[3][4] In 1887, Richard Stanhope Pullen donated 80 acres (32 ha) of land to the city of Raleigh for use as a public park.

The carousel was originally located in Bloomsbury Park (in the area south of Crabtree Creek, west of Lassiter's Mill Road, and north of Scotland Street) and was moved to Pullen Park in 1921 when the City Board voted to replace the steam powered antique merry go round.

After the public's positive reaction to a merry go round he had built, Dentzel began constructing carousels full-time in 1876.

The primary feature of the Pullen Park Carousel is a menagerie of 52 hand-carved wooden animals carved by Salvatore Cernigliaro who was known for elaborate and imaginative designs.

The animals include horses, ostriches, cats, rabbits, pigs, a giraffe, a lion, a tiger, a reindeer, and a goat.