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Beaver County was once a major builder and supplier of amusement park rides for parks all over the country. The Travers Engineering Company, located along Walnut Bottom Run in Beaver Falls made a variety of rides for West View and Kennywood Parks in Pittsburgh.
West View bought a "Caterpillar" ride in 1924 from Harry Travers, and a "Tumble Bug" in 1929, both of which were operating when the park closed in 1977. For Kennywood, Travers built a "Caterpillar" in 1923, the "Deluxe Seaplane" ride in 1926, and a "Tumble Bug" in 1927. In 1930, an electric auto ride and "Laff in the Dark" were supplied by Travers for Kennywood.
The Travers Company failed in the early years of the depression and was succeeded by the R.E. Chambers Company which continued to produce amusement park rides. The New York Worlds Fair in 1939 featured a Chambers-built "Midget Auto Racer" on a special oval track 60 feet by 200 feet which accommodated 12 cars operated at speeds up to 18 miles per hour. In 1949, Chambers built new cars resembling Turtles for Harry Travers' Tumble Bug ride at Kennywood.
It was the Tumble Bug that was Travers' specialty. More than fifty of these rides were built for parks all over the country. The Tumble Bug in Kennywood is the last Travers' ride still operating.