Circus Coming to Town 1880

Sumner was in full swing in Lawrence County the week of July 2, 1880.  Blackberries and cream were on tables. The potato bug was eating its way through gardens. Dr Carter reported the first roasting ears of the season. If one celebrated the 3rd in Sumner, you would have plenty of meat, chin music and blackberry pie.  If one celebrated at Bridgeport, the bill of fare would be cherry pie, music by the band, and big talk.

A great many dwellings and business houses had screen doors* to keep out the flies.

*There is a persistent internet myth that the screen door was invented in 1887 in Manhattan Iowa by a woman named Hannah Harger.  Absolutely false!  No record of anyone by that name was found living in Manhattan Iowa and as you can see screen doors were in use in 1880.  In 1861 a company made wire mesh sieves for food processing and discovered that the wire cloth could be sold as window screens. By the end of the Civil War this screen was being sold by the square foot.

C J Borden who had returned from Colorado, proposed to practice law in Lawrenceville.  Also, P C Meserve, young attorney of Robinson, was planning to put up his shingle.  John Hennesy and Walter Barr returned from Greencastle, Ashbury College. Little Dora Roberts has gone to Olney to take a term of music lessons from Miss Strack and was to be the guest of her uncle Dr I A Powell. 

A son of G W Corrie in Lukin was severely cut by a reaper, the team which he was driving running off. Naomi Jones of Denison twp, aged 42 years, 6 months and 21 days died June 2, 1880. (Her death record stated the cause of death was “changing of life”.)

Clint Montgomery disturbed the congregation at St Paul Church in Bond and Esquire Walton assessed him five dollars’ worth and costs.  Huffman was the prosecuting attorney; Snyder and Borden defending.  Some hot words were said between the attorneys from which the court, said the editor, should have increased the school fund (by fining them) but didn’t.

Mrs. Houston and her sister, Miss Rose Abernathy of Centerville, whilst out driving had the misfortune to have the horse frightened, capsizing the buggy, wounding Miss Abernathy slightly, and breaking Mrs. Houston’s arm. The runaway was along a wire fence demoralizing the buggy along the route. 

The Cairo and Vincennes railroad embarked on a new business, that of cattle hauling.  The shipment of Texas cattle to the north meant that arrangements were made to run through fast stock trains on the D & SW tracks and out on the Wabash route to the east. Heretofore, the C & V had a specialty of cotton transportation.

The census enumerators of Vincennes estimated the population of that city at 11,000. On June 21, Lent & Bro Millers ground a grist of new wheat for Lewis Shinkle (?) and turned out 48 ½ pounds of flour to the bushel.  This was the earliest that new wheat was ever ground in Lawrence County according to the Vincennes newspaper.

Bridgeport Brevities:  W M Williamson moved his harness shop into the Ward building on the corner of Main and Second streets. The Bridgeport Band had their new wagon fixed up and trimmed.  The grove (Lanterman park) was being cleaned up and would be in a nice condition for spreading a nice clean tablecloth on the grass on the 3d. John Buchanan of Bridgeport was the first man to ship any new wheat on the O & M RR. He shipped two carloads from Noble last week.  Thomas and Ottie, sons of Rev Thomas Smith, returned home from Crawfordsville, Indiana where they were attending Wabash College.  Tommy graduated and they were home on a two months’ vacation.

Don’t judge a man by his family connections.  Cain belonged to one of the best families there was.

The Circus was coming to Lawrenceville on July 12, 1880! The press agent for the Van Amburgh & Co Great Circus* show posted a notice in the newspaper that "the lemonade peddler was not allowed to importune the audience with his presence or drinks on the seats during the performance, and that all games of chance of whatsoever description were ignored and utterly repudiated by this circus.  The authorities in the town where the show was held would assist the circus in arresting and bringing to punishment any and all persons so offending.  The Van Amburgh show employed a special detective expressly for the protection of its patrons." 

*Van Amburgh circus was founded as Van Amburgh’s Mammoth Menagerie and Great Moral Exhibition by  Issac A Van Amburgh (1801-1865) after the collapse of the Zoological Institute, a group of traveling menageries.  Issac became well known as an animal trainer and was reported to be the first man to put his head in the mouth of a lion. (There were several cases where lions snapped off the heads of persons persisting in this sort of foolish experiment but Van Amburgh died in his bed of a fatal heart attack at age 54.)  After Van Amburgh’s death in 1865, Hyatt Frost, his manager continued using the Van Amburgh name and taking the circus on tour.  The menagerie and circus was sold at public sale November 22,1881 in Ameia, New York when Frost wanted to retire. There were seventy horses offered with wagons, harness, and circus paraphernalia besides menagerie animals.  The elephant, Bolivar, was purchased for $7,100.  The double horned rhinoceros was purchased for $2400.