Exhibitions
"The Museum offers approximately 12 new exhibitions each year on a wide range of subjects. Exhibitions are often developed with our own extensive collections or traveled from renowned museums across the country.

"Research at the New York State Museum is as exciting as it is varied, with more than 35 scientists and historians actively directing projects in biology, anthropology, geology, and history. Research by staff represents one tangible way in which information about the natural and cultural history of New York, and the world, is made available to the public.

"Research findings are presented in scholarly and popular publications, at professional meetings, in exhibitions, and in public programs. Participation in Museum research projects is possible through internships, as research associates, and through volunteer opportunities."

The Carousel
"This full-sized carousel was made between 1912 and 1916 by the Herschell-Spillman Company of North Tonawanda, New York, one of the leading manufacturers of carousels in America. It was first used in Wellsville, New York and later at Cuba Lake's Olivecrest Amusement Park in Cuba, New York.

"It operated in Cuba until the early 1970s when it was dismantled and eventually offered to the New York State Museum in September of 1974. The carousel was purchased in March of 1975 from Robert Hopkins of Cuba, New York. It was to be an operating centerpiece in an exhibit on popular entertainment at the new Museum. The merry-go-round was dismantled and stored in the State Museum collections facility at Rotterdam until a plan for its restoration and installation in the new Terrace Gallery was approved.

"The carousel is complete and in good original condition. Its gold-painted decoration and mirrors are all intact. Its forty animals include 36 horses of three sizes and in various poses, and two deer and two donkeys. The substitution of other animals for horses was a mark of distinction among carousels, as was the Neptune's Chariot, a decoratively carved seat. A second chariot and a round tub are also on the carousel. The animals were placed on the carousel in three rows, with the largest and fanciest animals on the outside. The animals on the outside also featured inset jewels that would glitter when caught by the light. A total of fifty people could ride at one time.

. . . "The carousel is a symbol of an era that centered around the turn of the century, and some of the first American carousels were made and used in New York. In the 1890's there were merry-go-rounds at North Beach, Long Island, Brooklyn, and at Central Park as well as at locations throughout upstate New York" . . . Continued at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

Location: Albany

Categories
Carousels | Merry-Go-Round
Educational Programs for Kids
Hudson River Towns
Kid's Birthday Party Ideas
Museums - Hudson River Valley
Museums - Kids