Circuses, Fairs & Sideshows in Lynchburg

Lynchburg has always loved live entertainment, from fairs to circuses, hot air balloons to equestrian trick-riders, and everything in between. This digital exhibit explores the fascinating history of popular entertainments and amusements in the Hill City.

Less than twenty years after the town was founded, live acts began making appearances. With no modern technology, live performances were a common way locals kept themselves entertained. During the more popular events, trains filled with spectators would flood the city from the surrounding region, and performers would sell out large outdoor venues. Reports and newspaper articles from the early days of Lynchburg make it clear just how happy audiences were with travelling exhibitions and performances. Little has changed over time, and although the types of entertainment and technology is different, the excitement of a live act remains just as enthralling.

Hot Air Balloons

Watching balloons was a popular activity in Lynchburg in the 1800’s. As early as 1828 citizens were enjoying balloon flights launching from Black’s Lot at the corner of Clay and Seventh Streets. Balloons at the time were made from silk and painted in varnish, then covered by a net to support the basket below. A hydrogen generator was required to keep the balloon afloat, and the fuel source was brown paper dipped in turpentine. One balloonist, A.L. Carrier, inflated his balloon inside the Old Court House on Court Street for revarnishing. By all accounts, at half inflated, it filled up the entire lower court room (today known as the Courtroom Gallery of the Lynchburg Museum).

Balloon ascensions were not always successful. One balloon flew so low to the ground that it “rolled over the heads of the audience occasionally dropping coals…,” which sent the audience screaming. On another occasion the balloonist accidentally landed on a plantation near Amherst where an older woman mistook the balloon and rider as the angel Gabriel in a chariot of fire announcing the arrival of judgement day. In 1897 the “aeronaut” Professor Walter Steele was killed at Rivermont Park when an unexpected gust of window sent his balloon into a tree top and Steele plummeting 100 feet to the ground.

Live Animals

Animals, either exotic or able to perform fascinating tricks, have made appearances in Lynchburg since the 19th century. In 1817, a lion and lioness were displayed near the Market House in Ninth Street and could be observed for 50 cents. The following year, a live elephant was exhibited in town. Equestrian performers stayed in the Hill City for the season around that same time, and were often accompanied by clowns with their faces covered in paint and burned cork. The area known as Black’s Lot, which was used for ballooning activities, was also home to several travelling circuses.

Circuses

Everyone in Lynchburg enjoyed going to the circuses. Weeks before the arrival, promoters arrived to plaster flyers and signs all over town. The circus parades were just as anticipated as the performances themselves, and citizens rushed to catch a glimpse of the entertainers and animals as they walked the route from Twelfth Street to Main, onto Fifth and then Park, and ending at the circus grounds near Miller Park. One young man from Lynchburg named Ogilbie actually ran away to join the circus. When he reappeared in town as a circus employee, his old acquaintances did not recognize him in his new clothes of pink cambric and black cotton.

Circuses continued visiting the Hill City throughout the 19th century. One of the travelling circuses to make several appearances was W.W. Cole’s, which set up camp on College Hill. When it visited in 1885, Cole’s Circus boasted two menageries, a wax statuary exhibit of U.S. presidents, a theater stage, bicycling and skating experts, an Arabian troupe, a Mexican show, and a “museum.” The performances included lady riders, tumblers, gymnasts, vaqueros, a woman who walked upside down, and the “human fly.” Buffalo Bill’s Wild West also came to town and brought with it “novelties” like American Indians and sharpshooters like Annie Oakley.

As recently as 2018, Lynchburg hosted a travelling circus. In September of that year, the Venardos Circus came to town and set up its tents in the parking lot of River Ridge Mall. The acts featured in these performances were more modern, with an emphasis on acrobatics and talent, rather than the novelties and animals of years past.