From 1911 to 1925, my great grandfather, Royal Platt, was the general manager of Idora Park, an amusement park in Youngstown, Ohio. As was common those days, he also owned some of the concessions and attractions at the Park, including the Merry-Go-Round. [See the story from my grandparents and, also, note that a book on Idora places Royal's time period as GM as being 1911 to 1921.]
Royal's Merry-Go-Round was installed in 1922. He sold his interest in it to Mr. Duffy sometime around 1929 when he cashed out and moved away from Youngstown. In 1975, Idora's merry-go-round became the first of its kind listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
My father, in high school, worked at Idora Park with Mr. Duffy, and I, myself, visited Idora Park with my grandmother and aunt as a kid. I remember the Merry-Go-Round. Everyone does.
A fire in 1984 in another part of the Park caused the abrupt shut down of Idora and sale of the carousel.
That's not the end of the story.
It's now Jane's Carousel and installed under the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. It opened in its newest home on September 16, 2011.
Here it is today:
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| From janescarousel.com |
We approve. I think Royal would too.
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SIDE NOTE:
Interesting aside that maybe only my kids will care about some day: Royal Platt was born in among seven children. When he was, literally, on his way, his mother realized she hadn't yet chosen a name for the baby. She looked up where she was and saw a box of Royal Baking Powder. Suddenly. Named.
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