The Museum and Factory

The Herschell Carrousel Museum is in the building that used to be the Herschell Carrousel Factory:

The museum was opened in 1983 by the Carousel Society of the Niagara Frontier. 

The carousel companies went through many transitions. The first company was a Tonawanda engine and machine company, started in 1872. The first carousel-type ride was a track with horses on it. This was powered by steam engines, and the horses rocked back and forth over bumps in the track. In 1901 the company became the Herschell-Spillman Company, which made carousels with poles and a crank shaft. Eventually Spillman broke away from the company and created Spillman Motor Co., which focused on making engines for cars. It was the Allan Herschell Company that moved to the building which now holds the museum in 1915. Allan died in 1927, and the Herschell company bought the Spillman factory also.

In 1970, the company was bought by Chance rides, which was based out of Kansas.
In 1998 the Allan Herschell company was bought back from Chance.