The Hampton Carousel

The Hampton Carousel, built by the Philadelphia Tobaggan Company in 1921 for Buckroe Beach Amusement Park, is one of the few working merry-go-rounds in the nation and is considered a fine example of early twentieth-century American Folk Art. Built at the end of America’s Golden Age of Carousels, it features hand-carved realistic and imaginative animals and decorative pieces made by German, Italian, and Russian immigrant artisans, who also created oil paintings and beveled mirrors for the ride. Frank Coretta, an Italian immigrant, is believed to have carved its horses, while Daniel Muller created two patriotic chariots called “Liberty” and “Eagle.” Its forty-eight decorated animals, including thirty-two moving “jumpers,” were individually painted and sculpted with distinct expressions and poses, and they circle a sixty-six-key 1914 Bruder band organ and mechanical drum with original music rolls. Generations of Hamptonians and visitors enjoyed the carousel at Buckroe for more than sixty years until the amusement park closed and the machine was dismantled and placed in storage. Friends of the Carousel raised contributions for its restoration, and in 1988 it was shipped to R and F Design in Bristol, Connecticut, for restoration before returning in 1991. Added to the National Register of Historic Places the following year, it has since become a focal point of Hampton’s downtown waterfront.

Hampton, Virginia · United States