Uncovering Burnaby: The story behind Burnaby's historic carousel

Have you ever visited the old carousel at the Burnaby Village Museum and wondered just how it ended up there?

As it turns out, the attraction known as the C.W. Parker Carousel has quite a colourful history that spans over 110 years.

It was built in Leavenworth, Kansas in 1912 by C.W. Parker, an amusement company founded in 1894 by a man named Charles Wallace Parker.

This specific attraction was the 119th carousel built by the company and in 1913, it was sold to a man in Houston, Texas, named F.K. Leggett for $5,886.

According to Heritage Burnaby, the carousel travelled with the Lone Star Circus in Texas until 1915.

After its run with the circus, it was sent back to the factory to be rebuilt, and “heavier horses and rounding boards,” were added to the structure, and its jumping mechanisms were believed to be changed as well.

Records consulted by Heritage Burnaby don’t indicate the carousel’s whereabouts between 1915 and 1936, but there is a possibility that it travelled from San Jose, California, to San Diego and then to Tacoma, Washington.

Then in 1936, it made its way to Happyland in Vancouver. 

Happyland was an amusement park that was located on the Vancouver Exhibition Grounds and eventually became what is known today as Playland.

The carousel operated at a pavilion and could be found beside the Shoots and Chutes ride. It remained at Happyland until the park was closed in 1957.

Then, it was moved to another pavilion at Playland until it was torn down in 1972.

For the next 17 years, the carousel operated outside (the exact location has not been specified) and was then stored away during the winter months.

In 1989, the carousel was going to be sold horse by horse in a New York auction, but the Friends of the Vancouver Carousel Society banded together to keep the machine in the Lower Mainland.

One of the members and founders of the society was Venus Solano, who reportedly worked at the PNE at the time, and found out about the potential sale.

The volunteer group raised $350,000, enough to purchase the attraction. A carousel expert was also hired to help rebuild it.

The restoration took place in a warehouse provided by the City of Burnaby and the carousel was eventually purchased. The city also agreed to provide a permanent home for it at a pavilion at the Burnaby Village Museum, where it can be found today.

The museum is currently closed for the season and the carousel isn't always open to the public to ride. During the museum's Heritage Christmas event in December 2022, the attraction was closed for a safety inspection.