Featured Fragment – Brandywine Springs Carousel Ring
By Bill Liebeknecht
Recovered steel carousel ring
In 1886, Richard Crook rented the Brandywine Springs facilities from the Fell family. Located west of downtown Wilmington, Delaware, Crook envisioned a resort where people would go on weekends and holidays for picnics, parties, and political rallies. Shortly thereafter, his vision shifted to using amusements to draw in the crowds from Wilmington and Philadelphia. By 1889, he had erected a restaurant and a toboggan slide in the grove down from the Chalybeate spring; by 1890, he added a merry-go-round and the amusement park was on its way (Weslager 1949:70–73). He replaced the initial merry-go-round in 1891 with an enclosed structure housing flying horses (otherwise known as a carousel) (Lawlor 2013:15). The park resembled a shore resort community complete with boardwalks and attractions.
Dovetail conducted archaeological excavations on a portion of the former resort this summer. A seemingly unappealing artifact, an iron or steel ring (pictured left), was recovered from Excavation Unit 2, Level III. This simple, steel ring is from the carousel. Riders on the outside row of animals (typically horses, but not always) could play the “Brass Ring” game. They would grab rings from the end of a wooden arm or shoot loaded with steel or iron rings and one brass ring. The rider who grabbed the brass ring was given the honor of staying on for a free ride. Steel rings taken as souvenirs have been found throughout the park, and although not a prize they are valued as mementos of days gone by (Lawlor 2013:19–20).
For more information on Brandywine Springs visit https://www.fobsde.org/
Brandywine Springs Carousel
Brandywine Springs Carousel at Night
Brandywine Springs Food Stand
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Photographs courtesy of Friends of Brandywine Springs
References:
Lawlor, Mark R
2013 Brandywine Springs Amusement Park, Echoes of the Past 1886-1923. M and M Publishing. Wilmington, Delaware.
Weslager, C.A.
1949 Brandywine Springs, The Rise and Fall of a Delaware Resort. Hambleton Company, Inc. Wilmington, Delaware.