Ferry County Carousel - The Carousel

The Carousel

This all wood carousel consists of 24 horses mounted in two rows on a traveling "country fair" style mechanism. There are three distinct carving periods to be found among the horses while all of the horses feature detachable "pillows" or saddles. Two of the styles are differentiated by the mane carving styles, and are traceable back to the Armitage Herschell Company and the Herschell Spillman Company, while two horses are thought to have been carved by Charles Dare. One of the horses was missing from the carousel for nearly 15 years. It was thought lost until being discovered in the garage of a house which a person had just bought. It was in very poor condition upon return and was sent to a carver in Missoula, Montana for intensive restoration. While some of the horses are painted to resemble common breeds, many are named and painted in remembrance of horses known or owned by the sponsors. The horses range in color from Appaloosa and Red Sorrel to an African Paint. The breeds are as diverse as the colors and include a Morgan horse, wild mustang, and even a Zebra. The zebra, "Echo babe", is the carousel's spare, and only new, "horse". Sponsored by the local mining company, she was donated by a Tacoma carver, Joanne Sessions, so the children could have a zebra to ride. The horses "Mary Jane" and "Frosty" are thought to have been carved by Charles Dane while he was under contract to Armitage Herschell.

At the time of the restoration the Keller, Washington 4-H, having been saving money for a project for several years, decided to sponsor one of the horses. Having only $400 of the needed $1,000, the club successfully petitioned the Colville Confederated tribes for the remaining $600. In honor, painter Sandy Shiflett, painted "Running Brave" as an Appaloosa mustang with traditional feathers in the mane and war paint on the rump. She designed the blanket with a 4-H Clover on the saddle blanket and a sunflower carving on the saddle in honor of the Keller area.

Each of the running boards was painted by a local artist and feature different landscapes from around the county. The back panels are painted with scenes of wildlife, country life, and history, and include one scene by well known western artist Everett Russell, a Ferry County resident. To include even the children the "This Little Light of Mine" project allowed one to sponsor one of 540 lights on the machine for $10 in the name of a child, and a memorial board was painted by a Republic High School senior, showing the sponsors and where to find the specific light on the carousel itself.

Whether this carousel originally had an organ is unknown, and music is provided currently by a CD player donated from Spokane and housed behind a carved facade donated by a wood carver also from Spokane.