Harry G. Traver: Difference between revisions

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[[Harry G. Traver|Harry Guy Traver]] (1877-1961)<ref name="smithsonian">Oswald, Alison. 2019. [https://invention.si.edu/swinging-amusement "A Swinging Amusement."] ''Smithsonian National Museum of American History.'' Sept. 20, 2019. Accessed on Aug. 5, 2024.</ref> invented the [[Circle Swing]], later rebranded as [[Airplanes]], and the [[Tumble Bug]]<ref>Traver, H. G. 1929. "Amusement ride." U.S. Patent No. 1,732,248. Accessed through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WZTXy6Vfw7krOIH7ScRi7Hu9uIvwuwp8/view?usp=sharing PDF]</ref> at Olentangy Park.<ref name="ultimate">[https://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/history/designer/traver.shtml "Harry G. Traver."] ''UltimateRollerCoaster.com.'' Page created on Sept. 20, 2001. Accessed on Aug. 5, 2024.</ref><ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/pittsburgh-post-gazette-the-shop-that-ma/152907642/ "The Shop That Manufacturers Thrills."] ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.'' Aug. 30, 1928. Page 8. Accessed through Newspapers.com.</ref>
[[Harry G. Traver|Harry Guy Traver]] (1877-1961)<ref name="smithsonian">Oswald, Alison. 2019. [https://invention.si.edu/swinging-amusement "A Swinging Amusement."] ''Smithsonian National Museum of American History.'' Sept. 20, 2019. Accessed on Aug. 5, 2024.</ref> invented the [[Circle Swing]], later rebranded as [[Airplanes]], and the [[Tumble Bug]]<ref>Traver, H. G. 1929. "Amusement ride." U.S. Patent No. 1,732,248. Accessed through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WZTXy6Vfw7krOIH7ScRi7Hu9uIvwuwp8/view?usp=sharing PDF]</ref> at Olentangy Park.<ref name="ultimate">[https://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/history/designer/traver.shtml "Harry G. Traver."] ''UltimateRollerCoaster.com.'' Page created on Sept. 20, 2001. Accessed on Aug. 5, 2024.</ref><ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/pittsburgh-post-gazette-the-shop-that-ma/152907642/ "The Shop That Manufacturers Thrills."] ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.'' Aug. 30, 1928. Page 8. Accessed through Newspapers.com.</ref>


Born in Gardner, Illinois, on Nov. 25, 1877,<ref>[https://coasterpedia.net/wiki/Harry_G._Traver "Harry G. Traver."] ''Coasterpedia.'' Created Oct. 7, 2019. Last updated Jan. 6, 2025. Accessed May 25, 2025.</ref> he was inspired to create the Circle Swing by seagulls circling a mast of a ship he was lying on.<ref name="times">Snedden, Jeffery. [https://www.timesonline.com/story/lifestyle/around-town/2016/05/24/harry-traver-took-beaver-county/18574055007/ "Harry Traver took Beaver County on thrilling roller coaster ride."] ''The Beaver County Times (Beaver County, Pennsylvania).'' May 24, 2016. Accessed on Aug. 8, 2024.</ref><ref>[https://lagoonhistory.com/project/attractions/the-rockets/ "Captive Aeroplanes/Rockets."] ''The Lagoon History Project,'' Accessed on Aug. 5, 2024.</ref><ref name="ultimate" /> 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.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-leavenworth-times-new-thrill-for-vis/152821022/ "New Thrill For Visitors to Coney."] ''The Leavenworth Times (Leavenworth, Kansas).'' March 14, 1903. Page 7. Accessed through Newspapers.com.</ref> 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."<ref name="patent1">Traver, H. G. 1904. "Amusement apparatus." U.S. Patent No. 758,341. Accessed through [https://patents.google.com/patent/US758341 Google Patents] and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WObAfTl9Ru5rtY2y8HYBe9Vb8RXTRrcK/view?usp=sharing PDF]</ref> The vehicles on the rides were either boats, airships, baskets, cars, or birds.
Born in Gardner, Illinois, on Nov. 25, 1877,<ref>[https://coasterpedia.net/wiki/Harry_G._Traver "Harry G. Traver."] ''Coasterpedia.'' Created Oct. 7, 2019. Last updated Jan. 6, 2025. Accessed May 25, 2025.</ref> he was one of seven children in a farming family. His family moved to Davenport, Nebraska, while he was young. He started out as a schoolteacher, but later apprenticed as a mechanical engineer. He worked for multiple companies, including General Electric, the Denver Tramway Company, and the Harris Safety Company of New York.<ref name="lost">Wilk, Stephen R. ''Lost Wonderland: The Brief and Brilliant Life of Boston's Million Dollar Amusement Park.'' Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2020.</ref>
 
He was inspired to create the Circle Swing by seagulls circling a mast of a cattleship he was lying on<ref name="times">Snedden, Jeffery. [https://www.timesonline.com/story/lifestyle/around-town/2016/05/24/harry-traver-took-beaver-county/18574055007/ "Harry Traver took Beaver County on thrilling roller coaster ride."] ''The Beaver County Times (Beaver County, Pennsylvania).'' May 24, 2016. Accessed on Aug. 8, 2024.</ref><ref>[https://lagoonhistory.com/project/attractions/the-rockets/ "Captive Aeroplanes/Rockets."] ''The Lagoon History Project,'' Accessed on Aug. 5, 2024.</ref><ref name="ultimate" /> while on his way back from Europe to witness the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902.<ref name="lost" />
 
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.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-leavenworth-times-new-thrill-for-vis/152821022/ "New Thrill For Visitors to Coney."] ''The Leavenworth Times (Leavenworth, Kansas).'' March 14, 1903. Page 7. Accessed through Newspapers.com.</ref> 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."<ref name="patent1">Traver, H. G. 1904. "Amusement apparatus." U.S. Patent No. 758,341. Accessed through [https://patents.google.com/patent/US758341 Google Patents] and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WObAfTl9Ru5rtY2y8HYBe9Vb8RXTRrcK/view?usp=sharing PDF]</ref> The vehicles on the rides were either boats, airships, baskets, cars, or birds. Another early version of the ride was installed at Coney Island's Luna Park for its 1904 season.<ref name="lost" />


He started the [[Traver Circle Swing Company]] with Richard Garvey and George E. Griffiths in New York<ref name="heinz">Przybylek, Leslie. 2017. "Manufacturing Thrills: The Legacy of Western Pennsylvania's Roller Coaster Pioneers." ''Heinz History Center Blog.'' Sept. 19, 2017. Accessed on Aug. 12, 2024.</ref> in 1903 with {{Tooltip |text = $100,000|tooltip = $3.63 million in 2025 dollars}} initial capital to make and sell amusement devices.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-state-capitol-news/152822990/ "State Capitol News."] ''Times Union (Brooklyn, New York).'' Nov. 3, 1903. Page 7. Accessed through Newspapers.com.</ref> The ride gained popularity after patenting it in 1904.<ref name="times" /><ref name="smithsonian" /> The company later relocated to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.<ref name="heinz" /><ref name="bcpahistory">Walton, Denver. 1992. [https://www.bcpahistory.org/beavercounty/BeaverCountyTopical/CelebrationsandHolidays/AmuementRides/AmusementRidesMSU92.html "Amusement Rides."] ''Milestones.'' Summer 1992. Vol. 17. Page 2. Reprinted at ''Beaver County History Online'' Accessed on Aug. 14, 2024. The name is misspelled as "Travers."</ref><ref name="lbhs">New Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce. [https://littlebeaverhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Beaver-Falls-Area-Centennial-Historical-Salute-to-the-Centuries_1868-1968_26MB.pdf "Travers."] ''Beaver Falls Area Centennial: Historical Salute to the Centuries 1868-1968,'' June 22, 1968. Page 48. Available  
He started the [[Traver Circle Swing Company]] with Richard Garvey and George E. Griffiths in New York<ref name="heinz">Przybylek, Leslie. 2017. "Manufacturing Thrills: The Legacy of Western Pennsylvania's Roller Coaster Pioneers." ''Heinz History Center Blog.'' Sept. 19, 2017. Accessed on Aug. 12, 2024.</ref> in 1903 with {{Tooltip |text = $100,000|tooltip = $3.63 million in 2025 dollars}} initial capital to make and sell amusement devices.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-state-capitol-news/152822990/ "State Capitol News."] ''Times Union (Brooklyn, New York).'' Nov. 3, 1903. Page 7. Accessed through Newspapers.com.</ref> The ride gained popularity after patenting it in 1904.<ref name="times" /><ref name="smithsonian" /> The company later relocated to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.<ref name="heinz" /><ref name="bcpahistory">Walton, Denver. 1992. [https://www.bcpahistory.org/beavercounty/BeaverCountyTopical/CelebrationsandHolidays/AmuementRides/AmusementRidesMSU92.html "Amusement Rides."] ''Milestones.'' Summer 1992. Vol. 17. Page 2. Reprinted at ''Beaver County History Online'' Accessed on Aug. 14, 2024. The name is misspelled as "Travers."</ref><ref name="lbhs">New Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce. [https://littlebeaverhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Beaver-Falls-Area-Centennial-Historical-Salute-to-the-Centuries_1868-1968_26MB.pdf "Travers."] ''Beaver Falls Area Centennial: Historical Salute to the Centuries 1868-1968,'' June 22, 1968. Page 48. Available  

Revision as of 03:53, 6 November 2025

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 Nov. 25, 1877,[5] he was one of seven children in a farming family. His family moved to Davenport, Nebraska, while he was young. He started out as a schoolteacher, but later apprenticed as a mechanical engineer. He worked for multiple companies, including General Electric, the Denver Tramway Company, and the Harris Safety Company of New York.[6]

He was inspired to create the Circle Swing by seagulls circling a mast of a cattleship he was lying on[7][8][3] while on his way back from Europe to witness the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902.[6]

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.[9] 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."[10] The vehicles on the rides were either boats, airships, baskets, cars, or birds. Another early version of the ride was installed at Coney Island's Luna Park for its 1904 season.[6]

He started the Traver Circle Swing Company with Richard Garvey and George E. Griffiths in New York[11] in 1903 with $100,000$3.63 million in 2025 dollars initial capital to make and sell amusement devices.[12] The ride gained popularity after patenting it in 1904.[7][1] The company later relocated to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.[11][13][14] In 1919, he grew the company by partnering with J. W. Zarro and later, buying out his factory for $140,000over $5 million in 2025 dollars. 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,"[15] 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][7][13][14]


  • Amusement apparatus. (April 26, 1904) U.S. Patent No. 758,341 Google Patents | PDF
  • Car for swings. (May 30, 1905) U.S. Patent No. 790,989 Google Patents | PDF
  • Circle-swing. (Sept. 11, 1906) U.S. Patent No. 830,687 Google Patents PDF
  • Roundabout. (Sept. 11, 1906) U.S. Patent No. 830,688 Google Patents | PDF
  • Collapsible passenger carrying car for aeroplane swings. (Nov. 21, 1922) U.S. Patent No. 1,436,371 Google Patents | PDF
  • Amusement device. (Oct. 28, 1924) U.S. Patent No. 1,512,957 PDF
  • Amusement ride. (Oct. 22, 1929) U.S. Patent No. 1,732,248 PDF[16]
  • Amusement ride. (June 24, 1930) U.S. Patent No. 1,767,626 PDF[17]
  • Amusement ride. (Oct. 13, 1931) U.S. Patent No. 1,827,303 PDF[18]

Rides

See Also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Oswald, Alison. 2019. "A Swinging Amusement." Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Sept. 20, 2019. Accessed on Aug. 5, 2024.
  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. Page created on Sept. 20, 2001. Accessed on Aug. 5, 2024.
  4. ↑ "The Shop That Manufacturers Thrills." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Aug. 30, 1928. Page 8. Accessed through Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Harry G. Traver." Coasterpedia. Created Oct. 7, 2019. Last updated Jan. 6, 2025. Accessed May 25, 2025.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Wilk, Stephen R. Lost Wonderland: The Brief and Brilliant Life of Boston's Million Dollar Amusement Park. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2020.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Snedden, Jeffery. "Harry Traver took Beaver County on thrilling roller coaster ride." The Beaver County Times (Beaver County, Pennsylvania). May 24, 2016. Accessed on Aug. 8, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Captive Aeroplanes/Rockets." The Lagoon History Project, Accessed on Aug. 5, 2024.
  9. ↑ "New Thrill For Visitors to Coney." The Leavenworth Times (Leavenworth, Kansas). March 14, 1903. Page 7. Accessed through Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Traver, H. G. 1904. "Amusement apparatus." U.S. Patent No. 758,341. Accessed through Google Patents and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office PDF
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Przybylek, Leslie. 2017. "Manufacturing Thrills: The Legacy of Western Pennsylvania's Roller Coaster Pioneers." Heinz History Center Blog. Sept. 19, 2017. Accessed on Aug. 12, 2024.
  12. ↑ "State Capitol News." Times Union (Brooklyn, New York). Nov. 3, 1903. Page 7. Accessed through Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Walton, Denver. 1992. "Amusement Rides." Milestones. Summer 1992. Vol. 17. Page 2. Reprinted at Beaver County History Online Accessed on Aug. 14, 2024. The name is misspelled as "Travers."
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 New Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce. "Travers." Beaver Falls Area Centennial: Historical Salute to the Centuries 1868-1968, June 22, 1968. Page 48. Available through Little Beaver Historical Society. The name is misspelled as "Travers."
  15. ↑ Traver, H. G. 1922. "Collapsible passenger carrying car for aeroplane swings." U.S. Patent No. 1,436,371 Accessed through Google Patents and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office PDF
  16. ↑ Traver, H. G. 1929. "Amusement ride." U.S. Patent No. 1,732,248. Accessed through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office PDF
  17. ↑ Traver, H. G. 1930. "Amusement ride." U.S. Patent No. 1,767,626. Accessed through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office PDF
  18. ↑ 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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