Riverview Carousel at Six Flags Over Georgia

This forty-ton wooden carousel was built in 1908 by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company for Riverview Park in Chicago, then known as German Sharpshooter Park. It carries sixty-nine hand-carved horses and four chariots arranged in five rows, in the Philadelphia style, with active poses and bright colors. Master carver Leo Zoller supervised the carving, and Gustav Weiss painted the figures. The two large lover's chariots are described as among the most elaborate the company made. The ride also used a friction drive patented by company co-founder Henry B. Auchy, and most of its original machinery still functions. After Riverview closed in 1967, the carousel went into storage and was bought by Six Flags Over Georgia in 1971. Park staff spent over six months restoring it, and it reopened in 1972. It is considered the only intact five-row carousel remaining in the country and one of two actively used carousels in Georgia. It is listed for its art, engineering and recreational history.