NCA #12 -- M. C. Illions Armored Jumper, Columbus Zoo, Powell, Ohio

Carved with the brilliant imagination of Marcus C. Illions and Sons, this carousel of 52 horses and 2 chariots is all original. It is called a "Grand" carousel, and one of the very few manufactured by the William E. Mangles Company as a Mangles-Illions carousel. It was originally built for the Olentangy Park, in Columbus, in 1914. It was then moved to Wyandot Lake site in 1939 through 1999. It has been beautifully restored, and now sits in its new location, just a few hundred yards away, in the Columbus Zoo.

Marcus Illions was born in 1871 in Vilna, Lithuania-then under the Russian flag. He was an apprentice woodcarver at the age of 8, lived briefly in Germany, and then moved to England where he began carving "roundabouts" for Frederick Savage. Illions came to America in 1888 as a woodcarver for Frank Bostock wild animal show, who he carved show wagons for. After he completed his contract with Bostock, he stayed in the US. and set up his own carving shop in Brooklyn in 1892.

He contracted to carve for Charles I.D. Looff, and may have been responsible for many of the later Looff designs. Illions was becoming well known for his exquisite carving. He began to supply William Mangels, a frame maker, with wooden figures, Illions moved his shop into the Mangels factory and worked there for about nine years. While he was Mangels "Head" carver, he had three young protege carvers working for him, Solomon Stein, Harry Goldstein, and Charles Carmel, later to have their own carousel businesses.

Marcus Illions was a proud man. He continued to hand carve his elegant horses, with the wild twisted manes even after his competition had gone to the more mass produced methods of carving by machine. His last grand scale carousel was produced in 1927. But he continued carving to make a living, because he was recognized as a true master of the craft. Illions died in August of 1949. He was 78.

The Columbus Zoo Illions is in existence today, largely because of the efforts of one man. in the late 1980's, a local carousel enthusiast and NCA activist, Jerry Betts, formed the Columbus Carousel Fund, to save this carousel. Unfortunately Jerry died suddenly in 1990 and slowed the fundraising. No further action happened until another fund member, Jim Grissinger, and Zoo Board Chairman Gil Kirk, met in 1992 to rekindle Jerry's dream. Repairs were made to the carousel to keep it operating until its new permanent home could be finished at the Zoo.

With technical support from the National Carousel Association and many of its members, a campaign was launched that resulted in sponsorship of all 52 horses, 2 chariots and the band organ. The restored carousel resumed operations in the Spring of 2000. During the first month of operation, 46,000 people rode on this wonderful old machine.

In a sense, this reproduction of the M.C. Illions armored jumper, is dedicated to the efforts of Jerry Betts, and all the others who worked so hard to make this dream come true.