Glen Echo Park Dentzel Carousel: 100 Years

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Thank you to our Carousel 100th Anniversary Sponsors!

The Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture is supported, in part, by the Maryland State Arts Council (msac.org) and also by funding from the Montgomery County government and the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County (creativemoco.com). All programs are produced in cooperation with the National Park Service and Montgomery County, Maryland.

This project has been financed, in part, with state funds from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, an instrumentality of the State of Maryland. However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the view or policies of the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority. This project has also been financed, in part, with funds from Heritage Montgomery and Montgomery County government.

A Brief History of the First Hundred Years of the W. H. Dentzel Carousel at Glen Echo Park Barbara Fahs Charles

1898-1920. Before the W. H. Dentzel Carousel The Caroussel is the finest ever produced, with all moving horses.

—Evening Star, September 5, 1906 The merry-go-round got under way yesterday, and was patronized by crowds of delighted children, whose elders also had to take a ride, to look after the little ones, of course.

—Evening Star, June 1, 1898

The first merry-go-round at Glen Echo is mentioned together with an electric theater, an amusement village, and a grotto wonderland along the bottom of this advertisement in the Washington Times, May 22, 1898.

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The 1921 W. H. Dentzel isn’t the first or second, and possibly not the third carousel at Glen Echo.

The first was set up in late May 1898. Perhaps it was a simple flying horses, with figures hanging on rods, or more likely, somewhat larger with figures mounted on the deck. A merry-go-round with a band organ was spinning in 1900. It is impossible to know if these are the same one, as ride owners typically operated season to season, paying a percentage of sales to the park.

In the early 1900s, W. F. Mangels was the first American to manufacture carousels with galloping figures. Lorenzo D. Shaw, who had made his fame building the Channel Chute (gravity coaster) around the Elephant Hotel at Coney Island, brought a beautiful large Mangels carousel to Glen Echo Park in 1906.

It was 3-abreast with electric lights and mirrors decorating the scenery to catch the light as it turned. Its 48 flamboyant jumping horses were carved by M. C. Illions, the greatest of the Coney Island carvers. When Shaw retired as park manager after the 1910 season, he sold the Mangels carousel for $5,000 to the Washington Railway and Electric Company, owners of Glen Echo Park.

Above: W. F. Mangels carousel at Glen Echo Park, c.1907. When the W. H. Dentzel carousel was purchased in 1921, this Mangels carousel was traded in to Dentzel as part of the purchase price.

Left: Two of the M. C. Illions carved figures from the Glen Echo Mangels carousel that were recycled at the Dentzel workshop and now gallop on the 1922 W. H. Dentzel carousel at the San Francisco Zoo. Horses that were on the outside row at Glen Echo now jump in the second row. And the easily broken extended rear leg on the palomino has been re-carved to a more practical pulled-in position.

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The master carvers for the Glen Echo carousel were D. C. Müller and Salvatore Cernigliaro.

Above and right: Müller carving his elegant horse heads (left one is similar to several at Glen Echo) and sketching a new design for an outside stander.

Below and right: Salvatore Cernigliaro assembling a horse and carving the body and tack, and carving an ostrich head, perhaps for Glen Echo.

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1920–192 1. A New Carousel for Glen Echo A new model [W. H. Dentzel] carousel has been sold to L. B. Schloss, manager of Glen Echo Park.

—Billboard, December 25, 1920 William H. Dentzel was the third generation of carousel makers. His grandfather Michael toured his own carousel in Germany. His father Gustav emigrated to Philadelphia and built his first merry-go-round in the late 1860s. By the 1890s, Dentzel carousels were operating throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. After Gustav died in 1909, W. H. Dentzel reopened the workshop and initially closely followed his father’s successful designs. His main competition was Philadelphia Toboggan Company, makers of elaborate carousels sold primarily to larger amusement parks. Carousel manufacturing slowed dramatically during World War I, but as the war ended, there were positive economic signs and Dentzel began to develop new concepts to compete for a larger share of the park business.

L. B. Schloss, general manager of Glen Echo Park since 1911, promised something new every year. As the 1920 season ended, he focused on the carousel. That December, he placed the first order for W. H. Dentzel’s new design featuring jester heads on the rounding boards. The price was $11,000 plus the 1906 Mangels carousel.

These images of the Dentzel workshop can be dated to 1920–1921 because the lion at the right in the paint shop (above) has been roaring on the Glen Echo Park carousel for 100 years. Dentzel outside row figures have unique trappings. The gilded monkey’s head surrounded by acanthus leaves is the key evidence.

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192 1 . Dentzel’s New Design A glitter of light flashing from the gold, silver and bronze trimmings.

—Evening Star, May 1, 1921 Glen Echo Park’s new carousel received glowing press reports. And it became a showpiece for W. H. Dentzel when L. B. Schloss invited other amusement park operators to come and see it. The elegance of the building, designed and constructed by park superintendent Frank Finlon, with no posts and the dome spanning from the stone pillars in the walls, was also widely noted.

Billboard, the publication for the amusement industry, commented that its “architectural lines conform to a type of beauty commensurate with the new model carousel.”

Left: The W. H. Dentzel carousel in 1921.

Above: The Frank Finlon building in 1921 or soon after.

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1926. Big, Better, Best Band Organ A new organ has been installed in the carrousel.

—Evening Star, May 14, 1926 For its 1921 debut season, the Dentzel carousel was accompanied by a Wurlitzer 153 duplex orchestral organ (no. 3347), a popular style for a carousel. But L. B. Schloss, wanting something better for 1922, ordered Wurlitzer’s newest design, the 157 (no. 3440), and advertised that it played “the latest popular selections.”

In terms of capability and tonality, this was a considerable upgrade. Four years later, in 1926, a still larger band organ arrived—the Wurlitzer 165 (no. 3779) that provides the marches and waltzes enjoyed while riding the carousel today.

Wurlitzer Military Band Organ Style 153.

Wurlitzer Military Band Organ Style 157.

Carousel operators with the new Wurlitzer 165.

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Wurlitzer Military Band Organ Style 165.

The Fun wasn’t for Everyone Fun is where you find it.

Where do you find it?

Glen Echo Amusement Park!

—Radio advertising jingle

From its beginnings as a Chautauqua in 1891 and later as a place of amusement in the 1890s, Glen Echo Park only advertised in newspapers with primarily White readerships, such as the Washington Post and Evening Star. The park was not strictly segregated, but visitation by Black

individuals and families was not encouraged, and likely discouraged. Excursion groups, however, were lucrative and park management actively booked church Sunday schools from both Black and White communities, often on the same day. This continued into the mid1920s. Restrictions hardened in 1931 with the opening of the Crystal Pool. From that point through the 1950s, park security did not admit Black patrons. This policy was widely understood, but never signposted.

Above: Capital Transit Company’s weekly passes often advertised Glen Echo, though the majority of passengers would not be allowed to enjoy the park’s attractions.

Left: Soldiers catching rings,1942.

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1960. Carousel Sit-in and Picketing for Civil Rights Collins: Are you white or colored?

Henry: Am I white or colored?

Collins: That’s correct. That’s what I want to know. Can I ask your race?

Henry: My race? I belong to the human race.

Collins: All right. This park is segregated.

Henry: I don’t understand what you mean.

Collins: It’s strictly for white people.

Henry: It’s strictly for white persons?

Collins: Uh-hum. It has been for years.

The sit-in by Black college students at a lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, in early 1960 inspired similar protests around the country. In Washington, Howard University students, led by Laurence Henry, organized as the Nonviolent Action Group (NAG) and successfully integrated lunch counters in Arlington, Virginia. Glen Echo Park, strictly segregated for decades, was their next target.

On June 30, 1960, a sit-in was staged at the park restaurant. When that was closed off, 13 protesters, both Black and White, headed to the carousel with pre-purchased tickets in hand.

They mounted their animals, but the operator

Gwendolyn Greene (Britt), Cecil Washington, Jr., and Marvous Saunders, three of the five protesters who were arrested during the carousel sit-in.

Francis J. Collins, deputized park security guard, and Marvous Saunders, protestor, at the carousel sit-in, June 30, 1960.

—Confrontation between deputized security guard Francis J. Collins and Laurence Henry, spokesman for protesters

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How would you like to tell your children they cannot play at Glen Echo Park because you gave them the wrong color skin?

—Nonviolent Action Group leaflet, 1960

refused to start the ride. After a two-and-ahalf-hour stand-off, five Black protesters were arrested for trespassing.

The NAG activists returned the following day and picketed for weeks together with White supporters, especially residents of Bannockburn, a liberal enclave adjacent to Glen Echo Park, and union members from the AFL-CIO. On several occasions, they faced counter-protests from George Lincoln Rockwell’s American Nazi Party. Despite such harassment, the wellorganized picket line, with daily shifts from 3pm until the park closed at night, continued until September 11, the end of the 1960 season.

The protesters vowed to return the following year, but just before the 1961 season was to start, the owners announced that the park would now be open to all.

Glen Echo Park was desegregated, but the legal battle over the carousel sit-in continued.

The Supreme Court ruled in June 1964 that the arrests violated the Fourteenth Amendment.

Two months later, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 banning discrimination in places of public accommodation.

Glen Echo Park welcomed everyone for eight years, but did not reopen for the 1969 season.

Protesters—adults and children, Black and White—maintained a picket line from the first of July until the park closed for the season on September 11, 1960.

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1969–1976. Saving the Park. Saving the Carousel The children of the greater Washington metropolitan area are about to lose their Merry-Go-Round! There is still a chance to save it, but time is rapidly running out.

carousel and Wurlitzer 165 organ at Glen Echo were beginning, but Jim Wells, dealer in band organs and carousels, had moved quickly and purchased both. In early May 1969, the Glen Echo Town Council discussed how to buy them —Fundraising appeal, Mayor and Town Council of Glen Echo, April 1970 back, yet felt it couldn’t act until the National Park Service (NPS) controlled Glen Echo Park and agreed to include the carousel in its plans.

By the time Glen Echo Park officially closed in April 1969, the threat of apartments rising over Wells asked $65,000 for the carousel plus the Potomac had been averted and negotiations $10,000 for the organ. As the land exchange delayed, however, he sold the carousel to for a land swap with the federal government Michael Roberts, who planned to move it to were showing significant promise.

Separately, efforts to keep the W. H. Dentzel California. The new price: $80,000, to be raised in one month, by the first of May 1970. The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation offered $40,000 if the Save the Carousel Committee could match it. Fundraising down to the wire, they succeeded and gathered another $10,000 to buy the organ back from Wells. The funds were give to the National Park Foundation to make the purchases, with the stipulation that the carousel and band organ remain at Glen Echo Park and open to the public.

NPS began operating Glen Echo Park in the summer of 1971. With the efforts of dedicated volunteers, Glen Echo Park was transformed into an arts oasis.

Glen Echo Town Mayor Frank Corder and Councilmember Nancy Long announcing the campaign to purchase the carousel, April 1, 1970.

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Since 1971 . Restoring and Maintaining the 165 Organ To do justice to the historical significance and musical capabilities of the organ, [the conversion] should all be done at one time.

—Durward R. Center, Conversion Proposal, November 25, 1974

Of the 11 known Wurlitzer 165 band organs, Glen Echo’s is considered by many to sound the finest. That couldn’t be said in 1971, when Durward Center, newly arrived in Washington to work with the Smithsonian’s mechanical musical instruments, first heard it. In 1934, the organ was converted to play the more common chromatic Caliola rolls. The 165 is not chromatic, so pipes were changed to cover the chromatic upper range, but some notes, notably in the bass, were missing. The triangle and castanets had also been removed.

Moreover, the 165 organ’s multiple voices for melodies and counter-melodies weren't being utilized. In 1978, after numerous discussions, the National Park Service contracted with Center to convert the Wurlitzer 165 back to its original configuration. Ever since, Center has done regular check-ups, repairs as needed, and seasonal tuning. Rosa Patton restored the façade to its original designs in 1994. A revival of interest in cutting 165-style rolls has given the organ a wide selection of arrangements to display its full musical virtuosity.

Above: The 165 organ after being converted back to its original configuration in 1978 and the restored façade.

The organ was moved in 2019 and kept safely in fine arts storage while its room was rebuilt. The two wings, front, and crest were removed first and then the musical chassis. The organ returned in 2020.

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1982–2003. Restoring the Carousel A precedent for the restoration of figures and pieces on an “operating” carousel.

—Rosa Patton, Conservation Report, May 1983

Top: Test sample for original paint on Indian Horse and 1921 photograph showing the same detail.

Middle: Indian Horse prior to conservation.

Bottom: Indian Horse with conserved original paint.

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For the first decade, funding was limited—just enough to keep the carousel mechanically sound. By 1982, it was time to address the aesthetics. NPS curator Nick Veloz noted evidence of original paint on some of the figures and scraping below layers of park paint and yellowed varnish, he was able to match a design on the front tack of the Indian Horse with the same design in the 1921 photograph. NPS called for proposals to conserve the Indian Horse, one center surround panel, and a pilaster. Rosa Patton of North Carolina was selected.

In 1983, Patton carefully documented and removed seven to nine layers of paint on the Indian Horse and found that 85% to 90% of the original paint survived. Based on these original colors, she in-painted the horse—touching up the saturated colors of the tack, and layering the colors on the body to preserve the changing tonalities. The restored paint was covered with a sealant and sprayed with a protective coating, both reversible. The beautifully restored horse proved that original paint likely survived on all of the figures. But, the Indian Horse’s paint couldn’t be protected well enough to preserve it and allow thousands of riders annually.

If restoring to original paint and in-painting wasn’t practical for an operating carousel, Nick Veloz and Rosa Patton needed an alternative approach for the remaining 51 figures and two chariots. Their solution was to do test scrapings down to original paint in various areas, especially on the tack and on the body of the figure where coloring was likely to vary, backbone to belly, for example. Found colors were matched to the Munsell color system.

Designs were traced to become patterns. Then, on the whole figure, layers of paint were taken Patton carefully scraped away strips of paint to find down to a stable, paintable layer. Selected the original layer and match it to a Munsell color. “windows” to original paint were left open.

The cleaned figure was primed and sanded at least three times, and then painted based on colors and designs discovered in the tests strips.

Restoration proceeded slowly for more than a decade as funds were raised. Then, in 1997, the volunteer Glen Echo Park Foundation On the inside trappings, a large window of original solicited a generous donation of $500,000. paint will remain visible.

Cleaned to stable, paintable layer. Adding silver leaf prior to painting. Restoration completed.

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The anonymous donor had one stipulation.

Finish the restoration of the carousel. Soon.

A deadline of December 2002 was negotiated.

Over the next five years, 34 figures, one chariot, center surrounds, and vaulted ceilings would be restored in batches at Patton’s studio. The massive and fragile inner and outer rounding boards needed to be completed on site.

The wooden rounding boards with plaster decorations had layers of chipped and peeling paint, much of it containing lead. First, Patton sampled about 100 areas to identify the original colors and create watercolor designs.

Then, a team of workers, following strict work environment procedures, removed loose paint, cleaned all surfaces and crevices, made repairs, and completely sealed the rounding boards, providing a safe, smooth surface for recreating the painted and metallic (gold powders, gold and aluminum leaf) areas. The 2003 season opened with a joyous celebration for the fully restored 1921 W. H. Dentzel carousel.

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Patton’s Munsell color documentation and watercolor drawings for the outer running boards.

Final work on the rounding boards.

Above: Ron Rozzelle painting the oak leaves.

Below: Rosa Patton blending colors on a shield.

1980–2020. Repairing and Upgrading the Building The Park Service has brought back the earlier appearance of the building.

This 1930s image of the carousel building with its harlequin roof was the source for future restorations.

The 12-sided carousel building with its domed, segmented roof is integral to the carousel and critical for its long-term preservation. When the National Park Service undertook park-wide renovations in the 1980s, the carousel building was structurally sound, but there were some rotten roof timbers, boarded upper windows, and the once decorative roof was plain. The needed work was completed and the roof designs were restored based on a mid-1930s photo. Minor repairs were called for 20 years later, when a fire suppression system was installed and the roof was repainted. By 2019, major repairs and upgrades were required, including improving fire protection with a new fire alarm system, renovating the band organ room, replacing the roof, and once again, a festive repainting of the earlier design.

By 2019, the entire roof needed to be replaced.

The fully restored building with its new roof, 2020.

—U.S. Department of the Interior, Historic Structure Report, March 1987

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2021. Time to Celebrate!

In honor and appreciation of the carousel serving as a site of community gatherings for 100 years— serving as a symbol of strength and resilience.

—Larry Hogan, Governor's Citation, April 2021 How Glen Echo Park’s W. H. Dentzel carousel has survived and thrived is a providential story of protectors and providers who were there at critical junctures and believed in excellence. L. B. Schloss, manager of Glen Echo Park, placed the first order for W. H. Dentzel’s new-style carousel to be installed in Frank Finlon's elegant column-free, domed building.

After the park closed in 1969, local citizens rallied to purchase the carousel and band organ. Durward Center first saw the Wurlitzer 165 in 1971 and has maintained it for 50 years. NPS curator Nick Veloz had the insight and curiosity in 1982 to check for original paint. Discovering evidence, he contracted with Rosa Patton to do sample conservations that have set the standard for the finest carousel restorations. At a critical juncture in 1997, the Glen Echo Park Foundation solicited a generous donation from an anonymous local benefactor, who funded the full restoration. Since 2002, the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture, under the leadership of Katey Boerner, has managed the park in collaboration with the National Park Service and Montgomery County. A salute to all who have and continue to care for this beautiful carousel, band organ, and building.

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How Does the Carousel Work?

S T

P

A O K I

K

V

U X

J H

Q

W E

G

B Y

F

L

C

N M Z

20

24’ - 6”

S

A P Q

R Z

D 48’-3”

Ceilings (O), Outer Rounding Boards and The carousel has a very elegant, relatively Shields (P) and Inner Rounding Boards (Q)— simple mechanism. Weight is carried by the are attached to the Sweeps and rotate. Only Center Pole (A), supported by the Diagonal the Center Surround (R) does not rotate.

Braces (B) and Mud Sills (C), all sitting on five From the top of the Center Pole, the Top concrete Piers (D). With a full load of riders, Bearing Assembly (S) carries 100% of the the weight could easily exceed 50,000 pounds. rotational load. Guy Rods (T), hooked into An Electric Motor (E) powers the Drive Belt the Top Bearing Assembly, support the Sweeps. and Horizontal Drive Shaft (F), which turn the Beveled Gears (G) and Vertical Drive Shaft (H), The Sweeps attach to and radiate from topped by the Bull Gear (I). The Bull Gear drives the Center Bearing Assembly (U), which carries the lateral stress load. Just above, Jumper the large Ring Gear (J) attached to the bottom of the Sweeps (K). Everything is connected to Rotating Gears (V), at the end of the Cranks the Sweeps, so when the Ring Gear rotates, the (W), circle on the stationary Bevel Gear (X).

Sweeps move the carousel. The Drop Rods (L), Jumper Poles (Y) for the inner two rows of hanging from the Sweeps, support the Deck (M). Figures are activated by the Cranks. The floor Outside Drop Rods also stabilize the outside of the building has a circular Jumper Pole Pit (Z), row of Figures (N). Façade elements—Vaulted where the Jumper Poles can go up and down 13”.

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How Fast does the Carousel Spin?

The carousel spins at 4.96 revolutions per minute (rpm).

At that rate, the inside row of horses are going 5.16 miles per hour (mph), while the outside row is 50% faster at 7.59 mph. So make your choice—fast on a standing horse or slower on a jumper?

How many Lights does the Carousel Have?

Press releases in 1921 claimed that the carousel glittered with 1700 lights. In reality, there are 1080 light bulbs, all rated 11 watts/84 lumens.

Their 2700 K temperature gives the carousel a nice warm glow.

How many Tunes can the Band Organ Play?

The band organ plays its music from perforated paper rolls. Two rolls can be set up to play sequentially on its duplex tracker system, so the music never stops.

The collection has more than 200 rolls, with a total of over 1900 musical arrangements.

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Why is this Carousel Called a Menagerie?

Menagerie, by definition, is “a collection of wild or foreign animals.” A menagerie carousel is one that has more than just horses. Dentzel carousels typically showcase a variety of beautifully carved animals. The Glen Echo Park carousel is no exception. The outside row displays a majestic lion, a ferocious tiger, a slender giraffe, and a leaping deer, interspersed among 12 elegant horses.

On the two inside rows that go up and down, there are 24 galloping horses, two pairs of running rabbits, and two pairs of blue ostriches. W. H. Dentzel was once asked why he painted his ostriches blue instead of their natural color, and he wryly responded that “the populace simply reveled in blue ostriches . ..bedecked in their Sunday best.”

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Can You Find It?

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Aztec Sun

Bubba’s Gold Tooth

Buckle and Stripes

Chubby Cherub

Jingles’ Bells

Roses and Poppies

Sit-in Rabbit

Tassels' Original Paint

Vicious Griffin

To learn more about Glen Echo Park, please visit: www.glenechopark.org Published in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Glen Echo Park's W. H. Dentzel carousel © 2021 Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture Published by: Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture Printed by: Mercersburg Printing, Inc., Mercersburg, PA Designed by: Barbara Fahs Charles, with Jared Arp

Resources

Richard Cook and Deborah Lange: Glen Echo Park: A Story of Survival (Bethesda Communications Group, 2000) Owen Kelley: How Glen Echo Park Joined the National Park Service (Owen Kelley, 1999) Deborah Lange: Restoring the Glen Echo Park Carousel (Bethesda Communications Group, 2004)

Images

With gratitude to these individuals and institutions for permission to reproduce their images.

John Caruso: p3 (color) Barbara Fahs Charles: p4 (color), p5 (color), p8 (band organs), p22 (bottom), p23, p24, back cover Columbia University, Rare Books & Manuscripts Library, Frederick Fried Coney Island Collection: p3 (b&w) Richard Cook Collection: title page, p6-7, p8 (left), p9 (passes), p14 (top right), p17 (top) DC Public Library, Star Collection © Washington Post: p10 Bruce Douglas: p16 (bottom) Joseph Craig English: front cover (original serigraph) Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture: p13 (middle, bottom), p17 (bottom left & right) Glen Echo Town Archives © Washington Post: p12 Library of Congress, HABS no. MD-1080-A: p13 (top), p14 (bottom), p20, p21 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs: p7 (building), p9 (left) Rosa Patton: p14 (top left, middle), p15 (top 4, middle 2), p16 (top 4) Ron Rozzelle: p15 (bottom 3) Peter Somerville: p16 (middle) Robert Staples: p22 (top, middle) David Stuck: p18-19 Underwood & Underwood: p4 (b&w), p5 (b&w) Holgate Young: p11

We love it! We preserve it! And, we pass it on!

—Carol Trawick, May 1, 2021, Carousel 100th Anniversary Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Galloping Off for the Next 100 Years!