Round and Round on the Cathedral Carousel

The antique Cathedral carousel only comes out two days each year, but every spin is a memorable one for generations of Cathedral families.

Our friends over at USA Today stopped by Flower Mart earlier this month to check out the Cathedral Carousel, which dates from the 1890s — making it older than the Cathedral itself.

The 22 whimsical animals are lovingly cared for by All Hallows Guild, the all-volunteer organization which sponsors the annual flower festival on the first weekend in May. According to All Hallows Guild:

The Carousel, built in the 1890s as a traveling carousel, was purchased by All Hallows Guild in 1963.  It is one of the two surviving antique carousels made by the U.S. Merry-Go-Round Company and is typical of the County Fair style carousel, designed long and lean and lightly carved for constant travel and easy transport from town to town. 

USA Today reports that carousels like this one are an endangered species across the U.S.:

Experts estimate that as many as 3,500 carousels were built by a handful of American companies and artisans between the 1880s and the 1930s. Today, about 150 remain and only a fraction of those are still operational.

“It’s pretty amazing,” said Patrick Wentzel, the president of the National Carousel Association. “These rides are the only antiques that you can not only touch but throw your leg over and ride.”

These rotating historical artifacts are the survivors of decades of economic, social and technological upheavals that destroyed the majority of their peers, from the Great Depression and the invention of the roller coaster to an antique carousel frenzy that saw countless carousels broken apart and sold piecemeal.

Faced with what appeared to be a looming extinction, nonprofits, local governments, museums and other groups stepped in to save the last of the great American carousels. These operators pay artisans and specialized mechanics top dollar to maintain and refurbish the century-old rides, all in an effort to preserve their original design and craftsmanship.