Speaker Carl Heastie continued his annual statewide tour today with Assemblymember Bill Conrad, visiting the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum, a museum and amusement park dedicated to preserving and teaching visitors the science and art of carousels. Together, they announced a total of $300,000 in funding for the museum.
“Every year I get to visit communities across our state and learn more about what makes New York so special,” said Speaker Heastie. “The Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum is doing an incredible job teaching our young people and other visitors about the extraordinary history of carousels in New York, while preserving this same history for future generations.”
“The Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum is a shining gem of North Tonawanda and I was honored to have Speaker Heastie join me today to visit their facilities,” said Assemblymember Conrad. “For years, this museum has dedicated itself to preserving the history and constructions of carousels in our community and utilizing that history to teach important science lessons to visitors. I will continue to fight for the funding and support the team here needs to keep these important programs going for young people across our state.”
Speaker Heastie and Assemblymember Conrad met with Executive Director Ian Seppala to visit the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum, the former home of the Allan Herschell Co., a premier carrousel builder that shut down in 1959. The facility has since been transformed into a museum and amusement park showcasing the restoration process of carousels and providing hands-on STEM lessons. Together, Speaker Heastie and Assemblymember Conrad announced a total of $300,000 in funding -$250,000 to build out HVAC for the museum and $50,000 to support school trips to children across Western New York and expand the museum’s free after-school programming into local libraries across the community. In 2021, Assemblymember Conrad secured $15,000 for the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum.

Director Ian Seppala will be presenting Lost Parks: WNY Amusement Parks of the Past, August 7th at 7pm at the Holland Land Office Museum. 

Lost Parks: WNY Amusement Parks of the Past is a presentation discussing the history of amusement parks in Western New York. This is the first time this presentation will be made to the public. Parks featured in the presentation are including but not limited to: Crystal Beach, Page's Whistlepig, Dealing's Rides, and Boulder Park.

Located in Batavia, New York (131 W Main St, Batavia, NY 14020), The Holland Land Office Museum interprets the history of Genesee County and is "the Birthplace of Western New York". The cost for this presentation is $5 per person, and $3 for HLOM members. To find out the full schedule of HLOM upcoming events, visit the link below.

 https://www.thebatavian.com/press-release/holland-land-office-museum-announces-august-events/644366

International re-known magazine Woman's World recently included the museum in a list of 6 surprising things to do in Niagara Falls. Included in the list are long-term partners Niagara Underground Railroad Museum. To find out who else made the list, click the link below!​
https://www.womansworld.com/life/holidays/6-surprising-things-to-do-in-niagara-falls-new-york

Check out Executive Director Ian Seppala on Buffalo on the Ride with Joe Chille

USA Today has named the Special #1 carousel at the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum as one of the ten best this week. An article titled "10 unique carousels around the US that will spin you back in time" by Teresa Bergen, listed HCFM in the top ten. The list also includes fellow Western New York Carousel Buffalo Heritage Carousel! Congratulations to those selected. To read the article and find out who else made the list, visit the link below. ​https://10best.usatoday.com/travel/unique-carousels-in-the-us/

On May 25th, 2025, Journalist Christopher Cann published an article through USA Today about the preservation difficulties of American Carousels. The article quotes many knowledgeable groups in the filed including NCA President Patrick Wentzel and restoration specialist Todd Goings. To read the whole article, click the link below.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/05/25/fight-to-preserve-save-americas-carousels/83619367007/?utm_source=usat-DailyBriefing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-briefing&utm_term=Content%20List%20-%20Stacking%20-%20optimized&utm_content=8872UT-E-NLETTER02

News Source WGRZ has listed the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum as a good place for Western New York families to spend their spring break this week. The list also includes museum partners the Buffalo Zoo and the Aquarium of Niagara. To see the whole list for when places are open this week, and special spring break activities, visit the link below.

https://www.wgrz.com/article/entertainment/events/what-to-do/spring-break-in-wny-what-2-do-events-activities/71-6186c64f-e78f-425f-87a6-9fa885c9b0a6

The Edinburgh Evening News recently published an article titled "Discover the magic of Niagara Falls USA this spring/summer" and included the museum in the article. The Edinburgh Evening News has been reporting in Scotland since 1873. Our partners Old Fort Niagara were also included in this listing. For more information or to see who else made the article, click the link below!

https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/discover-the-magic-of-niagara-falls-usa-this-springsummer-5052152