Research

Repository

Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds

Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series

C.W. Parker no. 119 carousel series

Description Level

Series

Physical Description

238 photographs + 3 audio cassettes + 2 sound recordings (mp3) + 6 videocassettes + 8 video recordings (mp4)

Scope and Content

Series consists of records created and adminstered by the Burnaby Village Museum pertaining to the history, acquistion, restoration, preservation and documentation of the C.W. Parker no. 119 carousel. Series have been arranged into the following subseries: 1) Carousel photographs subseries 2) Carousel sound recordings and films subseries

Administrative History

"The C.W. Parker no. 119 carousel was built in 1912 in Leavenworth Kansas by the Charles Wallace Parker Company. It was the one hundred and nineteenth carousel made by the company and was so named the C.W. Parker no. 119 carousel. In 1913 the carousel was sold to Mr. F.K. Leggett of Houston Texas for $5,886.00 and was originally equipped with a steam engine and ""wishbones/grass-hopper/jumping horse"" mechanisms. It toured Texas for two years with the Lone Star Circus until 1915 when the machine was shipped back to the factory. It is believed that the machine was rebuilt by the factory with fancier horses and heavier rounding boards referred to as the “Superior” style. Some of the horses were built around 1917 and some between 1920 and 1922. The factory records consulted do not tell for certain where the machine went between 1915 and 1936, possibly to San Jose, California from 1918 until 1922 and then to San Francisco California, or Tacoma, Washington. Accounts from the family of James W. "Jimmy" Robertson, supervisor of rides for Happyland, tell of him travelling with his wife Dora Robertson to Washington, Oregon and California in the fall of 1935 or early 1936 to pick up a new carousel for Happyland. By May 1936, the C.W. Parker no. 119 carousel was in operation in Happlyland inside Hastings Park. The Parker #119 carousel was installed in a pavilion in Happyland which had been built in 1928 by a rival company (Philadelphia Toboggan Company - P.T.C.) and was located next to the "Shoot the Chutes" ride in Hastings Park. Here it remained until Happyland was demolished in 1957. The C.W. Parker no. 119 carousel was then moved to a new small pavilion in Playland until that too was demolished in 1972. From 1972 to 1990, the C.W. Parker no. 119 carousel was operated outdoors inside Playland, and was put away each winter. In 1989 it was announced that the carousel would be sold off horse by horse at an auction in New York. Venus Solano and Doug McCallum and other local people came together to save the carousel and formed The Lower Mainland Association of Friends of the Vancouver Carousel (also known as "Friends of the Carousel"). The first directors of the society consisted of, President and Chairman, Venus Solano; Secretary, Doug McCallum; Director, Keith Jamieson and Director, Nina Freid Rhodes. In May 1989, the Friends of the Carousel approached the Burnaby Village Museum Association who agreed to provide a home for the carousel, pending the approval of Burnaby Municipal Council. Don Wrigley who was president of the Burnaby Village Museum Association joined the board of The Friends of the Carousel as a liaison. The Friends of the Carousel first acquired two horses from the carousel, who were named Julius and Belle. These two carousel horses were used in fundraising over the summer of 1990, at which time the carousel was operating again for a short time inside Playland. The carousel horse named Julius was restored by William Dentzel III (a descendant of one of North America’s original carousel manufacturers) and the carousel horse named Belle was partially stripped and repaired. These carousel horses served as before and after examples of restoration. In June 1990 Don Wrigley was elected as president of The Friends of the Carousel and they set about raising the $350,000 to purchase the carousel and begin restoration work. With a lot of hard work, the help of the Government of British Columbia and the support of the Municipality of Burnaby, the carousel was purchased. Funds were also raised by The Friends of the Carousel to pay for the restoration, and Burnaby agreed to build a new pavilion for it as a Centennial project. Keith Jamieson, a carousel expert, was brought in to coordinate the rebuilding project and restoration work. The Centennial Parker Carousel (C.W. Parker no. 119 carousel) and the Don Wrigley Pavilion where the carousel is housed, opened at Burnaby Village Museum on March 25, 1993.

Accession Code

BV013.19

BV019.21

BV019.39

BV020.5

BV020.12

BV022.2

X5124

X5125

Date

[190-] (date of originals) - 2012

Media Type

Photograph

Moving Images

Sound Recording

Related Material

Lower Mainland Association of the Friends of the Vancouver Carousel fonds

Keith Jamieson fonds

Faye Diamond fonds

See also: Burnaby Village Museum artifacts for the C.W. Parker no. 119 carousel as well as souvenir memorabilia from Lower Mainland Association of Friends of the Vancouver Carousel

Arrangement

Records have been created by various staff members of Burnaby Village Museum during the acquistion and research of the carousel. Some records were compiled together into a collection by subject and arranged according to their general material designations within the Burnaby Village Museum archival collection.

Notes

Title based on contents of series

Further accruals are expected

Contact Burnaby Village Museum to access sound recordings and moving images

Less detail