Overview and Offerings on this Site
CONTACT FORM AT BOTTOM OF PAGE
During the early 1800's the Dentzel Carousel Company, not yet so named, began as a winter occupation at Michael Dentzel's southern German wagonmaking shop. He sent his son Gustav with a full sized carousel on a sailing steamer to America in the 1850's. In Philedelphia PA Gustav established a cabinetmaking and carouselmaking business, the carousel business flourished. Many immigrating European fine woodworkers were hired by the Dentzel company. Gustav's two sons, William and Edward, continued the business building large elegant galloping carousels for many locations in the USA. Edward relocated to southern California in the 1920's to set-up and operate carousels. In 1927, with William's death, the company folded, much of it was sold to the Philedalphia Tobaggan Company. Edward continued his life in California as a house contractor in Beverly Hills, eventually becoming mayor of that city.
Edward's son William 2nd, born in Santa Monica, became a lawyer and raised a family in the San Fernando Valley. Later in life he too answered the carouselmaker's call to carve animals and make several small carousels. His son William 3rd worked on wooden sailboats and during travels in his 20's and built his first carousel in Chiapas, Mexico at 30. After some more boat work and a wood carving visit to Quebec he moved to Port Townsend WA where he and his wife Penny raised three children. Upon William 2nd's death in 1991, William 3rd took on the joyful challenge and task of fitting the Dentzel Carousel Company into the age of computers. Simple 10 rider wooden carousels with hand-crank, foot-pedal and electric powered mechanisms have become the style chosen to carry the craft into the 21st century.
The DCC website has information and photos on the present and past endevors of the five generations of Dentzel carouselmakers. Also included are guides to carving, painting and operating carousels. The coloring book on this site was drawn by William 3rd for use as a painting guide when doing restoration work as well as a design guide for making larger scale drawings to construct full sized carousel animals. During the nearly two centuries of Dentzel carouselmaking, mechanism designs have gone from the very simple to the grand and back again to the simple. Childrens' attraction and appreciation for all types of carousels has never waned though it appears that their more intimate contact with the smaller machines is exceptionally memorable, especially when the ring catching game is played.
Thank you for visiting this site,
Enjoy,
William H. Dentzel 3
March 2013
Port Townsend WA USA
Edward's son William 2nd, born in Santa Monica, became a lawyer and raised a family in the San Fernando Valley. Later in life he too answered the carouselmaker's call to carve animals and make several small carousels. His son William 3rd worked on wooden sailboats and during travels in his 20's and built his first carousel in Chiapas, Mexico at 30. After some more boat work and a wood carving visit to Quebec he moved to Port Townsend WA where he and his wife Penny raised three children. Upon William 2nd's death in 1991, William 3rd took on the joyful challenge and task of fitting the Dentzel Carousel Company into the age of computers. Simple 10 rider wooden carousels with hand-crank, foot-pedal and electric powered mechanisms have become the style chosen to carry the craft into the 21st century.
The DCC website has information and photos on the present and past endevors of the five generations of Dentzel carouselmakers. Also included are guides to carving, painting and operating carousels. The coloring book on this site was drawn by William 3rd for use as a painting guide when doing restoration work as well as a design guide for making larger scale drawings to construct full sized carousel animals. During the nearly two centuries of Dentzel carouselmaking, mechanism designs have gone from the very simple to the grand and back again to the simple. Childrens' attraction and appreciation for all types of carousels has never waned though it appears that their more intimate contact with the smaller machines is exceptionally memorable, especially when the ring catching game is played.
Thank you for visiting this site,
Enjoy,
William H. Dentzel 3
March 2013
Port Townsend WA USA
