When Allan Herschell discovered an early carrousel in New York City, propelled by a steam boiler like the one he was manufacturing, he decided to start a carousel manufacturing business. Lumber was plentiful, German wood carvers lived in North Tonawanda, and rail and water transportation were nearby to ship out the finished product. In 1883 the first "Steam Riding Gallery" was shipped from the factory.

Disastrous real estate investments marked the demise of the Armitage-Herschell Company in the early 1900's. The assets of the Company were sold to the Herschell-Spillman Company which continued the production of steam operated carrousels and went on to become the world's largest producers of amusement rides of all kinds.

The following excerpt from an early company catalog describes the steam boiler pictured here: "The boiler and engine which we use to drive these machines (carrousels) are of a portable type, and the most convenient ever produced for this purpose. The boiler is 30 inches in diameter, 45 inches high, has 50 two-inch tubes, is stay bolted around the fire box, reinforced at the openings where steam pipes are attached, has a hand-hole that enables the crown sheet to be easily cleaned. The boiler is mounted upon good strong axles and springs, which in turn, are supported by the latest and most approved wide-tired iron wheels...The engine is a fine, newly designed, double engine, with two cylinders, two connecting rods, and a double-throw crank shaft...There is no part of the engine that is not adjustable."

Inside the museum is a video of the steam boiler powering a 1905 Herchell-Spillman Steam Riding Gallery at Prairie Village in Madison, South Dakota.

This steam boiler has been donated to the museum by The Baird Foundation.

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