Looff Carousel Restored LbNA #31311 (ARCHIVED)

This letterbox is missing as of 6/5/07.

Well. That didn't take very long.

---

As soon as we discovered letterboxing, we felt, as Riverside residents, that there should be a box commemorating Crescent Park and the Looff Carousel. One half of the ByWater team grew up with the sounds of Crescent Park -- especially the Carousel -- in her ears. We were sad to learn that the box placed by Lauren had been vandalized, and so we took it upon ourselves to see that "Looff Carousel" was restored. Out of respect for Lauren, we placed the box in a slightly different location.

The Carousel at Crescent Park was built by Charles I.D. Looff in 1895. Looff was a renowned designer and builder of carousels and carousel horses, and this particular installation was intended as his showroom: no two animals are alike. The amusement park was closed in 1979, yet the carousel remained and some of the grounds were turned into a recreational area now called Rose Larisa Memorial Park. The carousel still functions in the summer.

To find the Looff Carousel Restored box, take your best route to Riverside, RI, (a village of the city of East Providence), making sure you're on Bullock's Point Ave heading south. When you come to the Carousel, drive just a little further down the road. Note the monument on the right and turn right into the parking lot just beyond the picnic area. Enjoy the lovely park, picnic if you will, and if you're there in season, don't forget to ride the carousel! From the parking lot, walk toward the water and you'll come to a gravel path. Turn left on the path, walk past the picnic tables to a singular bench with a lovely view. In front of you will be a wooden staircase down to the beach. At the bottom of the stairs, find three cement blocks braced in a row. Look beneath.