Smithsonian Carousel

The carousel on the Mall stands silent on winter days. It's a chance to study the details and enjoy the way the light glows through the roof. A carousel was first installed in 1967. When it wore out, the present model, built in 1947, replaced it. This one originally stood in Baltimore's Gwynn Oak Park, but only white children were allowed to ride on it there. In August,1963, a group of black and white parents got together and sat their children on the horses, integrating it for the first time. This was the same day that Dr Martin Luther King gave his famous speech at the Lincoln Memorial, When spring arrives, the music will start, the horses will glide up and down and the carousel will once again become a blur of color and happiness for children unaware of it’s link to history.