F.W. Thorlton Photo-Graphic

The patriarch of the Dentzel factory, Gustav A. Dentzel, immigrated to Philadelphia in 1860. The 20 year old had carved carousels for his father in Germany and he soon began practicing that trade in America. Seven years after landing in the new country, Dentzel changed the nameplate of the cabinet?making shop he started to G.A. Dentzel, Steam and Horsepower Caroussell Builder, and his lifelong dedication to carousels officially began. Before embarking on his manufacturing venture, Dentzel toured the countryside with a small, portable carousel he had made. During his travels he discovered people were eager to ride his galloping wooden mounts. Dentzel also learned a lesson about his adopted country At Richmond, Virginia, the group of eager boys who ordinarily would have struggled to be first to ride the carousel threw stones at the machine instead. Eventually a spectator told Dentzel it was the music and not the carousel that irritated the crowd. in the South "Marching Through Georgia" was not a popular tune. From then on Deritzel was more careful about the music he selected for his band organs. Dentzel continually experimented with variations on the standard carousel. He followed the development of energy sources, using horses at first and switching to the steam engine. He built a two?story ride, but soon tore it down and used the parts for other carousels. His double?decker machine created quite a sensation in 1890 when it first appeared in Atlantic City, Newjersey, but loading and unloading passengers took so long the contraption was unprofitable.