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Hours: Open 11am-5pm Thu.-Sat., 1-5pm Sun.

Charles Wallace Parker started traveling carnivals in the midwest and was expanding rapidly. His carousels began to evolve through several style changes. He went from the track machines to the jumping carousels, from steam to electric. The carving on the horses began to get more fanciful.

The Parker "Carry-Us-Alls" (his play on words for carousel) continued to be the most important part of the amusement business. He built hundreds of small traveling carousels and also built five large extravagant "park" machines, designed to be permanently installed in large amusement parks.

About 1914, he began to introduce the new stretched leg and long bodied shape to the horses on his carousels that became his best know figures. Most carousels from then on had a horse called "Lillie Belle" on every machine produced. By 1925 he began phasing out the wooden carved horses, and began creating the aluminum cast figures.

The museum features carousel horses and parts, and three complete carousels from 1850-1950.

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