From Old Barn to Old Threshers for 1894 Norman & Evans Steam Carousel (Cont.)
By Don Snider
Merry-Go-Art. Joplin, Missouri
On November 12, 1986, Ruth and I were awakened in the middle of the night by a collect call from Buck Brasington. When I asked him where he was, he said, “I am in your back yard.”
Jerry Ottoway (center), Thane Snider (right) and a friend unload one of the needy horses.
It turned out that he was in Mountain View, MO, using the only phone in the motel under the close supervision of the motel owner to ensure that they made the call collect. (At least that was his story and he is sticking to it.) He asked me, “Would you like to buy a carousel?”.
The story was that Dan Horenberger was working on an organ in Kansas City and while there he ran an advertisement in the paper wanting to buy carousel figures or carousels. He was contacted by the widowed owner of a pre-1900 Norman and Evans steam-driven track carousel, band organ and steam engine. They negotiated for a time, and Dan contacted Buck Brasington. They were able to put together the purchase price of the carousel even though it was conflicting with Veterans Day (Nov. 11). So the “look-like” drug dealer from California (Buck) with his bag of dough got on a plane for Kansas City where they rented a U-Haul truck and headed off for the Wild Bad-Lands and Hollers of the Missouri Ozark Hills.
It turned out that they arrived just in the nick of time to close the deal, load up the purchases from the barn where they had been stored and beat a hasty retreat to Joplin MO. The widow met Buck at the door with the greeting, “Well I see you brought your son after all.” It seems that the widow mistook Buck for another person whom she had made a tentative deal with on the phone and she was expecting him, not Buck.
Twinkle-toed Buck, without missing a step said, “Yes ma’am, I did,” with a loving glance at his newly acquired carousel. The two loaded, with much difficulty, the 24 horses, two chariots, the track machine and band organ. The hardest part was the loading of the steam engine. As they were pulling out of the pasture, with their mud flaps dragging the ground, another similar sized truck was coming in the same road. Buck (or Mario as he is known in the race circuit), was able to evade the would-be purchasers and post haste arrived in Joplin, MO.
I had in the meantime contacted Jerry Ottoway of Wichita, KS. Jerry had mentioned to me at a convention that he was in the market for a steam carousel. Jerry Ottoway is no stranger to steam power. His family ran the Ottoway Steam Train Company that manufactured miniature steam trains for amusement parks and city parks. When Buck contacted me, Jerry’s name came to mind, and I called him right away. Jerry made the arrangements and the next night (true to Buck’s Scottish blood), I got another collect call and we closed the deal. I bought the carousel, Buck and Dan brought it to Joplin, where I paid him for the carousel with the stipulation that he would drop it off with the band organ in Wichita, KS, at Jerry’s Roller Rink on their way to California. I owned it for about 10 minutes, the time it took for me to describe the carousel on the phone and verify to Jerry that it was indeed a steam (at that time we thought it was an Armitage Herschell) carousel.
The carousel had been owned by the Johnsons for quite a number of years, and they had operated it in the Mid-west. When they retired, they stored the carousel in a rather leaky barn and the band organ was stored in a crate outside. The carousel was in terrible condition.
Jerry Ottoway commissioned Thane Snider to restore the horses and Jerry restored the mechanism and the steam engine. The horses had the typical complement of steel braces, tin and buckets of nails. They are somewhat atypical in that they have outstretched legs, which we later learned was a characteristic of Norman and Evans Carousels. Rot had taken its toll and many parts, particularly the top of the heads and ears, had to be re-carved. Pop bottle caps, rocks, and broken marbles served as eyes for many of the horses. Each horse had to be completely taken apart and new internal braces were installed. Some of the saddles had to be re-carved.
After Thane completed the wood restoration, he painted each horse and then used a satin stain to avoid a glossy plastic look. Several years after the carousel was sold to The Old Threshers Foundation, Thane and I went to Mt. Pleasant to consult with them and train the local staff on the maintenance of the figures.
Once the carousel was restored, it ran at Cowtown Days in Wichita, Kansas from 1988 to 1996. In 1996, the carousel was sold to the Midwest Threshers Foundation in Mt. Pleasant, IA. Interestingly, it had wintered previously in or around Mt. Pleasant where it now runs and resides at the Threshers Museum.
They have built a beautiful building to house the carousel. This museum is dedicated to local historical preservation and displays are of early rural farm life, equipment and farming. They are strongly oriented to the display and restoration of steam-powered equipment. The museum that houses the carousel is Midwest Old Threshers, 18887 Thresher Road, Mt. Pleasant, IA. They have a wonderful “Reunion” each year. This year the date of the Reunion is Aug. 30 to Sept. 3rd. They have first-rate musical entertainment (blue grass, country, folk, etc.) and a host of fun things to do and exhibits to view, including steam trains, electric trolleys, tractors, typical farm homes with native crafts.
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Midwest Old Threshers Reunion Mt. Pleasant, Iowa
The Midwest Old Settlers and Threshers Association began in 1950 in Mt. Pleasant, IA, with a gathering of 15 steam engines and eight separators. After 50 plus years, the annual Old Threshers Reunion, held five days ending Labor Day, is an established celebration of our rich agricultural heritage that attracts visitors from across North America and abroad.
Midwest Old Threshers provides a variety of enjoyable experiences for the entire family. Attractions include operating steam engines, crafts and antiques for sale, antique tractors, Continual demonstrations, drive-a-tractor, large operating gas engines display, antique cars and trucks, electric trolleys and steam trains, top name country entertainers, and a 60-acre campground, downtown shuttle service, free parking, working 1880s log village and great food. Top name country stars perform nightly at the grandstands.
For more information, call (319) 385-8937, email to info@oldthreshers.com or visit the, at: www.oldthreshers.org
