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 fun place in Baraboo, Wisconsin. It's all about the history of the circus! You can see amazing circus items and exhibits here. During the summer, they even have live circus shows every day. The museum is owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society. A group called the Circus World Museum Foundation helps run it. This museum was a big part of the Great Circus Parade for many years.
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History of Circus World
The Circus World Museum is in Baraboo, Wisconsin, for a special reason. This town was the home of the famous Ringling Brothers. In 1884, the Ringling Brothers Circus started their very first tour from Baraboo.
Over six years, their circus grew a lot. It went from a small wagon show to a big railroad show. They had 225 employees and traveled to cities all over the United States. Baraboo stayed their main home and winter camp until 1918.
That year, the Ringling Brothers Circus joined with the Barnum and Bailey Circus. The Ringling Brothers had bought Barnum and Bailey in 1908. The new circus was called Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. It was very popular until it closed in 2017.
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 because of new things like television.
After planning and raising money, 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 to the public on July 1, 1959.
The museum is owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society. It sits on some of the land that the Ringlings once owned. Eight of their original ten buildings are still there. Circus World Museum has one of the biggest collections of circus items in the world. This includes circus wagons, posters, photos, and items used by shows across the U.S. They also have smaller collections about Wild West shows and carnivals.
Explore the Exhibits
Circus World Museum has many buildings filled with exhibits about circus history.
Ringlingville is made up of the original buildings where the Ringling Brothers Circus spent their winters. This area is a National Historic Landmark. Some buildings you can see include the Ring Barn, Elephant House, and Animal House. There's also the Baggage Horse Barn, Winter Quarters Office, and Wardrobe Department. Tours of Ringlingville teach you about the Ringling Brothers Circus. You can also see how the circus prepared for its shows.
The Irvin Feld Exhibit Hall is the museum's largest building. It has exhibits about the history of the Ringling Brothers Circus. You can also learn about other parts of circus history here.
The Hippodrome is a huge tent where the museum holds daily circus and magic shows. It's a permanent big-top tent!
The W.W. Deppe Wagon Pavilion displays a collection of fifty old circus wagons. These wagons have been carefully restored.
The C.P. Fox Wagon Restoration Center is where the museum fixes up circus wagons. Visitors can watch as wagons are being restored.
The Robert L. Parkinson Library and Research Center is a special place for research. It has many books, photos, and old papers about circuses. The library is open to the public for free when staff are there.
Circus Transportation
The Circus World Museum's parade wagons used to travel long distances by train. This was especially true for the parade from Baraboo to Milwaukee. The wagons traveled on different railroad tracks until the year 2000.
Usually, a diesel locomotive pulled the museum's Circus train. But sometimes, a steam locomotive would pull it! Famous steam engines like Chicago Burlington and Quincy No. 4960 pulled the train in 1965 and 1966. Grand Trunk Western No. 5629 pulled it in 1967 and 1968. Southern Railway No. 4501 was used in 1973. And C&NW 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 was first held in Milwaukee in 1963. From 1985 to 2005, it was held in different cities. Most often, it was in Milwaukee (1985–2003) and Baraboo, Wisconsin (2004–2005). It was also held in Chicago, Illinois.
When the parade was in Milwaukee, the wagons traveled by train for two days. They went from Baraboo to Milwaukee, stopping briefly 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, and see old circus items. The parade itself went for three miles through downtown Milwaukee. The parade took a break in the mid-2000s. It returned to Milwaukee in 2009. The parade is expected to happen every few years in the future.
See also
