The stories behind our rounding boards
Around the top of the carousel are 18 rounding boards. Traditionally these are hand-painted, pastoral scenes. But, when we were building the Silver Beach Carousel, we commissioned computer graphic artists to create what we believe are the first rounding boards to use a montage of colorized, historic photographs. Each board takes you back in time to tell our area's rich story through the people, places and events that we never want to forget. You can learn about each one in a booklet available in our gift shop, or by reading about them below!
Summer in the City
January 16th, 2024
The long-awaited summer season arrives with much anticipation. We fill the warmer days with carefree, outdoor activities. The City of St. Joseph honors the glory of nature with many festivities and events all season long.
Faith In Our Lives
January 16th, 2024
Our places of worship bind our community together.
On the Water
January 16th, 2024
The Great Lakes region contains five of the world’s largest freshwater lakes. Lake Michigan is the second largest of the five with 22,400 square miles of surface area. It is the only Great Lake that is bounded entirely within the United States. Its moonlit waters gave Silver Beach its name. Beyond Lake Michigan’s sandy shores there are hundreds of inland lakes, ponds, streams and rivers, too.
Entrepreneurial Spirit
January 16th, 2024
Entrepreneurs instinctively know how to change a way of life. Through extraordinary vision, they are able to make yesterday’s dreams today’s realities. Here are six entrepreneurial businesses that continue to thrive today.
Proudly We Serve
January 16th, 2024
The park along Lake Boulevard has several monuments. The Dahlgren 11” smoothbore cannon has stood on the rampart since 1897. It commemorates the War Between the States. While this particular heavy gun was cast in 1864, it wasn’t assigned to a ship (the USS Marion) until 1876 and probably was never fired in anger.
Historical Landmarks
January 16th, 2024
Two Carnegie libraries serve as bookends on this rounding board. Steel magnate Andrew Carnegie’s foundation funded the building of the St. Joseph (far left) and Benton Harbor (far right) libraries. The St. Joseph Library was built for $13,500 and opened on November 10, 1904. The Maude Preston Palenske Library replaced it in the spring of 1966. The original library now houses an architectural firm.
Farming the Land
January 16th, 2024
Beginning in Berrien County and running north to the tip of the Lower Peninsula, the eastern shore of Lake Michigan is commonly called “The Fruit Belt.” Its temperate climate helps our state become a national leader in cherry, apple and blueberry production. Michigan leads the country in 15 agricultural commodities and is in the top ten in 20 others. Berrien County leads the state in diversity and is number one in the production of pickle cucumbers, grapes, nectarines and freestone peaches. Truly we are the richest agricultural region in the world.
Innovations in Transportation
January 16th, 2024
Transportation is central to the development of a society and the expansion of its economy. Our area started seeing transportation improvements in the 18th and 19th centuries when crudely constructed roads began replacing Native American trails. One of the first pikes in Michigan was Territorial Road which traversed from Detroit to its terminus in St. Joseph.
Blossomtime
January 16th, 2024
Springtime arrives late in Southwest Michigan as winter jealously holds on with a frigid grip. A cool northwest lake wind encourages the earth to oversleep, but a gradual temperate change and southern breeze give Mother Nature a wake-up call with an invitation to reveal her full majesty. The fruit orchards suddenly burst forth with magnificent color. It’s Blossomtime once again and the display of the aromatic blooms gives full promise of things to come.