Spillman Engineering 3-Abreast Carousel National Register of Historic Places Listing

In 1915, the Spillman Engineering Corporation in North Tonawanda, New York, cranked out a portable, three-row carousel designed to survive the brutal wear and tear of the county fair circuit. Today, that exact machine sits in Los Gatos, California, spinning riders under a canopy in Oak Meadow Park. It is not just old. It represents a vanishing breed of American craftsmanship. Most carousels from this era featured grand, stationary horses destined for permanent amusement parks, but Spillman built this one to travel. To survive constant dismantling, the carvers used sturdy, laminated basswood instead of delicate, hollowed-out frames. They carved 34 horses and two chariots, giving the animals fiercely expressive eyes, wind-whipped manes, and real horsehair tails. The mechanics are pure muscle. Heavy cast-iron gears and overhead cranks still jolt the horses with a rhythmic, mechanical clatter.

By the late twentieth century, most of these wooden carnivals had rotted away or gotten chopped up for trendy home decor. This particular unit survived decades of neglect, moving through various owners before a group of local volunteers rescued it from an Oregon barn in 1980. They bought it anyway. Then, they spent over a decade scraping off layers of cheap park paint, restoring the original woodwork, and rebuilding the steam-era mechanisms. Now, it runs on electricity. But the ride still feels remarkably fast. Kids even grab for the brass ring, a rare gameplay feature that most modern parks banned decades ago due to insurance liabilities. That is why the federal government put it on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. No velvet ropes here. Just grease, wood, and kids screaming.