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World famous Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum opens for 2004 season Historic North Tonawanda museum well worth a visit
by Dave Burns
On April 12, the world-famous museum kicked off its 2004 season, spotlighting a stunning 1916 Herschell Special #1 Carrousel built right here 88 years ago. Listed on both the State Registry of Historic Sites and the National Registry of Historic Sites the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum, located at 180 Thompson St. in North Tonawanda, houses the only remaining wood structure carrousel factory in the entire United States. Of the 148 antique carrousels still in operation in this country, 60 percent were produced primarily by Allan Herschell at North Tonawanda sites. The other highly prized carrousel at the Herschell Museum, besides the 1916 Herschell Special #1, is the 1948 Little Beauty Kiddie Carrousel for the little ones. Housed in its own Children's Gallery and surrounded by a sweeping mural depicting an early 1900s family fun day, this fully operational carrousel is restored, refitted, repainted, well-oiled and rearing to go. And, as the sign at the entrance says, "Once around is not enough." Fascinating Treasures In addition to the two historic centerpiece carrousels at the museum, a couple hours spent at this complex, strolling through the seven connected buildings reveals other priceless and fascinating treasures galore. Visitors first enter the Herschell Museum's shop areas found in the main building. This huge 1907 wooden structure with its enormous beams, was at first a lumber business, then a greenhouse manufacturing plant, and finally a carrousel factory.
The first room seen is where the wooden carrousel horses and other animals were hand-carved by craftsmen positioned at the various carving tables. Herschell used either bass wood or popular because they are both durable hardwoods, with fine grains, perfect for carving. Boards were delivered directly to the shop, and then cut to length. Then some of the pieces were glued together for just the right thickness for a horse's body. When the glue dried the first carver would trim away excess wood until the vague outline of a horse began to appear. As other carvers started work on the head and legs, the body went to the journeyman carver's table for more refined work. Eventually the pieces were taken to the next shop where woodcarving masters worked their magic. When all the pieces were assembled, detailed, and painted this horse seemed to come alive. Then it went to the storage room to dry, holding its breath with excitement, joining a colorful herd of horses, all waiting to be shipped all over the world. Eventually they would kick up their heels on a fully assembled carrousel and give some light-hearted soul the ride of a lifetime. Delightful Collections
Near the Exhibit Hall is a special display room where an array of carrousel gears are featured. People in the industry call the gears "the heart of the carrousel." Through display examples and signage machinists explain the importance of the complex gearing system to any carrousel. Without gears to turn the heavy platform and animals around the center pole there would be no carrousel. Without connecting gears to lift and lower the horses as they go around, the ride would be just another merry-go-round, not a carrousel. Early carrousels used steam engines to turn the gears that pushed the carrousel around, and moved the horses up and down in their slow gallop. Gasoline engines replaced steam engines, and now mostly electric engines drive the carrousels. This spring, the 1916 Herschell Special #1 Carrousel was fitted with a brand new center pole gear, weighing in at a hefty 400 pounds. The custom-made gear was machined or "hobbed" from a thick, solid disc of hardened steel. It was made especially for the historic North Tonawanda carrousel by a specialty California company, Brass Ring Entertainment. Owner of the business Dan Horenberger pointed out, "Because of the expensive set-up costs Brass Ring Entertainment is the only company in the United States that can manufacture such a large carrousel gear. Due to the particular style and pitch of the gear teeth, and the precision required," Horenberger added, "it took the equipment five full days, working 24 hours a day, to cut the gear teeth." 'Heavy Job' When it came time to mount the heavy new gear in the Herschell Carrousel, volunteers from the Niagara County Sheriffs Department Work Release Program offered extra muscle to museum workers Doug Bathke, Ed Janulionis, and Rae and Chuck Proefrock to accomplish the task. The following week volunteers from the North Tonawanda High School Weight Lifting Team supplied the extra muscle and elbow grease to complete the assembly. Carrousels originally evolved from simple training devices used by knights in Europe practicing for jousting events. Brass rings attached to a circular wooden structure were the targets of the spear-wielding, mounted knights. Servants or knaves would rotate the structure around a pole while knights rode by and speared the rings. Eventually carved animals held the rings and in later times a motor was added, to the delight of the knaves. From there it was a short leap to add saddles for excited young riders. Some time later music was added to the amusement ride and the carrousel was born. Allan Herschell owned or co-owned three different carrousel factories in North Tonawanda from the 1870s to the early 1900s. Today's Museum Director of Operations Jean Yarwood observed that, "Allan Herschell was the most prolific producer of carrousels ever. In the heyday of carrousels his factory produced as much as one carrousel a week and employed more than 200 craftsmen." Golden Age The Golden Age of carrousels was between the 1880s and early 1930s, and North Tonawanda was the center of the industry in the United States. It is said that Coney Island, New York had as many as two dozen carrousels operating at one time in the early 20th century. And hundreds of similar, though mostly smaller, amusement parks existed across the nation and at sites around the world. Mr. Herschell had a booming business.
The process of punching holes in the paper to program musical notes is said to be the precursor to punch card technology in early computers. A mechanical engineering junior at the University of Buffalo, Mike Universal, has learned the complicated process in order to keep the craft alive. Nearly 2000 of the rare master rolls are owned by the museum. Elizabeth Brick-Schutt, who has been museum curator and director of Education and Exhibits for 12 years, announced that the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum was recently awarded an important grant. "We were awarded a coveted grant from the National Institute for Museum and Library Services in October 2003. Over a thousand applications were received in Washington D.C. and less than 200 were awarded, so we feel pretty lucky," she said. Cash awards from the grant will be parceled out to the museum over a two-year period. Priceless Help Grant writer Rae Proefrock and a member of the Museum's board of trustees pointed to the endless hours donated by community volunteers as being "priceless." "Grants, volunteer labor, community support, donations, and money collected by the small entrance fees keep the museum going and everything well-maintained," she said. "The detailed artwork, and the painted designs in the exhibit halls and carrousel rooms are practically all done by a wonderful artist, Rosa Ragan, who comes from North Carolina twice a year for a week each time to work here. She does it all free-hand, and also advises us on restoration," Proefrock said. An admission fee is charged for adults, seniors and children (ages 2 to 12), and includes a carrousel ride. Regular spring hours continue through through June 12, Wednesdays through Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The museum is closed Mondays and Tuesdays in spring. Summer hours begin June 13 and run through Labor Day, Sept. 6, every day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fall hours run Sept. 8 through late December, Wednesdays through Sundays, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The 2004 holiday schedule finds the museum will be open on Mother's Day, Memorial Day Monday, Father's Day, Independence Day July 4, Labor Day Monday, Columbus Day Monday, and Veterans Day. It will be closed Tuesday, Sept. 7, Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, Dec. 24, and Christmas Day. Special Events Many Special Events are scheduled for the 2004 season. One of the most notable is "The Brass Ring Thing; A Renaissance Faire." To be held in conjunction with the Society for Creative Anachronism, this event will occur on Saturday, June 5 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. "rain or shine." An admission price for this event will be determined later. Regular admission will be charged for the "Super Sunday Concerts" for all ages to be offered every Sunday at 2 p.m. in June, July, and August. There will be a Victorian Tea scheduled in September, and Oct. 22 is the date of the popular "Halloween Spooktacular." "Santa at the Carrousel" is slated for Saturday Dec. 4 and 11, from noon to 4 p.m. The museum is closed January, February, and March. Pre-arranged group tours for ten or more people are invited during the regular season. Call 693-1885 for further information. Brick-Shutt encourages everyone who can to bring family members to the carrousel museum. She calls the museum, "a national treasure, right here in North Tonawanda." Proefrock closed by pointing out, "We're on a mission of national significance to preserve and interpret these early beginnings of amusement parks in the United States. Visitors can come here and see carvers actually making horses and other animals from wood. Most everywhere else they're using fiberglass. We have a very well-stocked Gift Shop too." Make it point to check out the Carrousel Factory Museum. The Herschell carrousel horses are off and running for another season of fun and it's well worth a visit. |
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The
sounds of happy music are in the air, as once again dozens
of whimsical, wooden horses have returned around the shiny
brass pole in the grand roundhouse at North Tonawanda's own
Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum. 
From
the paint and storage rooms visitors are guided into a brightly-lit
exhibit hall filled with delightful collections of animals
meticulously carved and painstakingly painted many decades
ago right here in North Tonawanda. As visitors gaze at the
horses of every description -- a giant dog, a pig, a larger-than-life
rooster, a zebra, a 1907 ostrich, or even a green dragon --
the animals seem to be gazing back, daring the people to keep
from smiling. Many animals found in the Exhibit Hall are on
loan from the private Lockman Menagerie Collection. Also on
display are the plainer carrousel horses from the late 1800s
and human mannequins dressed in styles of the day.
One
end of the Herschell Museum's main workshop area is dedicated
to a large display of the Wurlitzer Music Roll Department.
In earlier times each individual note of a song was hand-perforated
on a band organ paper roll and used to produce music for the
carrousel. At this factory a master roll would be placed on
a complex Duplicating Machine and a dozen copies with 10 songs
each could be made.
