his photo was taken by Tom Burhyte of Horseheads shortly after the new arch was completed in 2005. Clearly visible in the background is the newly restored and completed Victorian-style Carousel building. Funds for the arch were donated by two Elmira Area Rotary Clubs - the Chemung Sunrise Rotary and Elmira Rotary who are raising more than $30,000 through donations and projects to cover the cost.

The new arch is a likeness of the 1932 original pictured here.

Says Tom about these photos, "The old Arch was taken down in 1947 because a dike had to be built to prevent flooding and trucks could no longer get under it. The dike itself was built from a knoll that is on the left, which is now leveled and has a ball diamond there. Also about 40 feet of the lake was filled in on the right hand side to accommodate the dike. The lake used to be 10 feet from the railroad tracks, which is behind the dike and it is 10 feet from the Railroad tracks at the base. The old 1932 picture was given to me by Paul Zawko which he got from Hanna Randall-Christasie, who is now 94 years old, and that's another story. She was the first person to sell tickets in 1924 for the Merry-Go-Round and married the first ring boy that ever worked there. I took the picture of the new arch on August 27, 2005 (this morning)."

Related links:

Elmira Star Gazette story about the new archway