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{{#seo:|description=Harry Guy Traver created the Olentangy Park rides the Circle Swing, Tumble Bug, and the Whirlwind racer. He operated the Traver Circle Swing Co. and Traver Engineering Co.}}
{{#seo:|description=Harry Guy Traver created the Olentangy Park rides the Circle Swing, Tumble Bug, and the Whirlwind racer. He operated the Traver Circle Swing Co. and Traver Engineering Co.}}
{{#seo:|keywords=Harry Guy Traver, Harry G. Traver, Traver, Traver Circle Swing, Traver Circle Swing Company, Traver Engineering, Travel Engineering Company, Circle Swing, Aeroplanes, Airplanes, Tumble Bug, Whirlwind, Whirlwind Racer, Olentangy Park, roller coaster, Columbus, Harry G. Traver, Traver, Harry Traver}}
{{#seo:|keywords=Harry Guy Traver, Harry G. Traver, Traver, Traver Circle Swing, Traver Circle Swing Company, Traver Engineering, Travel Engineering Company, Circle Swing, Aeroplanes, Airplanes, Tumble Bug, Whirlwind, Whirlwind Racer, roller coaster, Columbus, Harry G. Traver, Traver, Harry Traver, Olentangy Park, Olentangy Amusement Park, Olentangy Park Columbus, Columbus amusement park, amusement park, Clintonville, defunct amusement park}}

Revision as of 00:37, 14 August 2024

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

He was inspired to create the Circle Swing by seagulls circling a mast of a ship he was lying on.[5][6][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.[7] 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."[8] The vehicles on the rides were either boats, airships, baskets, or cars.

He started the Traver Circle Swing Company with Richard Garvey and George E. Griffiths in New York[9] in 1903 with $100,000 ($3.5 million in 2024) initial capital to make and sell amusement devices.[10] The ride gained popularity after patenting it in 1904.[5][1] The company later relocated to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.[9] In 1919, he grew the company by partnering with J. W. Zarro and later, buying out his factory for $140,000 (over $2.5 million in 2024). 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,"[11] which could be the vehicles of 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][5]


Rides

See Also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Oswald, Alison. "A Swinging Amusement." Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Published 20 September 2019. Accessed 5 August 2024. https://invention.si.edu/swinging-amusement
  2. ↑ "Whirlwind Racer (Six Flags New England)." Coasterpedia. Last updated 30 December 2023. Accessed 9 August 2024. https://coasterpedia.net/wiki/Whirlwind_Racer_(Six_Flags_New_England)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Harry G. Traver." UltimateRollerCoaster.com. Roller Coaster History Ride Designs. Accessed 5 August 2024. https://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/history/designer/traver.shtml
  4. ↑ "The Shop That Manufacturers Thrills." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 30 August 1928. Pg. 8. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/article/pittsburgh-post-gazette-the-shop-that-ma/152907642/
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Snedden, Jeffery. "Harry Traver took Beaver County on thrilling roller coaster ride." The Beaver County Times (Beaver County, Pennsylvania). Published 24 May 2016. Accessed 8 August 2024. https://www.timesonline.com/story/lifestyle/around-town/2016/05/24/harry-traver-took-beaver-county/18574055007/
  6. ↑ "Captive Aeroplanes/Rockets." The Lagoon History Project. Accessed 5 August 2024. https://lagoonhistory.com/project/attractions/the-rockets/
  7. ↑ "New Thrill For Visitors to Coney." The Leavenworth Times (Leavenworth, Kansas). 14 March 1903. Pg. 7. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-leavenworth-times-new-thrill-for-vis/152821022/
  8. ↑ Traver, H. G. (1904). Amusement apparatus. U.S. Patent No. 758,341. https://patents.google.com/patent/US758341
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Przybylek, Leslie. "Manufacturing Thrills: The Legacy of Western Pennsylvania’s Roller Coaster Pioneers." Heinz History Center Blog. Published 19 September 2017. Accessed 12 August 2024.
  10. ↑ "State Capitol News." Times Union (Brooklyn, New York). 3 November 1903. Pg. 7. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-state-capitol-news/152822990/
  11. ↑ Traver, H. G. (1922). Collapsible passenger carrying car for aeroplane swings U.S. Patent No. 1,436,371 https://patents.google.com/patent/US1436371


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