Crescent Park Looff Carousel

A Brief History: Crescent Park Looff Carousel is located at 700 Bullocks Point in Riverside Rhode Island. Crescent Point was opened in 1886 by George Boyden and was named after the shape of its beach. The park was a very popular vacation spot often times compared to New York’s Coney Island. It suffered a fire to its ballroom on September 2nd1869 but still managed to continue business and expand after. Charles I.D. Looff, an immigrant master carver from Denmark, was soon contracted to build the pieces for a carousel. He hand carved 62 wooden creations and built 4 chariots for the park. The Carousel was finally completed in 1895. His designs were so popular that his new potential clients would visit the Crescent Park Carousel to pick out the horses they wanted duplicates of for their own carousels. In 1920 Charles Looff gained ownership of the park, he died five years later. The park carousel closed in 1977 and was restored. It was steam powered originally, replaced with an electric motor. The park closed in 1979 and an auction was held. The carousel was saved and gained its status as a national historic landmark. It was reopened in July of 1984 and is still up and running to this day. It is one of very few carousels that still have a working ring game. It still plays German organ music from the original organ it was built with. Due to noise complaints some of the pipes were blocked off to control the volume.

Haunted History: There are claims of disembodied laughter and whispering when people are alone on the ride. Another person claimed they saw a filled popcorn bag moving on its own. Locals have said they’ve witnessed the carousel start up on its own and its lights and music turn on and off with no one around to do so while the ride is closed. Some believe it may be the spirits of those who may have died in the ballroom fire, but if there were any fatalities from that fire is still undetermined and disputed by locals. Nearby a woman wearing a hoop skirt and looking sadly into the lake is said to be seen in the area and vanishes shortly after being seen.