joe circus
Well-Known Member
On this fine midweek day, let's visit the United States Bandwagon.
In 1903, preparing for their return from 5 seasons in Europe, James Bailey placed a large order for new wagons for their "homecoming" parades. The Ringling Bros felt compelled to pull out all the stops with new wagons of their own to keep up.
The Ringlings skipped their cousins, the Moellers, this time was the first time, and ordered four huge tableau wagons and a glass enclosed snake den, from Bode in Cincy, to the tune of $7650, a monumental sum in those days.
After the parades stopped in 1920, the wagons went to Bridgeport, Connecticut for storage. In 1928, the only three parade wagons kept by Ringling-Barnum, were the United States Bandwagon, the Five Graces Bandwagon and the Bell Wagon. All of the other many bandwagons, tableaux, and calliopes, owned by Ringling-Barnum had either been sold to Fred Buchanan, George W. Christy, Floyd and Howard King and others during the 20’s, or, even worse, had been deconstructed and destroyed between ’20 and ‘28 at the old Bridgeport quarters.
While it was saved from destruction or sale at Bridgeport it just sat out in the field and was moved about while rotting away, by 1950, it couldn’t be moved, the wheels had been sold to circus fans.
While some of the carvings made it to the Circus Hall of Fame, the rest was cleared out as debris in 1960.
Enter John Zweifel who bought the Circus Hall of Fame in Sarasota. He relocated it all to his warehouse in Orlando, Florida, then gave the ( one source says gave, one source says sold ) remaining carvings to the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
And, if you guessed this one is a recreation of the stupendous 1903 Bandwagon, you’re correct. In 1992, starting with a steel frame and some original carvings, she was reborn,
I don't have a picture in my Circus World Museum folder.
In 1903, preparing for their return from 5 seasons in Europe, James Bailey placed a large order for new wagons for their "homecoming" parades. The Ringling Bros felt compelled to pull out all the stops with new wagons of their own to keep up.
The Ringlings skipped their cousins, the Moellers, this time was the first time, and ordered four huge tableau wagons and a glass enclosed snake den, from Bode in Cincy, to the tune of $7650, a monumental sum in those days.
After the parades stopped in 1920, the wagons went to Bridgeport, Connecticut for storage. In 1928, the only three parade wagons kept by Ringling-Barnum, were the United States Bandwagon, the Five Graces Bandwagon and the Bell Wagon. All of the other many bandwagons, tableaux, and calliopes, owned by Ringling-Barnum had either been sold to Fred Buchanan, George W. Christy, Floyd and Howard King and others during the 20’s, or, even worse, had been deconstructed and destroyed between ’20 and ‘28 at the old Bridgeport quarters.
While it was saved from destruction or sale at Bridgeport it just sat out in the field and was moved about while rotting away, by 1950, it couldn’t be moved, the wheels had been sold to circus fans.
While some of the carvings made it to the Circus Hall of Fame, the rest was cleared out as debris in 1960.
Enter John Zweifel who bought the Circus Hall of Fame in Sarasota. He relocated it all to his warehouse in Orlando, Florida, then gave the ( one source says gave, one source says sold ) remaining carvings to the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
And, if you guessed this one is a recreation of the stupendous 1903 Bandwagon, you’re correct. In 1992, starting with a steel frame and some original carvings, she was reborn,
I don't have a picture in my Circus World Museum folder.