joe circus
Well-Known Member
Another wagon that I still have to build is the Asia wagon.
Barnum & Bailey had Sebastian Wagon Co. of New York construct her in 1902, for their return from Europe tour in 1903. The Asia was toured and paraded in 1903 and 1904. Even though the show was sold to Ringling in 1907, she continued to ride with Barnum until 1919, when the Ringling and Barnum shows combined. There is some evidence that the wagon was radically altered/remodeled in 1917.
See if this sounds familiar, when the shows combined in 1919, the Asia went to winter quarters until purchased by George Christy in 1925.
As you've heard about other Christy wagon, this one did the tour through 1930 and then was parked in the fields at the South Houston winter quarters from '31 to '34, when it went to the Cole Bros Circus.
It saw service with Cole during the 1935 to 1938 period. It landed at the Rochester winter quarters for '39 and '40. Fortunately, it survived the February, 1940 fire and was then moved to its new home at the Louisville, Kentucky fairgrounds through 1946, when it was sold to the Block and Kuhl Department Store.
Block and Kuhl was later named Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co., I remember them, who used the wagon for parades and publicity.
Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co. made the donation to the Circus World Museum in 1961. Of course she got an awesome restoration there, I'm suspecting it's the 1917 version, though the oldest picture I seen in its "current" form is from 1925.
Barnum & Bailey had Sebastian Wagon Co. of New York construct her in 1902, for their return from Europe tour in 1903. The Asia was toured and paraded in 1903 and 1904. Even though the show was sold to Ringling in 1907, she continued to ride with Barnum until 1919, when the Ringling and Barnum shows combined. There is some evidence that the wagon was radically altered/remodeled in 1917.
See if this sounds familiar, when the shows combined in 1919, the Asia went to winter quarters until purchased by George Christy in 1925.
As you've heard about other Christy wagon, this one did the tour through 1930 and then was parked in the fields at the South Houston winter quarters from '31 to '34, when it went to the Cole Bros Circus.
It saw service with Cole during the 1935 to 1938 period. It landed at the Rochester winter quarters for '39 and '40. Fortunately, it survived the February, 1940 fire and was then moved to its new home at the Louisville, Kentucky fairgrounds through 1946, when it was sold to the Block and Kuhl Department Store.
Block and Kuhl was later named Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co., I remember them, who used the wagon for parades and publicity.
Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co. made the donation to the Circus World Museum in 1961. Of course she got an awesome restoration there, I'm suspecting it's the 1917 version, though the oldest picture I seen in its "current" form is from 1925.
