Flying Horses Carousel
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Flying Horses
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The Flying Horses Carousel is the oldest operating platform carousel in America.
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| Location | Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts |
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| Coordinates | 41°27′26″N 70°33′28″W / 41.45722°N 70.55778°WCoordinates: 41°27′26″N 70°33′28″W / 41.45722°N 70.55778°W |
| Built | 1876 |
| Architect | Charles W.F Dare Co. |
| NRHP Reference # | 79000342 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | August 27, 1979 |
| Designated NHL | February 27, 1987 |
The Flying Horses Carousel is the oldest operating platform carousel in America. Located in the historic resort community of Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, on Martha's Vineyard, the carousel was apparently first located in New York City before being moved to the island in the 1880s.
The carousel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987. The carousel is one of only a handful of carousels that still have brass rings for a rider to attempt to grab as the carousel rotates.
Oak Bluffs, located on the northeastern part of the island of Martha's Vineyard, was originally settled as part of Edgartown in the 17th century. In 1835 the Methodist camp known as Wesleyan Grove (also a National Historic Landmark) was established in the area. Development of the area as a summer resort became more formally organized with the establishment of the Oak Bluffs Land and Wharf Company in 1866. The company developed what was then one of the earliest planned communities, guiding the community's growth over the following years.
The exact date of construction of the carousel is not known. Its artwork closely resembles that found in an 1870s catalog published by the Charles W.F. Dare Company, a major manufacturer of carousels in the late 19th century. At least one expert believes that artwork of the carousel itself was done by the same artist whose work appears in the catalog, suggesting its construction date to be between 1876 and 1878.
In 1884, F.O. Gordon of New York City acquired the carousel and moved it to Cottage City, as Oak Bluffs was then known. Evidence of its use in New York is surmised from a stamp "Coney Island #4" on the inside of one of its decorative panels. It was originally sited near the entrance to Oak Bluffs Harbor. In 1889, the town of Oak Bluffs acquired the carousel and moved it to its present location at the base of Circuit Avenue, the town's business and entertainment district. The town sold the carousel to Joseph Turnell in 1896, and it then went through a succession of owners before its acquisition by the Martha's Vineyard Land Trust in 1986.
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