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We are located at 180 Thompson St., North Tonawanda, NY 14120.
Phone is 716-693-1885.
Our email is
info@carrouselmuseum.org
The Allan Herschell Company, founded in 1915 in North Tonawanda, New York, was the
fourth in a series of companies in the community which manufactured carousels and
other amusement park rides. Allan Herschell had previously been a partner in the
earliest of the area's carousel firms: the Armitage Herschell Company in 1873, and
later with the Herschell-Spillman Company in 1901. The Spillman Engineering Company
operated from the 1920's through the 1930's in competition with its founder.
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The Allan Herschell Company, the most prolific maker of carousels, specialized in
producing portable machines which could be used by traveling carnival operators.
The Company produced over 3,000 hand carved wooden carousels and
out-produced all of its rivals in the |
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carousel industry. Each hand-carved wooden carousel featured
striking yet simple horses.
A Major Employer in the community, the Allan Herschell Company had a worldwide
reputation for quality rides. Carousels from this company were shipped throughout
the United States and Canada, as well as to all parts of the world, including South
Africa, India, Tahiti, and Mexico.
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The factory complex located at 180 Thompson Street in North Tonawanda is
one of the last existing complexes in the United States which housed the production
of wooden carousels. Allan Herschell purchased the building in 1915 and
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enlarged it to fit his company's needs. The building contains a large
carving shop where 50 to 75 carvers worked, a woodworking shop, a paint shop, a
storage area, an upholstery shop, a machine shop and a roundhouse in which carousels
were assembled and tested before shipping.
Over the years the Allan Herschell Company expanded its line of amusement park rides
and pioneered such concepts as "Kiddieland," a specialized group of rides designed for
small children. It also introduced adult thrill rides such as the Twister, the Hurricane,
and the Sky Wheel, a double Ferris wheel nearly 90 feet tall. Much of this growth
occurred under the ownership of John Wendler and his family, starting in the 1930's.
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The Company maintained its North Tonawanda operation until the late 1950's,
when it moved to Buffalo. It continued as a locally owned firm until it was
sold in the early 1970's to
Chance Manufacturing of Wichita, Kansas, a rival maker of amusement rides. |
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Of the 148 antique, hand-carved wooden carousels still in existence in the United States
and Canada today, 71 were manufactured in North Tonawanda in one of the four Herschell
companies. The Allan Herschell Company had a major influence on the development of the
American amusement ride industry, where this influence continues to be felt.
Many of
the popular rides today can trace their origins to the company. Nearly every person
who has visited an amusement park at some time in their lives has experienced the thrill
of riding on one of the Herschell rides.
The National Register of Historic Sites nomination concludes: "The Allan Herschell
Carrousel Factory achieves significance as one of only two surviving manufacturing
complexes associated with the production of carousels during the late nineteenth and
early twentieth centuries. With its architectural integrity intact, the factory is
a unique link with this bygone industry, which once provided one of America's favorite
forms of recreation."
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All material, graphics and
content on these webpages are copyrighted by
the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum, Wizard Communication Systems, and those
individuals that have contributed photographs and other materials to the
Museum.
Design and Hosting of the
Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum
Web Pages provided by
Wizard Communication Systems,
Inc.
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