Merry-Go-Round Memories
There was a rumor that went around amongst Hull kids growing up in the 50’s – or maybe it was just in my family – that if you put your finger in one of the horses mouths on the Paragon Park Merry-go-round snakes would come out and bite you. I was about four years old the first time I rode it and I thought the horses were real, in the same way I thought the newscasters on our black and white TV could see me in my living room.
It was a sad day when Paragon Park closed in 1984 and was torn down soon after. The Paragon Carousel was the only part of the amusement park that has remained in Hull, about a block from its original site in the middle of the park across from Nantasket Beach. It was saved from auction by investors and then purchased by The Friends of the Paragon Carousel in 1996. From what I have gathered over the years, it’s been a struggle to keep it going. So, it was great to get an email from my brother Bob yesterday with a link to a Patriot Ledger story citing that the Friends of the Carousel have just won $100,000 from American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation Monday to make needed repairs and restorations to the carousel and to keep it running.
According to the Ledger, the Paragon Carousel is the last operating carrousel in Metropolitan Boston. It was Built in 1928 – the 85th of 89 carousels created by the Philadelphia Toboggan Co. The roundabout contains 66 hand-carved and painted horses, 35 period oil paintings, 18 carved goddesses and 32 carved angels.
Post Notes: That’s Joe, me and Dylan (Bryce’s daddy) in the above photo riding the Paragon Carousel in the early 90’s. The photo in THIS post about Paragon Park shows the carousel (on the right) in its original spot. The post is one from 2005 that continues to get comments to this day. The Paragon Park Roller Coaster (1917) got a second incarnation as The Wild One and is still in use at Six Flags in Maryland. See it HERE.
May 20th, 2009 7:29 am
How wonderful to know that this old treasure is being restored and preserved. And wonderful to know that so many people care about preserving history and ensuring that a piece like the carousel remains more than a memory.
May 20th, 2009 1:05 pm
I had no idea there was a carousel in Hull. My boss has a place there – next time I’m in his area I’ll have to check it out! I love the one in Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard.
May 20th, 2009 1:42 pm
Watch out for those snakes!
May 20th, 2009 5:36 pm
The snakes thing kills me…too funny!
May 20th, 2009 8:55 pm
Thanks for this story. I love carousels. CT has many a good one and a museum of them, so it’s nice to hear about another one!
May 22nd, 2009 4:46 pm
I went to Hartford, CT quite a few years ago and there is a restored carousel there. I didn’t have the courage to be child-like and ride it, but I sure enjoyed watching others do so. It had a steam calliope to go along with it, too, though I’m not sure it ran on steam. There was another one in Minneapolis that I rode a few years later – it was fun!! The carousel animals are considered folk art and command a very high price at auction.
June 16th, 2009 5:34 pm
This is great news, something meaningful and evocative from the past being restored before it’s lost. The story and place bring back memories for me as well, growing up on the South Shore and spending many weekends at Paragon Park. In my case, it was more about laying on Nantasket Beach and spending way too much time trying to be a pinball wizard in the arcades. Now that I know there were snakes inside of the carousel horses, I’m glad I stayed clear!