Gustav Dentzel

Gustav Dentzel was a German immigrant who built some of the earliest carousels in the United States.

Gustav Dentzel
Gustav Dentzel
Born(1846-08-03)August 3, 1846
Kreuznach, Rhine Province, German Confederation
DiedJanuary 20, 1909(1909-01-20) (aged 62)
Burial placeNorthwood Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
OccupationCarousel builder
Known forFounded the Dentzel Carousel Company
Spouse(s)
  • Alma (married 1874)
  • Mary (married 1881)
Children
  • Augusta
  • William H. I.
  • Margaret
  • Helen
  • Charles
  • Edward P. (w/Mary)

Born in Germany

Gustav Dentzel was born in Kreuznach, Germany, on August 3, 1846.[1] As a child, Gustav, would travel around southwest Germany during the summer from fair to fair with his father, Michael, and the rest of his family, setting up a small, portable carousel ride.[2] Gustav learned the art of woodworking, carving carousel animals and making wagons during the off-season, from his father.[3]

Career

Michael sent Gustav, and his brothers, to the United States, in 1864, along with a carousel, which may have been the first carousel to come to the New World.[3] Gustav first opened a cabinet making shop and hired many German and Italian immigrants, like himself, that had learned woodcarving in the "Old Country".[2] After building a small carousel and touring the countryside with it he found that people were eager to ride it. Gustav founded the Dentzel Carousel Company (also spelled Dentzel Carrousel Company, among other variations)[1] in 1867, in Germantown, Pennsylvania.[3] Dentzel has been credited for introducing the first steam-powered carousel and introducing the use of menagerie animals, such as cats, lions, tigers, deer, in addition to horses and chariots.[2]

Marriage

Gustav married his first wife, Alma, in 1874. Together they had five children, Augusta, William H. I., Margaret, Helen, and Charles. However, Alma died in 1880, and Gustav remarried Mary. They had a son, Edward P.[3]

Death

Gustav died in 1909, his sons William and Edward, took over the company and ran it until 1928, when William died.[3]

References
  1. Richard A. Gardner (2015). Dentzel Carousels: a Photographic Compilation of the Classic Carousels of the Dentzel Carrousel Company. Richard A. Gardner. p. 14. ISBN 9781364395339.
  2. Dentzel.
  3. History.

Bibliography
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