Folk Art & Memory
The Fall River Carousel
The Fall River Carousel was carved by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company in 1920 and is listed as Carousel #54 on the company records. It was operated for more than sixty years at Lincoln Park near Fall River, Massachusetts — not far from where Dean was raised.
The most delightful part of summer was the time spent riding this wonderful carousel. Its horses and their bright painted colors stayed with me for the rest of my life.
When the restoration project was underway, Dean was very happy to contribute by painting “portraits” of three of the beautifully hand-carved horses and one of the colorful chariots. Reproductions of the paintings were sold by the Fall River Carousel Company, with the proceeds going to the restoration fund.
“To live and play in a work of art is a privilege not many people have. I’m glad I had that privilege.”
— James D. Dean
The Fall River Carousel is now a major attraction that thousands of visitors enjoy each year. It is also a gathering place for local residents — both young and old — who remember the fun of spinning around on what is considered an outstanding example of American folk art.
The Restoration
In November 1986, a group of Massachusetts businessmen and bankers secured the purchase of PTC #54 at New York auction for $693,000 — at the time the highest price ever paid for a complete carousel at auction. The machine had sat idle since Lincoln Park closed, and might have been sold off piece by piece. Instead it was saved whole.
Early fundraising was led by Fall River Carousel, Inc. under president Ronald Lowenstein, with contributions from more than 1,600 families and individuals raising over $600,000. The city of Fall River then took over the project, with Ken Fiola, Waterfront Director, overseeing the formal restoration bid process. The carousel was entrusted to the Carousel Works of Mansfield, Ohio, whose craftsmen took each horse apart at the joints, checked for damaged wood, applied new dowels and glue, stripped the horses to their original paint, documented the colors, then repainted them exactly as they had left the Philadelphia Toboggan Company factory in 1920.
The restored carousel opened in its purpose-built Victorian pavilion at Heritage State Park on the Fall River waterfront — on the peninsula between the park bridge over the Quequechan River and the Battleship Massachusetts. The two-story structure, designed by the Cambridge firm D’Agostino Izzo and Quirk, houses the carousel on the upper level, with a walkway around the perimeter, and a dining room and concessions below.
The carousel continues to spin for new generations of riders — and for those who remember it from Lincoln Park. For more information or to plan a visit, see the Fall River Carousel’s website.
