1927 Rock Springs Dentzel-Muller Carousel – Chester, WV
The Last Carousel to Leave the Dentzel Factory
Chester, WV – While so many great carousels were simply the victims of hard financial times, the Rock Springs Muller [Dentzel] carousel was the victim of Interstate highway expansion. And a decade after the park 
closed and the ride sold, the carousel would next fall victim to the skyrocketing of the value of fine carousel carvings – while the value of complete carousels was plummeting. Amusement parks all over the US in the 1960s and ’70s found themselves in serious financial need – and many were cashing in their carousels. There would be no new home found for the carousel after the park was closed as the original buyers had intended. The beautiful horses of the Rock Springs carousel were victims of the times – but then, it was also the times that garnered the magnificent carvings the recognition they deserved as they became legitimate and worthy stars on their own.
Although with each auction in the late 1980s prices kept creeping up, I believe that it was the Muller stander from Rock Springs that was the first horse to really push the envelope, so to speak, going for a world record auction price of a whopping $63,500 in the spring of 1988. The previous record price for a carousel horse at the time was another Rock Springs Muller, which had sold the previous fall in the high $50s. And, a Looff greyhound had sold at a Phillips auction in NYC for $59,500 in the fall of ’87. But, at the time for carousel horses, only a Stein & Goldstein, which had sold for $40,000 in January of 1988, was even close to the two the Mullers of Rock Springs. But, before the monthly Carousel News & Trader could print the record, it had been broken, by yet another Muller – an Indian Pony this time, from Conneaut Lake Park in a silent auction held by Americana Antiques – reportedly selling for $75,000.
The Carousel News & Trader magazine was just barely 2 years old back then, but “Carousel-mania” was already hitting full stride. Shortly after the Indian pony, a Carmel would sell near $90,000 at auction, while an Illions jumper would top $101,000 before the end of 1988.
The Rock Springs Muller carousel horses will always be among the most desired of all carousel horses. They were big, and they were beautiful – gorgeous Mullers from the last Dentzel to leave the factory – it doesn’t get much better than that.
You can read about the 1988 American Carousel Museum San Francisco auction in the June 1988 CNT Online here >>.
The Last Three Dentzels Carousels
Kennywood Park, PA; Lenape Park, PA; Rock Springs Park, PA
By Gray Tuttle
From the January 2011 Carousel News & Trader Online gives some very nice insight and history to the Rock Springs Muller-Dentzel carousel, along with a couple of photos showing a couple of the amazing outside row standers. About Rock Springs, Gray says:
ROCK SPRINGS CAROUSEL
“During the fall and winter of 1974, the property of Rock Springs Park was condemned by the state of PA for a new highway interchange. The contents of the park was put up for auction. The Tuttles were successful in purchasing the park’s contents including the carousel. We did not want to break up the machine. It was sold intact to Jim Wells of Fairfax, VA, who later sold it to Larry Freels in CA. The mechanism is in storage and needs a new home. (You can call Dan at Brass Ring Carousel Co. for details.)
The Rock Springs machine had Muller horses from the trade-in machine, several new closed-mouth and top-knot Dentzel carvings on the second and third rows. There were no menagerie on the Rock Springs machine. Dentzel wooden tails were made for the Muller horses when the carousel was built. This last Dentzel carousel is novel in that it is the only known park machine built with steel sweeps.
Over the years, horses from this machine, have been advertised as having original paint. In fact, the Muller horses had four coats of paint, the original Muller factory paint, a park paint job in the park where the machine operated, the Dentzel factory when the machine was built, and a paint job at the park in1937 by by former Dentzel painter Angelo Calsamilia. The new Dentzel jumpers had two coats, a Dentzel factory paint job and the Calsamilia 1937 paint job. Calsamilia also painted the Lenape machine in the late 1930s.
During the winter of 1927, William Dentzel was in the hospital with a heart condition. He was able to supervise the installation of these last machines. He later spent part of 1927 at the Hot Springs at Bad-Naugeim, Germany. He was back in the hospital in early 1928. William Dentzel died at his home on March 13, 1928.”
Read about all three Dentzels in the full article online issue here. >>
Notes from Marianne
The D. C. Muller & Brother Carousels
And in the October 2010 issue of the CN&T, Marianne Stevens reminisces the D. C. Muller & Brother Carousel Works machines including Rock Springs, Pen-Mar, Williams Grove, Arnold’s Park in Iowa, Palisades Park in NJ, Allentown, Walbridge, Waldameer, Pleasure Beach and Conneaut; also Hanover, PA which became Astroworld, and the “Mexican” Muller from Chapultepec Park in Mexico City.
That’s a dozen Muller machines Marianne pulled out of her head. She was amazing. Read her D. C. Muller Notes from Marianne here >>
The Rock Springs mechanism and trim are still together. Maybe it will find a home someday. I’d gladly sit on fiberglass to ride on that carousel.
