels and finally built carousels in great numbers. By 1900, he had traveling carnivals operating throughout the Midwest.

In 1911, Parker moved his company to Leavenworth. His factory built hundreds of small traveling carousels for carnivals throughout the world. Many carousels were sold to farmers who welcomed the opportunity to pocket the nickel a ride the carousel would earn. Calling his carousels “carry-us-alls,” he used brightly colored wooden horses with unique carvings.

Reinhardt, whose love of history shows when he describes the Parker operation, described the average carousel buyer.

“Many of the early-day carousel owners were trolley operators,” he said. “They’d locate the carousel in a park with a lake or trees, charge a nickel for the trolley ride and another nickel for the carousel ride.”

It was a simpler time, before TV or even radio, and people longed for recreation on the weekends. The carousel brought families together for a Sunday outing at a price they could afford. “Parker came along at just the right time,” Reinhardt said.

Parker died in 1931 and his son carried on the family business. But other forms of amusements were competing with carnivals. By 1955, it was too much and Paul Parker closed the company and moved to Florida.

The C. W. Parker Carousel Museum features three carousels. Museum visitors are invited to ride on the big one, a 1913 Parker Carousel, complete with band organ. A smaller 1950’s version, built by Paul Parker, is in another room. Also at the museum is a primitive hand-cranked model, probably the oldest in existence. Built in the 1850s, it was found in Long Island where it was about to be dismantled and sold in pieces. Owned by the National Carnival Association, it is on permanent loan.

Reinhardt said the 1913 carousel took ten years to restore by museum volunteers who call themselves the “Over-The-Hill Gang.”

The Parker memorabilia and other artifacts were acquired through donations and the efforts of many volunteers. Reinhardt said a big problem has been rescuing carousel horses before they are sold to private individuals.

“There are a lot of carousel horses in antique shops, and they end up as decorations in people’s recreation rooms,” he said.

Still a work in progress, the museum looks forward to developing its second floor. The museum opened April 30 at 320 S. Esplanade in Leavenworth.

“We plan to have the Parker artifacts upstairs,” Reinhardt said. “The main floor will be devoted to generic carousels from all over the world. Museum visitors will be able to ride a carousel as they do now, and will be able to see restorers working on bringing old carousel horses back to life.”

Who comes to the museum?

“All ages,” Reinhardt said. “Everyone loves to ride the carousel. But the older folks seem to enjoy it best. Every now and then they’ll get off the carousel with tears in their eyes, it meant so much to them.”

The museum, operated entirely by volunteers, is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 5. Admission is $5 and includes a carousel ride.

For more information call 913-682-1331 or visit www.firstcitymuseums.org.

Discover Mid-America founder and Senior Contributing Editor Ken Weyand files regular reports on notable Midwest destinations. He can be reached at kweyand@gbronline.com.

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