"Riding along on a carousel, trying to catch up to you." Fans of the oldies may remember these opening words to the song, "On A Carousel" by the Hollies, back in the late 1960s.

It’s quite remarkable to think about how many places there are in our Upper Susquehanna River valley to take a ride on these attractive works of art, from Cooperstown to Schenevus and greater Binghamton. This region has one of the highest concentrations of carousels in the entire country, some dating back into the 1920s.

The most recent addition to the many choices for riding is in Cooperstown. The Farmers’ Museum in Cooperstown became the home of the Empire State Carousel, with a grand opening Memorial Day weekend in 2006.

The unique, handcrafted carousel is based entirely on the history and culture of New York state. Nearly 1,000 volunteer carvers, quilters, painters and woodworkers began creating this carousel in 1984, and completed it in 2003. Before coming to Cooperstown, the carousel was on Long Island. All of the state’s 62 counties are represented in some form on the carousel, which has 23 hand-carved animals and a custom-built military band organ.

"Small communities don’t have much, but Schenevus is known for its carousel," Richard Kenyon said in 1997 of the hamlet’s prize possession on the Firemen’s Field. "People from all over enjoy it, so we plan to take care of it so it’s there for at least the next five generations."

The Schenevus carousel is now in its third generation. The C.H. Graham Hose Co. bought the carousel in 1949 for $1,000 from the Cooperstown Fish & Game Club. It was manufactured by the Herschell-Spillman Co. of North Tonawanda in 1909, and is among fewer than 160 of its kind remaining.

Until 1954, the carousel was taken around the state and assembled and disassembled for community fairs to raise money to help pay for itself. That year, several firefighters designed the frame structure that now permanently houses the carousel.

Greater Binghamton and Broome County have no less than six carousels in their public parks. Between 1920 and the 1930s, shoe manufacturer George F. Johnson purchased and donated these carousels to the parks under the condition that no fees for rides ever be charged.

The reason for the free rides is based on what George F. Johnson endured as a youngster. He was once denied entrance to a merry-go-round because he didn’t have enough money. The memory of the event weighed heavily on Johnson, and he didn’t want other local kids to face the same situation.

Like Schenevus, all six carousels were made by the Spillman or Herschell firms, which were separate at one time, and merged. The Allen Herschell Co. continued to make machines until 1955, even though Herschell passed away in 1927. The first was installed in Ross Park in 1920, home of today’s Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park.

The second-oldest Broome County carousel, installed in 1925, is in Binghamton’s Recreation Park, close to actor Rod Serling’s boyhood home on the city’s west side.

Highland Park in Endwell has the third-oldest carousel, installed in 1926. The next two were in Charles F. Johnson Park in Johnson City and West Endicott Park, installed in 1927. The George W. Johnson Park in Endicott was the last recipient of a carousel in 1934.

Each is a unique collection of horses and other animals on long riser poles that move up and down, mounted on a large turntable propelled by a motor.

Even today, people come from far and wide to "ride the circuit" in Broome County.

On Monday: "Victory Sings" became popular in Cooperstown during World War II.

City Historian Mark Simonson’s column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area during the Depression and before. His Monday columns address local history after the Depression. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or e-mail him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is www.oneontahistorian.com.