Over the Jumps Carousel

Rare even when it was built, this priceless antiquity is now even rarer in that it is the only one still in existence in the world. The Over the Jumps, also called the Arkansas Carousel, has been fully restored and is at the Little Rock Zoo. It was constructed in 1924 as a traveling carousel by the Herschell-Spillman Engineering Corporation of North Tonawanda, NY. Very few were constructed to begin with and, even though they were extremely popular with the public, the undulating track carousels had mechanical problems and often spent as much time being repaired as operating. Officials with the Herschell Carrousel (sic) Factory Museum in North Tonawanda, New York, believe less than 10 of the “over-the-jumps” rides were constructed with the Arkansas Carousel being the only one left.