The Armitage Herschell Carousel, now located in the Gymnasium of the old E.E. Bass Junior High School, was built in 1890 and was brought to Greenville by local businessman Eli Franklin Wineman in 1901. Wineman rented the carousel to local communities until he began operating it in his yard at the corner of Broadway and Deason Street. He later moved it to the corner of Percy and Delesseps Street where he operated it until 1934. Due to failing health, Wineman sold the carousel to an employee, Harry Crockett. Crockett, an African-American entrepreneur, moved the carousel to Walthall Street, where it remained until 1954. Crockett’s family sold the carousel to the Junior Woman’s League of Greenville in 1954, and they moved it to Fairyland Park. By 1988, time and exposure to the elements had taken a toll on the wood horses and sleighs. Restoration began in 1991 and was finally completed by the Delta Children’s Museum, and the refurbished carousel was opened to the public in February 2007. The Armitage Herschell Carousel and the Dentzel Carousel in Meridian, Lauderdale County are the only carousels permanently operating in Mississippi. The Armitage Herschell Carousel was listed on the National Register on 28 March 2012. |