The Glen Echo Carousel that Became a Civil Rights Movement

Tucked away in the cute but eerie Glen Echo Park is one of the world's most elaborate and historic carousels. Built by the famous Dentzel Carousel Company in 1921, the carousel features a menagerie of carved wooden animals galloping at five turns per minute (fast!) to a hundred-year-old Wurlitzer band organ.

The Fight To Desegregate Glen Echo

When the carousel was built, Glen Echo Park was segregated. On June 30, 1960, a group of Black college students took a ride on the carousel and refused to get off. Once seated, they were confronted by security, resulting in this famous photo of student Marvous Saunders leaning over his mounted rabbit, speaking to the sheriff. 

The operator refused to start the carousel and after two and a half hours, five of the protesters were arrested. However, activist demonstrations continued outside the park for the rest of the season and it was finally desegregated for the 1961 season.

Saving the Carousel

A few years later, the carousel was bought by a collector with intentions of moving it to California, but the residents of Glen Echo were having none of it. They formed a committee to save it and raised over $80,000 to buy it — plus an extra $10,000 for the Wurlitzer organ — and donated it to the National Park Service.

By this point the carousel wasn’t looking so hot, so in 1982, the slow and painstaking process of restoring the 52 wooden figures began. It took 150 - 200 hours to complete each animal. Rosa Ragan, the main restorer, had to peel back as many as 10 layers of paint to find and restore the carousel’s original vibrant colors. In 2003, the restoration was complete.

Because of this massively in-depth restoration, the carousel has become a kind of living museum piece. Carousel enthusiasts (yep, that’s a thing) often travel across the country, or even the world, just to see it in person.

Today, the carousel is the only remaining historic ride at the park and is ridden by over 50,000 people a year.