The famed amusement ride resided in Wellsville and Cuba
From Mark Hampton, Memories of Cuba Lake
There is a carousel in the NYS MUSEUM that originally resided in Wellsville in the early half of the twentieth century. It was built by Herschel in Buffalo and initially intended to be a traveling “ride” that moved from place to place with the itinerate carnivals of the times.
Eventually this carousel came to rest at the small amusement park on Cuba Lake. Tom O’Grady (the local artist who created many of the Wellsville Balloon Rally posters) lived in Cuba, worked summers at a marina on Cuba Lake, and did a painting of the carousel horses titled “Yankee Doodle.” The original of this painting was displayed in the NYS Governor’s Mansion for years. Professional prints of the painting have been “sold out” for years.
New York was home to another famous Carousel maker, Marcus Illion. Illion-carved carousel horses were known for being glamorously bedecked and flamboyant; eventually this was referred to as a Coney Island style carousel. One of the Illion carousels was originally at the amusement park at Celoron, on Chautauqua Lake, but was purchased and moved to California years ago. Tom O’Grady also did a later painting of carousel horses in this Coney Island style titled “All the King’s Horses.”
Prints of this painting may still be found for sale.
Mark Hampton : from memories of Cuba Lake, 1950.
