10 Fascinating Facts About Abilene’s C.W. Parker Carousel as It Celebrates 125 Years
What started with a father spending nearly his last dollar to see his daughter smile became an American amusement legacy, and that story began in Abilene, Kansas.
In 2026, Abilene's 1901 C.W. Parker Carousel celebrates its 125th anniversary. Named one of the Kansas Sampler Foundation's 8 Wonders of Kansas Customs, it is the oldest operational Parker carousel known to exist.
And yes, you can still ride it!
Located at the Dickinson County Heritage Center, the carousel offers visitors the chance to experience a piece of history created by the man who became known as the "Amusement King."
Here are 10 fascinating facts to know before you take a spin.
1. It all started with a little girl's carousel ride
Charles Wallace Parker, the "Amusement King," dreamed of creating and operating amusement devices, but his interest in carousels came from a very personal experience.
According to the story, Parker had only one dollar in his pocket when he took his daughter to ride a carousel. Instead of using the money to buy groceries, he spent most of it buying additional rides because he saw how happy the carousel made her.
Watching her excitement, and realizing how much he was willing to spend to keep that joy going, Parker decided he needed a carousel of his own.
That decision helped launch an amusement legacy.
2. Parker got his start with a shooting gallery
Before the carousel, there was a portable shooting gallery.
Parker purchased one, improved its design and eventually began building his own. That experience helped launch his career manufacturing amusement devices and put him on the path to becoming one of the best-known names in the early American amusement industry.
3. Abilene became home to the "Amusement King"
Parker built his first carousel in 1892 and started the Parker Carnival Supply Company two years later.
His business was based in Abilene, making Parker the only carousel manufacturer at the time operating outside the East Coast.
The company remained in Abilene until 1911, when a dispute over property lines with the city led Parker to move the operation to Leavenworth, Kansas.
4. Abilene's carousel was built in 1901
The carousel visitors ride today was built in 1901.
That makes 2026 its 125th anniversary, and after all those years, the carousel continues to delight riders at the Dickinson County Heritage Center.
This isn't simply a historic artifact you admire from a distance. It's history you can climb aboard.
5. Take a closer look at those horses
There's plenty to see as the carousel goes around.
The carousel features 24 horses arranged in 12 pairs, four chariots and a 40-foot-wide platform.
Parker's carousel designs evolved through the years. After moving his company to Leavenworth, his horses became increasingly grandiose and other animals began appearing as carousel mounts.
Today, the horses and chariots help tell the story of an era when carousel craftsmanship was both an art and an industry.
6. The Parker company survived major changes in America
World War I and the Great Depression created significant challenges for carousel manufacturers.
Companies that survived had to adapt, including turning to wood-carving machines or aluminum horses as manufacturing changed.
The C.W. Parker Amusement Company endured. After Parker's death in 1932, his son continued operating the company in Leavenworth until 1955.
7. This carousel spent decades on the road
Like many early carousels, Abilene's wasn't always in one place.
Jimmy Weisener purchased the carousel in 1928 and spent the next 38 years traveling from town to town operating it.
In 1959, Weisener sold the carousel to Tom Knight of Riverton, Wyoming, who placed it at his drive-in movie theater.
Its travels had taken it far from the Kansas community where the Parker story began, but that wouldn't be the end of its journey.
8. Abilene brought it home
After Tom Knight's death, his widow offered the Dickinson County Historical Society the opportunity to purchase the rare carousel.
There was just one challenge: Abilene needed to raise $8,900 to buy it.
The community did exactly that.
In 1976, 75 years after the carousel was built, Abilene brought the C.W. Parker Carousel home.
Today, generations later, that community effort continues to give visitors the opportunity to experience it.
9. It's one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas Customs
The Kansas Sampler Foundation named Abilene's C.W. Parker Carousel one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas Customs, recognizing its significance as an important piece of Kansas culture and tradition.
Even more impressive, it is the oldest operational Parker carousel known to exist.
And perhaps the best part is that it still does what C.W. Parker intended it to do more than a century ago: make people smile.
10. You can celebrate its 125th birthday powered by steam!
A 125th birthday deserves a special celebration.
On Saturday, October 3, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Dickinson County Heritage Center will host the 125th Anniversary of the 1901 Parker Carousel Celebration & Tractor Show.
For this special occasion, the carousel will be powered by its original steam engine, giving visitors the chance to experience the carousel in an unforgettable way.
The celebration will also include a tractor show, old-time games, carousel bounce house, shooting gallery and more, with a food booth available for lunch.
Take a Ride on History in Abilene
There's something pretty special about climbing onto a carousel horse that has been bringing smiles to faces for 125 years.
But Abilene's C.W. Parker Carousel tells an even bigger story. It's the story of an entrepreneur who saw the joy a carousel brought his daughter. It's the story of an Abilene business that became part of America's amusement history. It's the story of a machine that traveled from town to town for decades. And it's the story of a community that came together to bring an important piece of its history home.
This October, come celebrate 125 years of the 1901 C.W. Parker Carousel in Abilene, Kansas.
Take a spin. Hear the music. Pick your favorite horse. And experience one of Kansas' most fascinating attractions the way it was meant to be experienced.
For 125 years, the horses have been going 'round and 'round. On October 3, come to Abilene and take your turn on history.