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Friday, August 21, 2009

Hey, That's Our Horse! ~

Guarding the gateways in South Coast Plaza in Orange County, California, and mounted on the entrance signs, are eight hand-carved wooden horses. These animals were made for the Alameda Park carousel in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 1855, and were procured from a couple who had purchased the carousel and brought it from Pennsylvania to California. They had refurbished and erected the carousel and original melodian for the enjoyment of the neighborhood children, for whom the carousel operated on the weekends.
from: The OC Register

6 comments:

Susan said...

Interesting!!

Anonymous said...

if anyone can share any info as to where the shop was where this work is done it would be interesting.who the carvers may have been.

Anonymous said...

I can remember riding this same horse. What a great memory.

Anonymous said...

I grew up in Butler...We have a second home in Newport Beach, California and I shop frequently at South Coast Plaza. The Carousel horses are a theme here, with a beautiful merry-go-round in Carousel Court. I'll look at these horses differently next time I go to the mall!

Anonymous said...

This was the second carousel at the park. The first carousel (1903) may have been sold to Redbank Park in New Bethelem.

This the second carousel at the park came to Butler in 1917 from a W. D. Truax of Elmira New York. I am working on researching this further

Unknown said...

As a young boy I lived on Maryland Ave. We used to walk to Alameda Park regularly. I believe I rode on all the horses.