Fall River carousel to be honored at convention

FALL RIVER - The National Carousel Association will be recognizing the Fall River Carousel at Battleship Cove at the organization’s annual convention on Sept. 12. NCA’s mission is to promote conservation, appreciation, knowledge and enjoyment of the art of the classic wooden carousel and especially the preservation of complete operating carousels.

The 46-year old organization held its first convention in 1973 in New England and will be visiting 13 original hand-carved carousels in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, plus two new carousels and three museums/collections during the five-day convention Sept. 12 to 16.

Two-hundred members are expected to attend the convention and visit the Carousel at Battleship Cove where they will take photos and ride the carousel. The organization leadership will present a plaque to the museum and community members for the work done in preserving, restoring, maintaining and operating this classical carousel. At one time over 3,000 wooden carousels were created by master craftsmen and artisans from Europe, and today only about 170 of these carousels remain intact and continue to operate.

The convention co-chairs, Jim and Jackie Shulman, who grew up in New England, shared, “ The National Carousel Association congratulates the Fall River Carousel at Battleship Cove for its excellent job in maintaining this historic carousel and the entire community for supporting its ongoing operation. It is a work of art for which Fall River and the entire state of Massachusetts can have tremendous pride. We really look forward to our visit.”

The Fall River Carousel at Battleship Cove is an antique wooden ride from the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, one of the oldest existing roller coaster manufacturing companies in the world. Carousel No. 54, as it is called, was built around 1919 during the “Golden Age” of wooden carousels. The ride was shipped from Pennsylvania to North Dartmouth, Massachusetts’ Lincoln Park in 1920 and resided there until the park closed in 1987. During its heyday, Lincoln Park attracted many celebrities of the time, including Eleanor Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. Upon the park closing, and knowing the carousel needed a home, then-Mayor Daniel Bogan and the community of Fall River rallied together to raise $250,000 to refurbish her and bring her to Battleship Cove In 1991.