Whisper the word "carousel" to any Southern New Englander, and you will undoubtedly evoke a smile, a sentimental sigh, and fond memories of Carousel #54. Built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company in 1920 during the "Golden Age" of wooden carousels, Carousel #54 was shipped from the City of Brotherly Love to North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, where it served as the crown jewel of Lincoln Amusement Park for seventy years.

The Fun House. The Comet. The Carousel. For decades these rides made Lincoln Park a fixture on the South Coast. A place where families congregated for wholesome entertainment, Lincoln Park attracted a laundry list of celebrity guests, including everyone from Eleanor Roosevelt to John F. Kennedy.

But in 1991 the park foundered, and as its owner flailed for capital to keep it afloat, a group of Fall River business leaders lobbied to bring the carousel to Battleship Cove. Much as they did for the battleship Massachusetts nearly thirty years before, the community rallied around the carousel and refurbished it at a cost of $250,000. A majestic Victorian pavilion was constructed to house the attraction; nearly as lavish as the carousel itself, the splendid structure now perches over Heritage State Park, offering panoramic views of the Battleship Cove fleet.

SAVING AN ENDANGERED SPECIES: The National Carousel Association was founded in the fall of 1973 in nearby Sandwich, Massachusetts, by a group of nearly 100 people who shared a common love of the wooden hand-carved carousel. From that occasion there has developed an organization of more than 1,000 members from the U.S. and Canada.

Now well established, the NCA is devoted to the promotion of the appreciation, conservation and enjoyment of the art of the classic carousel. Primary goals include protecting operating carousels still in existence, providing restoration and historical information, and promoting awareness of this unique art form.

Click here to visit their website.