Gustav Dentzel | |
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 Gustav Dentzel | |
| Born | August 3, 1846 |
| Died | January 20, 1909 (aged 62) |
| Burial place | Northwood Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Carousel builder |
| Known for | Founded the Dentzel Carousel Company |
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Gustav Dentzel was a German immigrant who built some of the earliest carousels in the United States.
Gustav Dentzel was born in Kreuznach, Kingdom of Prussia, on August 3, 1846. [1] As a child, Gustav traveled around various German-speaking areas from fair to fair with his father Michael and his family during the summer, operating a portable carousel ride. [2] Gustav learned the art of woodworking from his father. He carved carousel animals and made wagons during the off-season. [3]
Michael sent Gustav and his brothers to the United States in 1864, along with a carousel. This may have been the first carousel in the New World. [3] Gustav opened a cabinet making shop and hired many German and Italian immigrants who had learned woodcarving in the "Old Country". [2] He built a small carousel and toured the countryside. Gustav founded the Dentzel Carousel Company (also spelled Dentzel Carrousel Company, among other variations) [1] in Germantown, Pennsylvania, in 1867. [3] Dentzel is credited for introducing the first steam-powered carousel and the use of menagerie animals, such as cats, lions, tigers, and deer, in addition to horses and chariots. [2]
Gustav married Alma in 1874. Together they had five children, Augusta, William H. I., Margaret, Helen, and Charles. Alma died in 1880 and Gustav then married Mary. They had a son, Edward P. [3]
Gustav died in 1909. His sons, William and Edward, took over the company until William's death in 1928. [3]
A carousel or carrousel, merry-go-round (international), roundabout, or hurdy-gurdy is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The "seats" are traditionally in the form of rows of wooden horses or other animals mounted on posts, many of which are moved up and down by gears to simulate galloping, to the accompaniment of looped circus music.
Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC) is one of the oldest existing roller coaster manufacturing companies in the world. Based in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, it was established in 1904 by Henry Auchey and Chester Albright under the name Philadelphia Toboggan Company. The company manufactured carousels, wooden roller coasters, toboggans and later, roller coaster trains.
Adolphus Busch was the German-born co-founder of Anheuser-Busch with his father-in-law, Eberhard Anheuser. He introduced numerous innovations, building the success of the company in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He became a philanthropist, using some of his wealth for education and humanitarian needs. His great-great-grandson, August Busch IV, is a former CEO of Anheuser-Busch.
Glen Echo Park is an arts and cultural center in Glen Echo, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C. Located about 9 miles (14 km) northwest of the city's downtown area, the park's site was initially developed in 1891 as a National Chautauqua Assembly.
King Arthur Carrousel is a carousel attraction located in Fantasyland at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. The carousel was built in 1922 and operated at Sunnyside Beach Park in Toronto, Ontario, until the park closed. The ride was relocated to Disneyland in 1954, where it was refurbished and modified by Arrow Development, and opened with the park on July 17, 1955.
Prince Charming Regal Carousel is a carousel in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort. A similar attraction under a different name can be found at Tokyo Disneyland. It plays organ-based versions of Disney music during the two-minute ride period. Hand-painted scenes from Cinderella can be seen on the top; hence the name "Prince Charming".
Charles I. D. Looff was a German master carver and builder of hand-carved carousels and amusement rides, who immigrated to the United States of America in 1870. Looff built the first carousel at Coney Island in 1876. During his lifetime, he built over 40 carousels, several amusements parks, numerous roller coasters and Ferris wheels, and built California's famous Santa Monica Pier. He became famous for creating the unique Coney Island style of carousel carving.
The Silver Star Carousel is a carousel located in the Star Mall area at Six Flags Over Texas. It opened at the park on April 20, 1963.
Logansport is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, Indiana, United States. The population was 18,366 at the 2020 census. Logansport is located in northern Indiana at the junction of the Wabash and Eel rivers, northwest of Kokomo.
The Highland Park Dentzel Carousel and Shelter Building is a carousel and building in Highland Park in Meridian, Mississippi. Manufactured about 1896 for the 1904 St. Louis Exposition by the Dentzel Carousel Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the carousel was sold and shipped to Meridian. Highland Park Dentzel Carousel has been in operation since 1909 and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987. It is the only remaining two-row stationary Dentzel menagerie in the world.
Highland Park is a historic park in Meridian, Mississippi, United States. Home to a museum honoring Jimmie Rodgers, a Meridian native, the site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The park is also home to the Highland Park Dentzel Carousel and Shelter Building, a National Historic Landmark manufactured around 1896 by Gustav Dentzel of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The historic carousel is the only two-row stationary Dentzel menagerie still in existence.
The Pullen Park Carousel is a classic wood carousel at Pullen Park in Raleigh, North Carolina. Built in 1900, the carousel contains 52 hand-carved basswood animals, 2 chariots, 18 large gilded mirrors and canvas panels and a Wurlitzer #125 band organ made in 1924 by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company of North Tonawanda, New York.
Broad Ripple Park Carousel is an antique carousel in The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. It was installed in 1917 at an amusement park near the White River in Indianapolis, Indiana, where it remained until the building housing it collapsed in 1956. The ride's mechanism was destroyed, but the animals were relatively unscathed and put into storage by the park's owners, the Indianapolis Department of Parks and Recreation. The animals were carved by the Dentzel Carousel Company some time before 1900 but were assembled by the William F. Mangels carousel company, which also supplied the engine powering the ride.
Marvin Sylvor was an American carousel and merry-go-round designer and artist. Sylvor has designed more than sixty carousels worldwide including Bryant Park in New York City, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Singapore and other parts of the United States.
The Riverfront Park Carrousel, also known as the Looff Carrousel and the Natatorium Park Carousel, is a carousel in Spokane, Washington built in 1909 by Charles I. D. Looff as a gift for Looff's daughter Emma Vogel and her husband Louis Vogel, who owned Natatorium Park in Spokane. It remained at Natatorium Park until 1968 when the park closed. The carousel was then relocated to its present location at Riverfront Park in 1975 where it continues to operate. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 19, 1977.
The Forest Park Carousel is a historic carousel at Forest Park in Queens, New York City. The carousel, one of two known surviving carousels built by Daniel Carl Muller, was built c. 1903 and contains 52 figures and its original band organ. Originally located in Dracut, Massachusetts, the carousel was relocated to Forest Park in 1972, replacing an earlier carousel on the site. The ride, operated by NY Carousel since 2012, is part of a seasonal amusement center called Forest Park Carousel Amusement Village. The Forest Park Carousel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 and has been a New York City designated landmark since 2013.
Marcus Charles Illions was a master carver of wooden carousel horses and other figures at Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City in the early 20th century. The New York Times referred to him as "the Michelangelo of carousel carvers".
Colonel Edward David Shames was a United States Army enlisted man and officer who later served in the U.S. Army Reserve. During World War II, he was assigned to the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. Shames was Jewish and reported being deeply affected by his personal viewing of Nazi Germany's concentration camps.
The G.A. Dentzel Company was an American builder of carousels in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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