The Firemen’s Merry-Go-Round
Long before the Kiwanis Fair, there was the annual Basking Ridge Firemen’s Carnival. Beginning in 1910, the carnival was held on the grounds of the old Maple Avenue school (now site of the Bernards Township Library) and drew crowds from across the region. Beginning in 1912, the firemen hired a merry-go-round and it soon became a fixture of the event. An advertisement from 1912, lists the merry-go-round as the top attraction (see below).[1]
In 1916, the fire department rented the carousel from Thomas Cavanaugh of Netcong, N.J. Cavanaugh got 70% of the proceeds from the 5-cent fare for the ride. The firemen provided the site, water, and electricity. Cavanaugh also rented out his merry-go-round for events in Gladstone and Bernardsville. [2]
In 1918, the Basking Ridge carnival was slated for August 2nd and 3rd, but the carousel was nowhere to be seen. Firemen Parmenus J. Boyle and William L. Scheuerman, Sr., travelled to Netcong to see what the issue was and discovered the merry-go-round being loaded on a railroad boxcar destined for another event. After some quick negotiations, Scheuerman bought the carousel for $650 and arranged shipment by truck to Basking Ridge. On August 2, 1918, fireman Louis A. Allen, a licensed engineer, started up the carousel just in time for the event.
Scheuerman described to merry-go-round as having colorful “galloping steeds”, sleighs, a “lovers’ tub,” and a “musical attachment.”[3] By request, the firemen continued the merry-go-round every Saturday evening that August and hosted motion pictures and dances in the old frame firehouse (where Ridge Bagel is now).[4]
Through the years, the merry-go-round was a major fundraiser for the fire department. Net receipts from the ride ranged from $142 to $366 per year. In 1917, there were 6,507 riders. The Basking Ridge firefighters also took the carousel to fundraisers in Bernardsville, Millington, Stirling, Mendham, Far Hills, Peapack-Gladstone, and other locations.[5]
Although it became difficult to repair, the carousel remained a fixture of the carnival until 1930. Finally in 1932, it was sold to a park operator in Pequest, N.J.[6] The last firemen’s carnival was held in 1941 just before World War II grabbed the attention of the nation.
[1] Basking Ridge Firemen’s Scrapbook, p. 47.
[2] Cavanaugh to Scheuerman, Jun. 2, 1916, THSSH 2025.32.3.
[3] William L. Scheuerman, Sr., “Fireman’s Merry-Go-Round” (1956), THSSH 2025.32.2.
[4] “Scrapbook”, op. cit., p. 33
[5] Scheuerman, op. cit.
[6] Ibid.