96-Year-Old Paragon Park Carousel Still Operates in Hull, Massachusetts

Paragon Park operated at 1 Wharf Avenue at Nantasket Beach in Hull, Massachusetts from June 11, 1905 until it closed in September 1985. It was one of many "lost amusement parks" that dotted the New England landscape until there were no more.

Paragon Park was home to many of the traditional rides found at other amusement parks including the Trabant, Tilt-A-Whirl, Roundup, Scrambler, the Whip, bumper cars, wooden roller coasters, a Ferris wheel and a cart-load of kiddie rides. 

There was something else though that made Paragon Park special: it had a traditional-style Philadelphia Toboggan Company carousel (PTC #85) built in 1928 with hand-crafted horses. 

The Paragon Carousel is one of the state's only – if not the only – surviving four-wide carousels and is the only surviving element of Paragon Park. The carousel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

It is still in operation today.

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SeePlymouth.com says the Paragon Carousel "boasts four rows of 66 intricately carved horses and two rare Roman chariots. It's decorated with 35 original paintings, 36 cherubs, and 18 goddesses who look down while a Wurlitzer Band Organ fills the air with music."

The Paragon Park Museum is in the Clock Tower Building, a landmark at Nantasket Beach. The Paragon Park Museum provides a "history of the park's 1905 founding and its evolution from a Victorian-era 'exposition' to a late 20th Century amusement park."

The museum features a scale model of the wooden Giant Coaster and a museum gift shop featuring memorabilia and souvenirs.

Nantasket Beach and the Paragon Carousel are southeast of Boston in Hull, about an hour and a quarter from New Bedford by car.

READ MORE: Paragon Park's Giant Coaster Lives on 450 Miles From Hull's Nantasket Beach