June 7, 2024, North Tonawanda, NY


Thursday, we woke to rain, and it was forecast to rain all day, so we decided to do something indoors.  We went to the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum in North Tonawanda, NY.

The carrousel factory opened in 1872 and first produced steam engines, boilers and gears.  According to legend, it is Alan Herschell’s trip to New York City where he saw a carrousel for the first time that inspired the company to join the amusement industry.


There was also a Wurlitzer factory in North Towanda and when it closed the museum acquired all the original music rolls which were stored in this room. We can’t see all the rolls in this picture but there were thousands stored on shelves all around the room. The machine in the front is used to make copies of the music rolls.




The museum is restoring this band organ.  This type of organ was used on the carrousels.








The Master Carvers shop was set up as it looked 1919.  Apprentice carvers cut out the rough outlines of the animals and carved the legs.  More experienced journeymen craved the bodies.




Master Carvers were responsible for carving the heads and completing the fine details once all parts were assembled.  We were amazed at the intricate detail on this horse.





Other displays talked about the painting – three to five coats of a white primer paint, then the colors, followed by five coats of varnish.  The Roundhouse is where the carousels were assembled and tested before being disassembled and shipped out.  Today, there is a “1916 Allan Herschell Number 1 Special Carrousel” in the Roundhouse.  It has 36 jumping horses, 1 stationary chariot, 1 spinning chariot, 588 light bulbs and weighs slightly more than 8 tons.  In 1916 you could have purchased this carrousel for $5,000 plus shipping.  Nancy couldn’t resist a chance to ride.



We enjoyed the museum and seeing how carrousels were made.  A great way to spend a rainy day and on the way back to the campground, we saw this abandoned revolving railroad bridge.  We then stopped at Platter’s Chocolate Factory and bought some delicious chocolate and pecan brittle.

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