There’s a wooden carousel that’s over 115 years old on the Toronto Islands

A wooden carousel that’s over 115 years old at Toronto’s Centreville is one of few left in the entire world.

The Centreville carousel is a beloved piece of history in Toronto, but it’s more of a rarity than you might think.

The wooden carousel is hand carved, and it’s one of around 30 left in existence and the only one in Canada.

The carousel has 52 animals total including cats, an ostrich, pigs, a lion and rabbits, and there are also two chariot spots. A classic Wurlitzer organ completes the iconic experience of the ride.

Though it now resides in Centreville, it was built in Germantown, Pennsylvania by the G.A. Dentzel Steam & Horsepower Co. which went out of business in 1928. It was acquired from Easton Park in Pennsylvania in the 1960s. Several Dentzel carousels still exist in the United States.

Though it still stands as a landmark in Centreville beloved by both young and old, its existence has been jeopardized a few times. It was actually severely damaged by a hurricane early in its existence and had to be rebuilt.

The carousel enjoyed many years of operation until its existence was threatened again, and this time it was almost gone for good. Catastrophic flooding struck the Toronto Islands in 2017, majorly damaging many areas of the island and forcing it to be closed to visitors. Beasley Amusements, owners of the theme park, tried to sell the carousel to the city of Carmel, Indiana.

There was major backlash to the proposition from both people in Toronto and Carmel, to the level that the situation was even dubbed “Carouselgate.” Toronto councillor Paula Fletcher launched a petition campaigning to keep the carousel at Centreville. Carmel offered to buy the carousel for $3 million, which was scheduled to have one last final season at Centreville in 2017.

However, Carmel’s city council had not approved the offer and people disapproved of using public funds for the purchase. Ultimately, the deal was rejected by city council and fell through.

That means we can still enjoy the historic Centreville carousel for years to come, and possibly even create family memories for over a hundred more years.