| Mansfield PA and Richmond Township in Tioga County PA |
Tri-Counties Genealogy &
History by Joyce M. Tice
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Mansfield Fair Carousel Finds
New Home - 2001 |
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Bradford County PA
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Chemung County NY
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Tioga County PA
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We now have a local history museum in Mansfield representing the area
in and near Mansfield including Richmond, Sullivan, Rutland, Covington
and more
Visit the History Center
on Main Street at 83 North Main Street. We also have a locaton
at 61 North Main Street.
Regular hours are noon to 3 T, W Th or by appointment.
Also visit us on Facebook |
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| Article: Mansfield Fair Carousel Finds New
Home |
| Township: Mansfield Borough, Tioga County
PA |
| Article by Chester P. Bailey |
| Photographer - |
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Joyce's Search Tip - November 2008
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Do You Know that you can search just the
articles on the site by using the Articles button in the Partitioned
search engine at the bottom of the Current
What's New Page? |
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MANSFIELD FAIR CAROUSEL FINDS NEW HOME
Written & Submitted by Chester P. Bailey
The carousel which furnished rides for young and old at the Mansfield
Fair in the 1920’s and early 1930’s will have a new home in Albany, NY,
after years in storage.
The Stabel Company, Merry-go-round of Wellsville, NY was sold to an
Amusement Company Park in Cuba, N.Y. when it stopped coming to the Mansfield
Fair. A picture of it appears in the Great Mansfield Fair book published
by Chester Bailey in 1982. The picture and several others were given to
Mr. Bailey by Hallock Colony when he was researching for material for his
book.
Later the picture was used in an article by C. Houghtalen in the "Carousel"
magazine. Mr. Scherer, Assistant Curator at the New York State Museum,
Albany, New York, seeking information about the picture, called Mr. Bailey.
Mr. Scherer has furnished the following information.
"I am currently attempting to trace the history of our carousel, and
discovered the photograph in the February 1994 issue of the "Carousel News
and Trader", according to the identification on the reverse side, it was
the Stadel Amusement Merry-go-round of Wellsville, New York – this picture
was taken at Olcott Beach, New York about 1931, but later it was sold to
a man at Cuba, NY."
"We acquired the carousel in 1994 from a man who lived at Cube Lake
where it was last used and he indicated that the carousel came from Wellsville,
N.Y. Albert and Fred Stabel, sons of Christopher and Caroline L. Stadel,
operated for a number of years under the name of New United Shows and covered
the entire eastern United States. They would open the season with a week
stay in Wellsville and then go on the road for the season. One of their
regular stops was at the Mansfield Fair in September. Accordingly the last
one was in 1931."
Some damage to the carousel has occurred through the years but it is
being made ready to run again by the year 2001 in the New York State Museum.
Pictured here is the carousel as it appeared in the 1931 at Alcott,
N.Y. The Carousel is complete and in original condition. Its gold painted
decorations and mirrors are all intact. Its forty animals include 36 horses
of three sizes and in various poses and two donkeys and two deer. The animals
are placed in three rows with the largest and fanciest on the outside.
There are two chariots and a round tub also on the carousel. A total of
fifty people could ride at one time.
The carousel was manufactured by the Herschell Company of North Tonawanda,
N.Y. between 1890 and 1914. The Bucktail Camping Resort, Mansfield, PA,
has a 1914 Herschell carousel installed in 1993 as a permanent attraction
by Mr. Richard Franks, at the campground.
Pictured is the Stabel Company Merry-go-round as it appeared in 1931
at Alcott, N.Y. It was sold to an Amusement Company Park in Cuba, N.Y.
when it stopped coming to the Mansfield Fair in 1931. After years of use
it was put into storage. The New York State Museum traced it from this
photo that had appeared in the "Carousel" magazine, and purchased the Carousel.
It is being refurbished and will be ready to run again in 2001 at Albany,
NY.
