Horse Rows
The two inner rows of horses are typical pre-1915 Parker Drop Leg style. They have bracket holes for an earlier type of vertical movement, known as a track machine, which indicates they were carved circa 1900.
The outside row of horses was carved by Solomon Stein and Harry Goldstein in Brooklyn, New York, circa 1907. The two different sizes of horses indicate they may have been from the first and second rows of another machine. All 36 horses have metal horseshoes marked “11 worth.” There are 36 Jumping Horses, one Chariot, and one Tub.
Exchanging Horses
Exchanging horses on County Fair Style carousels was standard practice due to usage and transport damage. Replacement horses cost an average of $35 to $50 in the 1920s.
C.W. Parker was well equipped to handle such exchanges. In addition to manufacturing carousels and amusement, carnival and band organ items, he dealt in used equipment and operated four amusement/carnival trains for the county fair circuits. The company ceased production of wooden horses in 1925 and closed in the 1950s.