Busch Gardens
Williamsburg VA
2018

Grab a horse, be merry and go round the carousel
Giddy up this classic antique carousel that's perfect for all ages

Restored to its original condition, this antique 1919 Allan Herschell Carousel features 36 hand-carved ponies and two double-bench chariots. It's perfect for the entire family.

1919 Allan Herschell Carousel
from the National Carousel Association
Description: Allan Herschell
Carousel Class: Classic Wood Carousel
Last Update: 2010
Status: Active in Busch Gardens Williamsburg VA
Year Built: 1919
Type: 3 rows, portable, all wood composition
Figures: 36 Jumping Horses, 2 Chariots
Music: No Band Organ
Comments: Traveled over 50 years, abandoned, and found in 1973 in Dallas. Roy Herschell and 14 craftsmen restored it in 6 months

Signage at Busch Gardens:

If you remember riding a merry-go round at a circus or carnival, you may have ridden this one, Allan Herschell a pioneer, of the mobile carousel, built this unit in 1919 in Tonawanda, New York, for more than 50 years, it travelled throughout the United States before being abandoned.

In 1973, Busch Gardens personnel located the dismantled carousel in a Dallas, Texas, auction barn, under the direction of Roy Herschell, the grandson of the builder, fourteen craftsmen spent six months restoring it to the original condition, all side panels, ponies, castings, and brass rails are either original fittings or genuine Herschell replacement parts.