Roll up, roll up! Whether you prefer to watch trapeze artists or aerobats, jugglers or magicians, or whether you are deathly afraid of clowns, there is something for everyone when the circus comes to town.
From the late 19th century onwards, circuses typically toured for months at a time, across the United States and some parts of Canada, with their own train cars and usually stopping only for a night or two in towns along the way. For much of the first half of the 20th century, a circus would stop by almost every year or so.
The circus was not just a background event when it came to town. In August 1929, when John Robinson’s circus came to Mount Airy for two shows in one day, it effectively closed down the town for the day. The Mount Airy granite quarry closed for the day, and factories gave their employees the afternoon off to see the event. John Robinson’s circus arrived in around 40 train cars, having left Greensboro the evening before. Pulling into Mount Airy at 4:30 a.m., a number of the circus’s 180 horses and a herd of elephants hauled and pushed their wagons through the streets of Mount Airy with such efficiency that the circus was at the fairgrounds and ready to be set up by 8 a.m. the same morning, ready to fill the main tent’s 8,000 seats.
The stoppage of Mount Airy’s industry would have been a sight for the Yadkin Valley News reporter who in 1892, wrote of their joy that Miles Orton’s circus bypassed Mount Airy on its tour, stating that “‘Circuses afford amusement for a day, but they demoralize business for awhile.. take a great deal of more money out of the country than such people are entitled to.”
Perhaps the most famous circus in history, dubbed “The Greatest Show on Earth,” the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus performed in Winston-Salem in October 1921. The circus had recently had a two-month stay at Madison Square Garden in New York City, performing twice a day to packed audiences. Coming along with the circus was a wide menagerie of animals, including elephants, camels, trained seals, bears, monkeys, dogs, and even pigeons.
The same company returned to Winston-Salem in October of 1927, this time with a “White Elephant” in tow. The elephant, named Pawah, was advertised as the only one of its kind to be found in more than 300 years, and the only genuine white elephant that had been brought to America. The sight of Pawah would have been astonishing to those who came along to the spectacle, who would never have seen an elephant before, let alone a very pale and rare white elephant.
An example of the precariousness of live performances occurred in April 1896, when the Sparks and Cole Circus rolled into Mount Airy. Arriving via railway, admission to the show was only 25 cents, which is less than $9 in today’s money. The highlight of the show was to be the feat of French “aeronaut” William DeBoe. DeBoe was set to fly into the sky in his airship — an aircraft similar to a hot air balloon — named Carolina, before jumping out and descending to the ground on his parachute. In an anticlimax, the parachute was not working, and the daredevil instead had to come back down upon his airship. Nevertheless it did not put a damper on the entertainment, with reports the next day calling it “the best 25 cents show ever exhibited here.”
Three to four thousand people came into town on the day to attend, a huge increase from the thousand or so people who lived in Mount Airy at the time. The success led the same company to return to Mount Airy the following April. This time, the circus featured more than 30 different acts, including various trained animals and a group of acrobats. DeBoe was also present and again performed his feat. There is no record of his attempt this time, which hopefully can be taken as good news.
From Sept. 14 to Sept. 19, 1925, the Eastern Star Circus and Bazaar came to Mount Airy, giving the people of the town the chance to prove whether they had the potential to run away with the circus. A special event held on the evening of Sept. 18 by the circus encouraged the audience to become the performers. The citizens of Mount Airy were encouraged to test their abilities and perform their own routines, in front of some 3,000 spectators. Several prizes were to be given out, with the winners being decided by the applause of the audience.
Many of the famous circuses of years gone by have now taken down their tents for the final time, due to various concerns and the changing interests of modern audiences.
Yet, we hold onto the nostalgia of these grand affairs, and they will be forever a reminder of the joy of laughter.
Emily Morgan is the guest services manager at the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History. She and her family live in Westfield. She can be reached at eamorgan@northcarolinamuseum.org or by calling 336-786-4478 x229
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com