Blame it on the Paste: June 14, 2015

Day #11

We spent the last two days in Sarasota at the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus Museum. We could have spent another day there, but we had to move on.

John Nicholas Ringling (1866-1936) and four of his brothers started their first show in 1870 as the "The Ringling Brothers United Monster Shows, Great Double Circus, Royal European Menagerie, Museum, Caravan, and Congress of Trained Animals", charging a penny for admission. In 1882, it was known as “The Ringling Brothers Classic and Comic Concert Company”.

In 1905, John married Mable Burton. In 1907, the two-remaining brothers bought the Barnum & Bailey Circus for $400,000. Charles Ringling managed the operation of the everyday circus. John and Mable would travel ahead and book the appearances. They traveled in their own train car completely set up even more elaborate than some motor homes of today. They had servants’ quarters, full-working kitchen and bathroom with a claw-footed tub. They had the car there (named Wisconsin) in all its refurbished glory. Absolutely beautiful!

The Ringling Brothers Circus was known for its honesty and fair dealing.

Scattered over the complex, are several different types of museums. Mable and John had built a mansion by the water. Charles also built a mansion not far from John’s. I’ll tell you about them in tomorrow’s blog.

Stove in the kitchen on the train car

Bathroom with tub taken from
outside window

From back outside platform
looking down the hallway.

I found the whole place fascinating, but I was amazed at the Howard Bros. Circus handcrafted model representing the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus during its Golden Era, 1919-38. Constructed by Howard Tibbals, a successful hardwood flooring businessman, who built his first circus railroad car from fragile balsa wood at the age of 13.

From there, Tibbals built tiny, fully-equipped train cars, historic wagons, a four-foot-high big top, 500 circus animals and thousands of other items making up the 3,800-square-foot, 1/16^th scale model three-ring circus.

Tibbals asked permission to use the circus’ name, but Ringling Bros. declined. He named it the Howard Bros. Circus, which contains thousands and thousands of pieces including 1500 performers, 152 wagons, 7000 folding chairs for spectators, and dishes and tableware to serve 900 people.

This really has to be seen to appreciate, but here is a picture taken from an upstairs-viewing window looking down on it.

A view of only part of the replica
built by Howard Tibbals. What fascinated our
grandkids was that in the horse tent, there was horse
poop. Acutally, I guess I was amazed by that, too.

Now, I’ll leave you with a few pictures of the grandsons (Emmet Kelley, Clem Kadiddlehopper, and Bozo the Clown) and the fun they had in a couple of the museums.

The Wonderful WilsonWhitecotten's

Tightrope Walkers

Please notice there is no net.