Nantasket Beach Vintage Paragon Park Carousel Wins Grant – Horses Delighted!

Good news for vintage amusement park and carousel lovers! The Paragon Carousel at Nantasket Beach, Hull MA has won, by popular vote, a $100,000 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The carousel (Philadelphia Toboggan Company #85 for those keeping score) was originally part of Paragon Park Amusement Park that made Hull a recreation destination until it's untimely shuttering in 1985. Luckily the carousel was saved by some dedicated individuals and moved just down the street. Since then the carousel has seen its ups and downs (no pun, ok well maybe a little bit) and this grant will allow it to remain a highlight to a trip to the beach.

While the park has been replaced by uninspiring condos and many of the shops that line the avenue have seen better days, Nantasket Beach is still a place where those who can appreciate its past can spend the day at the beach, have an ice cream, play some arcade games and take a ride on a merry-go-round.  Admire the art deco bath house while you're there, and reminisce about the simpler summer days before Disney became the standard.