Smithsonian carousel that made civil rights history back in operation on the National Mall

The Smithsonian-owned carousel reopened on the National Mall on Friday following nearly three years of restoration work.

The work included a fresh paint job to match the ride’s original colors, new paving and wiring, and improving the accessibility of the carousel.

Passes to ride the carousel, the Smithsonian Institution said on its website, would be available for $6 per rider at the ride’s operating booth from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

The carousel was made by the Allan Herschell Company in 1947. The Smithsonian started operating it in 1981, replacing a previous iteration that was made in 1922 and installed in 1967. The Smithsonian bought the current carousel outright from its previous owners in 2022.

Another Allan Herschell Company carousel, dating back to 1918, was permanently closed and removed from Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon last month.

Before its time on the National Mall, the carousel was located at the now-defunct Gwynn Oaks Park, an amusement park in Baltimore. The park was the target of desegregation protests from 1955 until 1963, the Smithsonian said.

Spiro Agnew, future vice president and Baltimore County executive at the time, brokered a deal to desegregate Gwynn Oaks Park on Aug. 28, 1963, the same day that Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech.

Father Charles Langley and his then 11-month-old daughter Sharon Langley rode the carousel that day, becoming the first Black people to ride the ride and thereby integrating Gwynn Oaks Park, the Smithsonian said on its website.

Ms. Langley returned to ride the carousel, on a horse decorated with civil rights-themed “Freedom Rider” livery, on Friday.

Ms. Langley told NPR that it was fitting that the carousel is back “with all the monuments of freedom … this is a monument for children to come and enjoy, ride and experience the pursuit of happiness.”

The ride got good reviews from kids on its first day back in operation. Jackson Hayle, 12, told WTOP-FM that “I thought it was cool. It was worth the wait. I rode a normal horse, but I wanted to ride the seahorse one. It was the coolest one.”

Lucas Platt, 7, told NPR: “It’s actually one of the fastest carousels I’ve really been on. Usually, they’re much slower than this. It’s great. I really like it. Nothing bad about it.”