Circus World Museum facts for kids
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Ringling Brothers Circus Winter Headquarters
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Circus World seen from Water Street
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| Location | 550 Water Street Baraboo, Wisconsin |
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| Built | 1884 |
| NRHP reference No. | 69000032 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | August 4, 1969 |
| Designated NHL | August 4, 1969 |
The Circus World Museum is a special place in Baraboo, Wisconsin. It's a museum all about the history of the circus. You can see amazing circus items and displays here. During the summer, the museum even has live circus shows every day!
The Wisconsin Historical Society owns the museum. A group called the Circus World Museum Foundation helps run it. For many years, the museum was a big part of the Great Circus Parade. This parade happened from 1963 to 2009.
Contents
History of Circus World Museum
How the Circus Began in Baraboo
The Circus World Museum is in Baraboo, Wisconsin, for a very good reason. This town was once the home of the famous Ringling Brothers. In 1884, the Ringling Brothers Circus started their first tour right from Baraboo.
Over six years, their circus grew a lot. It went from a small wagon show to a huge railroad show. They had 225 employees and traveled to cities all over the United States. Baraboo stayed their main home and winter spot until 1918.
The Circus Grows and Changes
In 1918, the Ringling Brothers Circus joined with the Barnum and Bailey Circus. The Ringling Brothers had bought Barnum and Bailey in 1908. The new combined show was called Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. This circus was very popular for many years. It performed its last show on May 21, 2017.
Creating the Museum
In 1954, a lawyer for the Ringling Brothers named John M. Kelley had an idea. He wanted to create a museum about the Ringling Brothers Circus and circus history. At this time, circuses were becoming less popular. New things like television were taking over.
After some planning and fundraising, the museum got a large piece of land in Baraboo. This land included the old winter home of the Ringling Brothers Circus. The land was given to the Wisconsin Historical Society. The Circus World Museum officially opened its doors on July 1, 1959.
What You Can See at the Museum Today
The Wisconsin Historical Society still owns the museum. It sits on some of the original land owned by the Ringling family. Eight of the ten remaining Ringling buildings are part of the museum.
Circus World Museum has one of the biggest collections of circus items in the world. You can see old circus wagons, posters, photos, and items used by shows. They also have smaller collections about Wild West shows and carnivals.
Museum Exhibits
The Circus World Museum has many buildings. Each one holds interesting displays about circus history.
Ringlingville: The Original Circus Home
Ringlingville is where the Ringling Brothers Circus used to spend their winters. It's a very important historical site. Buildings here include the Ring Barn, Elephant House, and Animal House. You can also see the Baggage Horse Barn, Winter Quarters Office, and Wardrobe Department.
Tours of Ringlingville teach you about the Ringling Brothers Circus. You also get to see how the circus prepared for its amazing shows.
Irvin Feld Exhibit Hall
The Irvin Feld Exhibit Hall is the biggest building at the museum. It has displays about the history of the Ringling Brothers Circus. You can also learn about other general parts of circus history here.
The Hippodrome
The Hippodrome is a huge tent that stays up all the time. This is where the museum holds its daily circus and magic shows.
W.W. Deppe Wagon Pavilion
The W.W. Deppe Wagon Pavilion has a collection of fifty old circus wagons. These wagons have been carefully fixed up and look amazing.
C.P. Fox Wagon Restoration Center
The C.P. Fox Wagon Restoration Center is where the museum fixes up old circus wagons. Visitors can watch as these wagons are being restored.
Robert L. Parkinson Library and Research Center
The Robert L. Parkinson Library and Research Center is a place for research. It has many books, photos, and old papers about circuses. Anyone can visit the library for free when staff are there.
Circus Transportation
The Circus World Museum used to have a big parade. The parade wagons traveled a long way by train. They went from Baraboo to Milwaukee. This train journey happened every year until 2000.
The museum's circus train was usually pulled by diesel locomotives. But sometimes, a powerful steam locomotive would pull it. Some of these steam locomotives included Chicago Burlington and Quincy No. 4960 in 1965 and 1966. Grand Trunk Western No. 5629 pulled it in 1967 and 1968. Southern Railway No. 4501 was used in 1973. And Chicago and North Western No. 1385 pulled the train in 1985, 1986, and 1987.
The Great Circus Parade
The Great Circus Parade showed off historic circus wagons from the Circus World Museum. It first happened in Milwaukee in 1963. Then it was held in different cities between 1985 and 2005. Most often, it was in Milwaukee (1985–2003) and Baraboo (2004–2005). It also went to Chicago, Illinois.
When the parade was in Milwaukee, the wagons traveled by train. It was a two-day trip across Wisconsin, from Baraboo to Milwaukee. The train would make short stops in towns along the way.
In Milwaukee, there was a special camp by the lake. Visitors could see the circus wagons up close. They could also ride elephants, camels, and zebras. Plus, they could see old circus items. The parade itself followed a three-mile path through downtown Milwaukee. The parade took a break for a few years in the mid-2000s. It returned to Milwaukee in 2009. The parade is expected to happen every few years in the future.
See also
