Harry G. Traver

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Harry Guy Traver (1877-1961)[1] invented the Circle Swing, later rebranded as Airplanes, and the Tumble Bug[2] at Olentangy Park.[3][4]

Born in Gardner, Illinois, on November 25, 1877,[5] he was inspired to create the Circle Swing by seagulls circling a mast of a ship he was lying on.[6][7][3] Similar to an earlier version of the ride created by Charles Braaf and a carousel maker, Traver's version was faster and first installed at Chutes Park in Los Angeles in 1902.[8] The ride was "to provide the occupants with the pleasurable sensation of the ordinary roundabout with increased speed and gradual rise from and return to the ground."[9] The vehicles on the rides were either boats, airships, baskets, cars, or birds.

He started the Traver Circle Swing Company with Richard Garvey and George E. Griffiths in New York[10] in 1903 with $100,000 ($3.63 million in 2025) initial capital to make and sell amusement devices.[11] The ride gained popularity after patenting it in 1904.[6][1] The company later relocated to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.[10][12][13] In 1919, he grew the company by partnering with J. W. Zarro and later, buying out his factory for $140,000 (over $5 million). He expanded the factory and created Traver Engineering Company. By 1924, the company was the largest producer of amusement rides. In 1922, he patented the "Collapsible Passenger Carrying Car for Aeroplane Swings,"[14] which were added to the Circle Swing to create the Airplanes ride. Traver sold the company in 1932 to Ralph E. Chambers after suffering losses due to the Great Recession. Chambers operated it until 1962.[3][6][12][13]


Related Patents

Rides

See Also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Oswald, Alison. 2019. "A Swinging Amusement." Smithsonian National Museum of American History, September 20, 2019. Accessed on August 5, 2024. https://invention.si.edu/swinging-amusement
  2. ↑ Traver, H. G. 1929. "Amusement ride." U.S. Patent No. 1,732,248. Accessed through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office PDF
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Harry G. Traver." UltimateRollerCoaster.com, Accessed on August 5, 2024. https://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/history/designer/traver.shtml
  4. ↑ "The Shop That Manufacturers Thrills." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 30, 1928. Page 8. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/article/pittsburgh-post-gazette-the-shop-that-ma/152907642/
  5. ↑ "Harry G. Traver." Coasterpedia. Created Octboer 7, 2019. Last updated January 6, 2025. Accessed May 25, 2025. https://coasterpedia.net/wiki/Harry_G._Traver
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Snedden, Jeffery. 2016. "Harry Traver took Beaver County on thrilling roller coaster ride." The Beaver County Times (Beaver County, Pennsylvania), May 24, 2016. Accessed on August 8, 2024. https://www.timesonline.com/story/lifestyle/around-town/2016/05/24/harry-traver-took-beaver-county/18574055007/
  7. ↑ "Captive Aeroplanes/Rockets." The Lagoon History Project, Accessed on August 5, 2024. https://lagoonhistory.com/project/attractions/the-rockets/
  8. ↑ "New Thrill For Visitors to Coney." The Leavenworth Times (Leavenworth, Kansas), March 14, 1903. Page 7. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-leavenworth-times-new-thrill-for-vis/152821022/
  9. ↑ Traver, H. G. 1904. "Amusement apparatus." U.S. Patent No. 758,341. Accessed through Google Patents https://patents.google.com/patent/US758341 and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office PDF
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Przybylek, Leslie. 2017. "Manufacturing Thrills: The Legacy of Western Pennsylvania's Roller Coaster Pioneers." Heinz History Center Blog, September 19, 2017. Accessed on August 12, 2024.
  11. ↑ "State Capitol News." Times Union (Brooklyn, New York), November 3, 1903. Page 7. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-state-capitol-news/152822990/
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Walton, Denver. 1992. "Amusement Rides." Milestones, Summer 1992. 17 (2). Reprinted at Beaver County History Online Accessed on August 14, 2024. https://www.bcpahistory.org/beavercounty/BeaverCountyTopical/CelebrationsandHolidays/AmuementRides/AmusementRidesMSU92.html The name is misspelled as "Travers."
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 New Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce. 1968. "Travers." Beaver Falls Area Centennial: Historical Salute to the Centuries 1868-1968, June 22, 1968. Page 48. Available through Little Beaver Historical Society https://littlebeaverhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Beaver-Falls-Area-Centennial-Historical-Salute-to-the-Centuries_1868-1968_26MB.pdf The name is misspelled as "Travers."
  14. ↑ Traver, H. G. 1922. "Collapsible passenger carrying car for aeroplane swings." U.S. Patent No. 1,436,371 Accessed through Google Patents https://patents.google.com/patent/US1436371 and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office PDF
  15. ↑ Traver, H. G. 1929. "Amusement ride." U.S. Patent No. 1,732,248. Accessed through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office PDF
  16. ↑ Traver, H. G. 1930. "Amusement ride." U.S. Patent No. 1,767,626. Accessed through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office PDF
  17. ↑ Traver, H. G. 1931. "Amusement ride." U.S. Patent No. 1,827,303. Accessed through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office PDF
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