This is part of the Holyoke Heritage Trail so after visiting here get back onto the trail.
The Holyoke Merry-Go-Round is now a main feature of Holyoke’s downtown. It started its life at the Mountain Park of Holyoke when it was still a park and not an amusement park. Mountain Park started its existence as a casual park owned by the Holyoke Street Railway. It had many animal cages along its south central border. The park gradually changed into more of a park with some rides by the 1910s and then more rides by the 1920s. A roller coaster was purchased from the Philadelphia Toboggan Company and a carousel came free with it. This happened in 1929 when the park was undergoing massive changes into an amusement park atmosphere. New roadways were built to the park and a new type of person was attending. It was now the Mountain Park Amusement Park.
By the 1990s the roller coaster disappeared since the park no longer was used since it closed in 1987 and had no more functions. The carousel however still was inside the house that surrounded it. It was a glorious carousel with the horses was both hand carved and hand painted. Local citizens decided after 1990 to house it temporarily at Curran Warehouse and repair it. By 1993 it had a new home at the Holyoke Heritage State Park. It is now a functional ride again.
Visit their HISTORY page and also go for a ride on it. Each horse has a storied history and you can read about each at the Merry-Go-Round’s links: