All Hallows Guild Carousel, Historic carousel at National Cathedral, Washington, D.C.
The All Hallows Guild Carousel is a wooden carousel featuring 24 hand-carved animals, including lions, zebras, elephants, goats, camels, deer, and horses arranged in 12 matching pairs. A gasoline engine powers the 16-foot center pole that turns the entire structure.
The carousel was built by the Merry-Go-Round Company of Cincinnati in the 1890s and operated at county fairs and festivals for decades. The National Cathedral acquired it in 1963, preserving it as a piece of carnival history.
The carousel plays a role in the annual Flower Mart festival, a tradition since 1939 that brings families together while supporting the cathedral's gardens. Visitors experience how this event weaves into the community's rhythm of caring for the grounds.
The carousel operates only during fundraising events at the National Cathedral, particularly during the annual Flower Mart Festival. Check ahead for event dates since it does not run daily.
The carousel contains an original 1937 Wurlitzer calliope with brass pipes that plays during operation. It ranks among only two carousels in Washington, D.C., formally recorded in the National Carousel Census.
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