Charles Wallace Parker was born in 1864 in Griggsville, Illinois; his family moved to Abilene, Kansas in 1869. His entry into the carousel trade came through the amusement business more broadly — he started with a traveling shooting gallery, improved it, built his own, and followed the same logic into carousels. Parker bought his first carousel, an Armitage-Herschell track-style machine, in 1892, operated it for two years, then built his own and started the Parker Carnival Supply Company in Abilene. The company was the only carousel manufacturer not operating on the east coast. It renamed itself the C.W. Parker Amusement Company in 1896 and expanded rapidly. By 1905, Parker had four full-sized carnivals on tour throughout the country. A property dispute with Abilene prompted a move to Leavenworth in 1911, where a larger factory enabled greater output. The company produced approximately 1,000 carousels in total. Wikipedia + 4

Parker's output was defined by portability and the carnival trade rather than permanent park installation. His "Carry-Us-Alls" — his own wordplay on "carousel" — were built with interchangeable parts, making replacement straightforward for traveling operators. Around 1914, Parker introduced a stretched-leg, long-bodied horse form that became his most recognizable figure; by 1917, most earlier designs had been phased out. Around 1925, the company began producing carousels with aluminum horses rather than wood. Parker died in 1932; his son ran the company in Leavenworth until 1955. At least sixteen Parker carousels remain in operating condition, with dedicated museum holdings in both Leavenworth and Abilene. Abilenekansas + 3