The Allan Herschell Company specialized in the creation of

amusement ride Amusement rides, sometimes called carnival rides, are mechanical devices or structures that move people especially kids to create fun and enjoyment. Rides are often perceived by many as being scary or more dangerous than they actually are. This ...

s, particularly

carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in SA) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular pl ...

s and

roller coaster A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are ...

s. The company manufactured portable machines that could be used by traveling carnival operators. It was started in 1915 in the town of

North Tonawanda North Tonawanda is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 31,568 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is named after Tonawanda Creek, its south bo ...

, just outside

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

, USA.

History

Previous companies

Herschell, with James Armitage, created the Armitage Herschell Company in 1873. In 1883, his son William traveled to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

to meet former

Limonaire Frères Limonaire Frères were an amusement ride, street organ and fairground organ builder, based in Paris, France, during the 19th and early 20th century. History 1839 to 1886 Started by the Limonaire brothers Joseph and Antoine in 1839, as piano ...

employee

Eugene de Kleist Baron Frederick Joseph Eugene de Kleist (18 January 1853 – 1911), was a pioneering German organ builder, who in founding the North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory, started the American style of Band organs. Eugene de Kleist was born in Düsseldor ...

. Backed by Armitage Herschell, in 1888, de Kleist set up band-organ production in North Tonawanda, founding the

North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory The North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory was a street organ manufacturing company and building, located in North Tonawanda, New York. Started by expatriate German Eugene de Kleist with backing from Allan Herschell, the company was later purchas ...

. The company produced a range of barrel-organ based products, suited for all ranges of fairground attraction. Armitage Herschell remained in operation until the early 1900s. The company carved many portable carousels, made simple in style. Surviving steam riding galleries are located in Mississippi and Maine. In 1901, Herschell left the company due to financial complications, thus allowing de Kliest to buy the pair out, and seek new investment from his association with Rudolph Wurlitzer. Herschell created the Herschell Spillman Company with his in-laws, the Spillmans. Herschell Spillman started out creating and carving carousels in a traditional style, but later branching out to create larger park machines, such as elaborate carousels with many types of animals. Surviving carousels can be found in California, Michigan, and Maryland. The Herschell–Spillman Motor Company Complex at North Tonawanda was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2013. The company later dropped Herschell's name and was known as the Spillman Engineering Company. The company continued to make the same style of carousels, though later it focused more on horses with a few

menagerie A menagerie is a collection of captive animals, frequently exotic, kept for display; or the place where such a collection is kept, a precursor to the modern zoological garden. The term was first used in 17th-century France, in reference to the m ...

-styled machines. Surviving carousels can be seen in North Carolina and the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York.

Allan Herschell Company

The last company Herschell created was his own, competing with the Spillman Engineering Company, in 1915. Herschell specialized in horses with rigid poses and portable machines, which enabled them to be packed and shipped easily between towns. Herschell produced over 3,000 carved wooden carousels, which were shipped all over the United States and Canada, as well

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

, and

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. The factory, bought in 1915, is located on Thompson Street in North Tonawanda. It is one of the last factory complexes in the United States to contain the production of wooden carousels. The complex was expanded to meet the growing company's needs. The building has a large carving shop, a woodworking shop, a paint shop, a storage area, an upholstery shop, a machine shop, and a roundhouse where the carousels were assembled and tested. Herschell did not create just carousel rides, but expanded to include rides made for children and adults. He thought up the concept for rides specialized for small children, called "Kiddieland". Twister, Hurricane, Flying Bobs, and the Sky Wheel were thrill rides that catered towards adults. The company moved to Buffalo, New York, in the 1950s, and in 1970, it merged with rival amusement park company Chance Manufacturing of

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had a population of 647,610 in 2020. It is located in ...

Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum

The Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum, at the original factory site on Thompson Street, opened to the general public in July 1983, with a full operational carousel from 1916. The first floor of the factory has been opened up to provide exhibits and demonstrations. Different programs are offered, such as woodcarving of various skill levels, guided tours, and a summer lecture series. Special programs, such as the Youth Volunteer Program and Neighborhood Partners Program, are offered to young people and local elementary-school children.

Surviving Allan Herschell Company rides

Carousels

Trains

* G-12 gauge miniature train * G-16 gauge miniature train * S-16 "1865" gauge miniature train * S-24 "Iron Horse" gauge miniature train

Other rides

* Caterpillar, at

Canobie Lake Park Canobie Lake Park is an amusement park in Salem, New Hampshire, located about north of Boston. It was founded as a trolley park on the shore of Canobie Lake in 1902. Three local families currently run the park, which draws visitors from thro ...

, Salem, New Hampshire, US * Caterpillar, at Heritage Park Historical Village, Calgary, Alberta, Canada * Looper, at Knoebels Amusement Resort, Elysburg, Pennsylvania, US

List of roller coasters

As of 2019, Allan Herschell Company has built 185

s around the world.Allan Herschell Company - rcdb.com
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References

National Carousel Association 24 Nov 2008

External links

New York Heritage - Allan Herschell Ride Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herschell Amusement ride manufacturers Roller coaster manufacturers Culture of Buffalo, New York North Tonawanda, New York Manufacturing companies established in 1915 1915 establishments in New York (state) Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1970 1970 disestablishments in New York (state) Carousel manufacturers American companies disestablished in 1970