C.W. Parker Carousel Museum facts for kids

The C.W. Parker Carousel Museum, also called the Leavenworth Carousel Museum, is a super cool place in Leavenworth, Kansas. It's part of the Leavenworth Historical Museum Association and opened in 2005. This museum is home to amazing, old carousels that are officially registered as historical treasures! You can also see a special C.W. Parker cylinder piano, an Artizan A-X-1 band organ, and a Wurlitzer 153 Band Organ here. Plus, there are many beautiful carousel horses that have been carefully fixed up or recreated.

The museum is named after Charles Wallace Parker, or C.W. Parker. He built his very first "Carry-Us-All" amusement ride in 1898. It was such a big hit that his company quickly grew and moved from Abilene, Kansas to Leavenworth.

The Carousel Museum is a non-profit group. This means it runs on donations from the community and the hard work of volunteers.

Discover the Carousels

The C.W. Parker Carousel Museum is famous for its incredible collection of carousels. Each one has its own unique story!

The 1913 Carousel

This amazing 1913 "Carry-Us-All" carousel is the main star of the museum! It's named after its original builder, C.W. Parker. This particular carousel was the 118th one he ever made. It's still fully working and you can even ride it!

This carousel has 31 special, hand-carved wooden figures. Imagine riding on two cute bunnies, four ponies, a cozy sleigh ride, or even a "lovers nest" tea cup! When the museum got this carousel, it took thousands of hours to fix it up and make sure it was safe to ride. This carousel moves much faster than many modern carousels, which makes it extra exciting!

The Liberty Carousel

The Liberty Carousel was built in the 1950s by Paul Parker, who was C.W. Parker's son. This carousel is smaller, with 20 aluminum horses and two benches. Up to 24 people can ride it at once. What makes it special is that it's made of aluminum and has wheels, so it can be moved around easily! You'll find this carousel in its own separate room at the museum.

The Primitive Carousel

This carousel is very old, probably from around 1850 to 1860, but no one knows the exact date or who built it. Back when it was used, two men would have to turn it by hand to make it go! The horses on this carousel are made from several pieces of wood. They are much simpler than the fancy horses on the 1913 carousel.

This carousel has 12 pairs of horses and two benches, all hanging from the top frame. It's too old to be ridden now, but if you ask, the museum volunteers can show you how it used to work!

Musical Machines

Besides the carousels, the museum also has some cool musical instruments that used to play alongside these rides.

C.W. Parker Cylinder Piano

This piano was built around 1900. It's a hand-cranked piano that can play ten different songs! At first glance, it looks like a small upright piano, but it's much more unique.

Artizan Style X-A-1 Band Organ

Band organs like this one were often used with carousel rides at amusement parks. Today, this special organ plays music while the 1913 carousel is running, bringing back the sounds of the past!

Museum History

The C.W. Parker Carousel Museum is supported by the Leavenworth Historical Museum Association. It's even been called "One of the Eight Wonders of Kansas" by some! The museum building is located on the eastern side of downtown Leavenworth, Kansas, very close to the Missouri River.

All the amazing historical pieces you see in this building were either donated, loaned, or bought with special memorial funds or donations. Each piece needed a lot of work to be restored to its former glory.

Bringing History Back to Life

Restoring the old carousel horses and other items was a huge job! Many of the wooden carousel horses on the working carousel are nearly 100 years old. They were originally only expected to last about five years!

When they arrived at the museum, many horses had to be completely re-carved because the wood was rotten. The people who fixed them used the same old tools that would have been used when the horses were first made. To keep them historically accurate, each horse has wooden dowels instead of nails. It's estimated that thousands of hours of volunteer work went into these amazing restoration projects!