The International Circus Hall of Fame is a museum and

hall of fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

which honors important figures in

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...

history. It is located in

Peru, Indiana Peru is a city in, and the county seat of, Miami County, Indiana, Miami County, Indiana, United States. It is north of Indianapolis. The population was 11,417 at the 2010 census, making it the most populous city in Miami County. Peru is located ...

on the former grounds of the Wallace Circus and American Circus Corporation Winter Quarters, also known as the Peru Circus Farm and Valley Farms. The property includes rare surviving circus buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

for its historical importance. and

Property history

The Peru property was a prosperous farm when it was purchased in 1891 by Benjamin Wallace, owner of the Wallace Circus. From then until 1944 the property served as the winter quarters for a succession of circus companies, most created by succession or merger with Wallace's operation. In 1921, the

American Circus Corporation The American Circus Corporation consisted of the Sells-Floto Circus, the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus, the John Robinson Circus, the Sparks Circus, and the Al G. Barnes Circus. It was owned by Jerry Mugivan, Bert Bowers and Ed Ballard. They s ...

acquired the property and Wallace's circus operation, and expanded the facilities. American Circus was sold to

John Ringling John Nicholas Ringling (May 31, 1866 – December 2, 1936) was an American entrepreneur who is the best known of the seven Ringling brothers, five of whom merged the Barnum & Bailey Circus with their own Ringling Bros World's Greatest Shows ...

in 1929, and it housed Ringling Brothers operations until declines in the circus business prompted its closure in 1944. The property was then returned to agricultural use, and a number of the surviving circus-related buildings were significantly altered or demolished.

Museum history

The

Ringling Brothers Circus Ringling Bros. World's Greatest Shows is a circus founded in Baraboo, Wisconsin, United States in 1884 by five of the seven Ringling brothers: Albert, August, Otto, Alfred T., Charles, John, and Henry. The Ringling brothers were sons of a Ge ...

had established their winter quarters in

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sout ...

in 1927, with a large amount of help by Victor Sabattini (1916–2010), an insurance executive, who later became the president and chairman of the board. In the mid-1950s the idea to create a hall of fame to honor outstanding circus artists was conceived of by circus fans in the Sarasota community and in 1956 the Circus Hall of Fame opened. Located near the Sarasota airport, the Hall of Fame included exhibition space in several buildings filled with circus memorabilia, including personal effects from famous circus artists and impresarios – costumes, props, posters and circus wagons. In addition to the exhibits, the Circus Hall of Fame presented circus acts several times a day, during several months each year. In addition to visits by Florida tourists, the Circus Hall of Fame received national exposure.

NBC-TV The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

broadcast "The Circus Hall of Fame All Star Circus" on Sept. 12, 1970. The host,

Ed McMahon Edward Leo Peter McMahon Jr. (March 6, 1923 – June 23, 2009) was an American announcer, game show host, comedian, actor, singer, and combat aviator. McMahon and Johnny Carson began their association in their first TV series, the ABC game sh ...

, conveyed congratulations to the four newly named inductees to the Circus Hall of Fame for 1970 including famous circus performers, The Rieffenach Sisters ( bareback riders),

aerialist Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acro d ...

s Mayme Ward and Ira Millette, and circus impresario

Billy Smart Sr. William George Smart Sr. (25 April 1894 – 25 September 1966) was a British showman, fairground proprietor and circus proprietor, the founder and owner of Billy Smart's Circus. Biography Born in London, Billy Smart was one of 23 children in a ...

Although up to 80,000 tourists visited the Circus Hall of Fame each year, by the late 1970s it was unprofitable and the owners prepared to close the museum. In 1980 the lease on the property expired and on May 27, 1980, the Sarasota Circus Hall of Fame had its last performance. In 1981 a group of citizens from Peru, Indiana, learned that the effects of the Circus Hall of Fame were for sale. Interested in preserving the circus artifacts and concerned that they might be auctioned off separately, Indiana residents, businesses and the state government contributed to the purchase of the entire collection to bring it to the former Wallace property in Peru. Many other items have since been added to the original Sarasota collection, including 16 historical wagons reconstructed in the Hall of Fame wagon shop and the Peru Wagon Works Shop.

Prominent inductees

*1958 Lillian Leitzel *1960

William C. Coup William Cameron Coup (August 4, 1836 – March 4, 1895) was a Wisconsin businessman who partnered with P. T. Barnum and Dan Castello in 1870 to form the "P. T. Barnum's Museum, Menagerie and Circus". Previously Barnum had a museum at a fixed loca ...

*1960

James Anthony Bailey James Anthony Bailey (July 4, 1847 – April 11, 1906), born James Anthony McGinnis, was an American owner and manager of several 19th-century circuses, including The Barnum and Bailey Greatest Show on Earth. Early life James Anthony McGinn ...

*1960

P. T. Barnum Phineas Taylor Barnum (; July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus (1871–2017) with James Anthony Bailey. He was ...

*1961 Bird Millman *1961 The Ringling Brothers *1962

Dan Rice Dan Rice (January 23, 1823 – February 22, 1900) was an American entertainer of many talents, most famously as a clown, who was active before the American Civil War. At the height of his career, Rice was a household name. Dan Rice also coin ...

*1963

Adam Forepaugh Adam John Forepaugh (born Adam John Forbach; February 28, 1831 – January 22, 1890) was an American horse trader and circus owner. From 1865 through 1890 his circus operated under various names including Forepaugh's Circus, Forepaugh's Gigantic ...

*1963

May Wirth May Wirth (6 June 189418 October 1978) was an Australian circus and vaudeville performer famous for her ability to do somersaults forwards and backwards on a running horse. She was inducted to the Circus Hall of Fame as a bareback rider in 1963 ...

*1963

Victor Pépin Victor Adolphus Pépin (March 8, 1780 – 1845) was an American circus performer and circus owner most famous for being a partner in the Circus of Pépin and Breschard. The Circus of Pépin and Breschard can thus be considered the first American ...

*1964

Isaac Van Amburgh Isaac A. Van Amburgh (1808–1865) was an American animal trainer who developed the first trained wild animal act in modern times.Culhane, John. ''The American Circus,'' Henry Holt and Company, Inc., 1990., pg. 20 By introducing jungle acts into ...

*1964

Philip Astley Philip Astley (8 January 1742 – 20 October 1814) was an English equestrian, circus owner, and inventor, regarded as being the " father of the modern circus". Modern circus, as an integrated entertainment experience that includes music, domes ...

*1965

Clyde Beatty Clyde Beatty (June 10, 1903 – July 19, 1965) was a famed animal trainer, zoo owner, and circus mogul. He joined Howe's Great London Circus in 1921 as a cage boy and spent the next four decades rising to fame as one of the most famous circ ...

*1966

Con Colleano Con Colleano (born Cornelius Sullivan; 26 December 1899 – 13 November 1973) was an Australian tightrope walker. He was the first person to successfully attempt a forward somersault on a tightrope and became one of the most celebrated and hi ...

*1969

Mabel Stark Mabel Stark (December 10, 1889 – April 20, 1968), whose real name was Mary Ann Haynie, was a renowned tiger trainer of the 1920s. She was referred to as one of the world's first women tiger trainers/tamers. In its belated obituary, ''The Ne ...

*1970

*1971 Karl King *1972 Felix Adler *1972 George A. Hamid Sr. *1973

Otto Griebling Otto Griebling (April 28, 1896 – April 19, 1972) was a German-born circus clown who performed for many years with the Cole Brothers and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circuses. He was one of four clowns given the title Master Clown by ...

*1974

Buffalo Bill Cody William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), known as "Buffalo Bill", was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. He was born in Le Claire, Iowa Territory (now the U.S. state of Iowa), but he lived for several years in ...

*1974

Tom Mix Thomas Edwin Mix (born Thomas Hezikiah Mix; January 6, 1880 – October 12, 1940) was an American film actor and the star of many early Western films between 1909 and 1935. He appeared in 291 films, all but nine of which were silent films. He w ...

*1975 Merle Evans *1975 The Zacchini Brothers *1977

William Preston Hall William Preston Hall (1864–1932) aka "The Colonel", "Diamond Billy", and "Horse King of the World" was an American showman, businessman, and circus impresario. The William P. Hall House in Lancaster, Missouri, is listed on the National Register ...

*1979 The Wallenda Troupe *1980

Mollie Bailey Mollie Arline Kirkland Bailey (c. 1841—October 2, 1918), also known as "Aunt Mollie" and the "Circus Queen of the Southwest," was an American businesswoman, circus performer, and spy. Biography Early life Mollie Arline Kirkland was born ...

*1981 The Albert Hodgini Troupe *1986 John Ringling North *1987

Irvin Feld Irvin Feld (April 19, 1918 – September 6, 1984) was a business entrepreneur who built a chain of record stores, promoted rock groups, produced concerts involving some of the biggest names in popular music. He was also the head of Ringling Bros ...

*1987

Bertram Mills Bertram Wagstaff Mills (August 1873 – 16 April 1938) was a British circus owner originally from Paddington, London, who ran the Bertram Mills Circus. His circus became famous in the UK for its Christmas shows at Olympia in West London televised ...

*1989

Lou Jacobs Johann Ludwig Jacob (January 1, 1903 – September 13, 1992), professionally known as Lou Jacobs, was a German-born American Clown#Auguste, auguste clown who performed for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for more than 60 years. ...

*1991 The Great Wilno *1994

Emmett Kelly Emmett Leo Kelly (December 9, 1898March 28, 1979) was an American circus performer, who created the clown figure "Weary Willie," based on the hobos of the Great Depression in the 1930s. According to Charles W. Carey, Jr.: :Kelly’s creation of ...

*1996

Knie family Circus Knie (german: Schweizer National-Circus Knie, french: Cirque National Suisse Knie) is the largest circus of Switzerland, based in Rapperswil. The circus was founded in 1803 by the Knie family and has existed in its present form since 1919 ...

*1997

Annie Oakley Annie Oakley (born Phoebe Ann Mosey; August 13, 1860 – November 3, 1926) was an American sharpshooter who starred in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. Oakley developed hunting skills as a child to provide for her impoverished family in western ...

*1997 Thomas Taplin Cooke *1999 Gunther Gebel-Williams *2001

Elvin Bale Elvin Bale (born 1945 in London, England) is a former artist and daredevil with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, among many other international circuses. He performed a single trapeze act which finished with a heel catch. Among his other ...

*2003

Hugo Zacchini Hugo Zacchini (20 October 1898 – 20 October 1975), one of the Zacchini Brothers, was the first human cannonball to use a compressed-air cannon. His father Ildebrando Zacchini invented the compressed-air cannon used to propel humans in cir ...

*2005

Miles White Miles E. White (July 27, 1914 – February 17, 2000) was a top costume designer of Broadway musicals for 25 years. He is known in the entertainment industry for his well rendered, prolific, imaginative and witty designs. He won recognition, in ...

*2006

Kenneth Feld Kenneth Jeffrey Feld (born October 31, 1948) is the CEO of Feld Entertainment, which has operated the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (relaunched September 2023), Disney on Ice, Doodlebops Live, Disney Live, Monster Jam, Internati ...

*2006

Francis Brunn Francis Brunn (15 November 1922 in Aschaffenburg, Germany – 28 May 2004 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany) was a German juggler. Brunn took up juggling in 1939, joining a traveling show that played all over Europe. He moved to America to join the Rin ...

*2009

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cine ...

*2009

Paul Binder Paul Binder (born October 19, 1942) is the founder, founding artistic director and former ringmaster of the Big Apple Circus. Early life and education Binder was born on October 19, 1942, in Brooklyn, New York to a Jewish family. He graduated w ...

*2010

Henry Ringling North Henry Ringling North (November 12, 1909 – October 2, 1993) was an American businessman, as a circus proprietor who was the vice president, treasurer, director and operations chief, while his brother, John Ringling North, was the president and ...

*2011

Norman Barrett Norman Rupert Barrett (16 May 1903 – 8 January 1979) was an Australian-born British thoracic surgeon who is widely yet mistakenly remembered for describing what became known as Barrett's oesophagus. Early life Norman Barrett was born on 16 M ...

*2012

Freddie Freeman Frederick Charles Freeman (born September 12, 1989) is an American-Canadian professional baseball first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, Freeman played for the Atlanta Braves for 12 seasons. He mad ...

*2014

Terry Cavaretta Terry Cavaretta aka Terry Cavaretta-St. Jules (born 1953) is a prominent American aerialist.Circus Magazine, July 1976Bandwagon, Nov 1987 In 1977, she became the first woman to perform a quadruple somersault on flying trapeze. She is listed in t ...

*2016 Barry Lubin

References

External links

*
Journals of Yesteryear: "Hall founded to honor circus folks"
{{Authority control Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana National Register of Historic Places in Miami County, Indiana Halls of fame in Indiana Circus museums in the United States Museums in Miami County, Indiana

Property history

Museum history

Prominent inductees

See also

References

External links