Last week I posted on the impending demise of the Brookside Park Carousel House in Dover, PA.I am sad to report that the beautiful structure has already been demolished.
There was no ceremony. No formal goodbye.
A few lines in the paper with a photo, showing not the building, but the destruction of the wood by the powder post beetles.
I only knew that it was scheduled for demolition in January. I drove by one night last week and saw an empty space in the park, covered with snow.
I have pictures. I am so glad that I took them.
When I put my Christmas decorations away, I found this photo of my mother and self. I'm on the horse and this may very well be my first carousel ride.
I am not sure where the photo was taken, but there is a very good chance it was on one of the amusement piers in Atlantic City, New Jersey. We moved to the Atlantic City area when I was about one.
I'm guessing by the chubby cheeks that I was close to two in this photo! The carousel was always magical for me. Of course the Mary Poppins movie confirmed my belief that the horses were magical! I always waited for the time when the horses galloped off into some fantasy land where we were transformed into cartoon characters!
If you are interested in other stories and photos of Times Gone "Bye", you must check out Sepia Saturday posts for the many other wonderful stories told by the wonderful and interesting folk who still post regularly in Blogville! There are posts every week ! So dig out your old photos - sepia, black and white, hand-colored or technicolored. Tell a story and join the fun.
20 comments:
Oh, Anita what a wonderful photo to have. It must have been a shock to find the carousel was already gone. It's such a shame!
Damn you, powder post beetles!
You were a cutie, weren't you? (Not that you aren't now, of course.)
P.S. Love Mary Poppins. "Feed the Birds" is indelibly written on my heart.
Thank goodness you have that photo. We had a park in the city where we went as children and it was demolished. We have no pictures of us there at all. You were so cute.
QMM
How quickly they demolish once they decide to do so. I love the carousel photo! Such a happy experience!
You look so happy - and of course, the horses WERE magical. I remember! Jo
Kat!
I will forever be sad about the carousel building. The weird thing about it is that I feel I have a calling of some sorts to do a mural. I had a dream about it! Seriously! I had a compulsion to take the photos two weeks ago. And Mary Poppins! From the moment they jumped into the street drawings I was hooked. As for my cuteness...ahem... I found notes written by my gorgeous mother about how fat I was in this picture.
Peggy, I'm so glad I got that photo. I was compelled to take the carousel house photos. Thanks for thinking I was cute.
Pat,
I was amazed at how quickly they demolished this! But I do believe it was a liability issue. Those beetles did a huge amount of damage.
Pat,
I still love the magic of the carousel! I never could reach those rings!
Oh, I'm so sorry the building is gone. It must have been such a surprise to see flat, snowy land instead of a snow-covered building. Your childhood photo with your mother is precious. In times gone by it seems people took fewer photos, which makes them all the more precious. Even more precious when so well-taken of a special event like this one of you on the carousel.
That is a magical photograph. Such a shame that the carousel has been demolished. Such things want me to grab my camera and go out and photograph things before it is too late. Thank goodness you did have photographs of it and your post means that in one way, it will live for ever.
So sad that the carousel is only memory now. But, thank goodness, you've saved some memories in photos and now shared them with the world, too. Thanks. :)
Hi there Anita! Long time, but so great to see you had visited my blog. I love this photo of you and your mom, so sweet and you are lucky to have it. I hate change too, I appreciate the older things but that's how this country works always tearing down the old. We have our memories.
Hey Sis - what a great picture! You look like you are so happy!
That's a wonderful picture. I'm so glad you have something to remember it by.
There's a carousel in San Diego's Balboa Park that has managed to not be torn down. When we moved here from Chicago in 1950 we used to ride it often. You could catch the gold ring and get a free ride. We managed to do that quite often, much to the chagrin of our mother who didn't want to wait for us forever.
Jo! Thanks for the visit. Let's remember the magic!
Nancy, I'm going to commemorate this carousel house in a painting or a mural! I'll try the painting first and see what happens.
Alan, I'm just glad I photographed the carousel house before it's demise. The photo with my mother was one that I found.
Lisa,
I'm glad I could share them with you.
Hi Barbara Pask!
I enjoyed visiting your site! I've been a lazy blogger lately. Thanks for visiting. I've been working on some paintings, I've just not finished anything lately!
Shazza! Mom always looked gorgeous. I always looked fat!
Barbara,
Thank goodness some have not been destroyed! The carousel inside this "house" was supposedly sold to a California amusement park. I have searched and cannot find any evidence. I think they sold it to someone who told them that as I found the individual horses for sale.
What a gorgeous photo, you must treasure it. what a lovely lady your mother is and you are so cute.
The photo makes me feel better that you have something left of that historic place. It is a great photo.
Marilyn,
My mother was definitely gorgeous. I was a chubbo.
L.D.,
Unfortunately or fortunately this is not from the carousel that was torn down. It was, however, taken about fifty years ago!
a most charming picture!!
sorry about the building. hoping to hear about that mural. perhaps you could make an official proposal to the city, and maybe it could be integrated into the future building?
good luck!!
:)~
HUGZ
Terrific photo. How very sad that the carousel house was taken down. Thank goodness for photos and memories to keep things like this alive.
Ticklebear,
Thanks! I plan to make a small painting first. Hopefully I'll post eventually. I'm thinking of incorporating the picture of my mother and self and other local children into it. I have found a couple of photos of the Brookside carousel animals. Looks like I have to get to work!
Hi Peggy!
I guess a building, like a person has to "die" eventually. Hopefully I can help to give it a second life through photos and paintings!
Wow, what a cute photo of you! Am glad you had the presence of mind to take pics of your beloved carousel (building)!
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