Dentzel Carousel

The Dentzel Carousel in Burlington City Park is one of only 14 menagerie carousels built by the Dentzel Carousel Company left in the world. A "menagerie" carousel is one that includes other animals besides horses. The carousel was built around 1913 and features 46 unique, hand-carved animals: 26 horses, four ostriches, four cats, four rabbits, four pigs, a lion, a tiger, a giraffe, and a deer. They are placed three to a row; the two inner rows are stationary while the outer row animals move up and down. There are two chariots as well. The Dentzel company was known for creating realistic animals and as such, the carousel is a rare example of folk art that operated as a recreational device in amusement parks and county fairs around the country. As of 2021, the carousel is in the process of being restored and installed in a new shed located in the park.

The Dentzel Carousel Company was established in Germantown, Pennsylvania in 1867 by German native Gustav Dentzel (1846-1909). He learned how to carve wood and build and operate carousels from his father, who spent summers traveling to fairs around the country (with the whole family) with a small, portable carousel. Dentzel immigrated to America with his brothers around 1866 and they brought with them what is believed to be first carousel in the country.

Dentzel opened a cabinet shop but soon turned his attention to carousels and established his company the next year. He hired Italian and German artisans who were skilled in woodcarving and classically trained, and introduced the use of steam-powered carousels. Dentzel was also the first to include a variety of animals. After he died in 1909, his son, William, continued to run the company.

Dentzel carousels were designed to be easily dismantled and as a result they were often relocated. This is the case with the carousel that ended up in Burlington. The city established Burlington City Park around 1936 and started to look for a carousel in 1939 but World War II postponed the search. In 1948, the carousel was found in Genoa, Ohio and transported to Burlington. It opened to the public on October 9th. It was an immediate hit. During the first ten days, 12,595 tickets were sold; over the course of the first month, 25,742 tickets were sold.

The carousel has operated continuously since it was installed in the park and fortunately it has remained largely intact. Its first location may have been at the Locust Point Amusement Park in Oak Harbor, Ohio and was probably moved to Genoa, Ohio in 1924 where it remained until the city of Burlington acquired it. The carousel (and the building it was housed in) underwent restoration in the 1980s. It started to be restored again in June 2019 and the work was scheduled to be completed by the Spring of 2021.

Fixler, Hayley. "Historic carousel in Burlington being relocated." Fox 8. March 19, 2019. https://myfox8.com/news/historic-carousel-in-burlington-being-relocated.

"Dentzel Carousel at Burlington City Park." City of Burlington. Accessed July 1, 2021. https://www.burlingtonnc.gov/232/Dentzel-Carousel.

"The Dentzel Family Carousel Story." Dentzel.com. Accessed July 1, 2021. http://www.dentzel.com/coloringbook/story/index.htm.

Harris, Allison B. "Menagerie Carousel." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. August 30, 1982. https://files.nc.gov/ncdcr/nr/AM0489.pdf.

Pattman, Elizabeth. '"Then & now: Burlington’s Dentzel carousel ‘a touchable piece of art’". Times-News. August 4, 2019. https://www.thetimesnews.com/news/20190804/then-amp-now-burlingtons-dentzel-carousel-a-touchable-piece-of-art.