Circus Impacts Harborcreek Township
By Harold L. Kirk
Back in the early 1900’s when young people “ran away to join the circus” what did they do during the off-season? For a true runaway, it was like they say, “you can’t go home again.” Many circus performers and workers tended to spend the off-season near where the circus was wintering over so that they could work at the quarters, full or even part time, helping to care for the animals or maintaining the equipment and barns. For the Cole Brothers employers this meant living in Harborcreek from November through to April each season. Some even took jobs with local businesses or on farms nearby and, in addition, local people were hired to help at the quarters thus greatly affecting the economy of the area. Following are some examples taken from the Erie Newspapers of the time that illustrates the impact of the circus on our small village:
The winter quarters of the Cole Brothers shows, at Harborcreek, near this city, from the blacksmith shop to the harness room and wagon shop to the wardrobe department, is one of the busiest spots in the vicinity. It is hard for the layman to conceive what the wardrobe department accomplishes during the winter months, for he does not know that this show has a complete new wardrobe every season. Miss Ada Forbes, wardrobe mistress, and her 12 assistants are busy as the traditional bees. Imagine a dressmaker measuring elephants, camels, horses, ponies and even monkeys for clothing as well as making costumes for the lady and gentleman performers. There are over 2000 pieces in the wardrobe.
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Miss Chambers, teacher of the primary rooms treated her pupils to a visit to Cole Brothers Ring barn Thursday afternoon. The utmost order was preserved and the little ones voted the afternoon well spent.
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Cole Bros. show leaves Harborcreek on April 20. Our little town is quite a busy place at present. Scores of beautiful horses consisting of eight and ten horse teams are being exercised, also the chariot horses.
Special worship services were frequently held at the First Presbyterian Church for the circus personnel and Harborcreek lawyer R.J. Firman often represented the interests of the Cole Bros. employees. Nancy Brown says that her Mother (local teacher, Lillian Davison) was named after Cole Bros. circus equestrienne “Lill.”
With all the animals in the menagerie (some very large) we know there was an environmental impact on the community but as you can see there were also economic and social aspects to having the circus winter over in our area.
All information for “Tales & Treasures” comes from source material found in the archives of the Harborcreek Historical Society. Such material may be based on facts, family legends or popular history. Anyone having substantiated conflicting data please contact the Society.
