The merry-go-round became the centerpiece of the park's colorful history when George Long Sr. brought his 12-year-old son, George Long Jr., and the family in 1904 to operate a carousel concession. It was one of several rides built and run by the extended Long family in Rochester and along the East Coast at the turn of the century. The Longs spent several summers living in a shack right behind their carousel, and George Long Jr. came to love Rochester and made the city his home. In 1946 he bought the whole park from the transit company and for a time renamed it Dreamland. More than half a century later, Long's grandchildren continued operating the landmark amusement park, listed as the 4th oldest park in the country, and the existing carousel, built by the family's fifth generation, kept the carousel tradition alive.
