We’ve seen it played out in so many books and movies – that circuses and sideshows are odd. Despite their bright lights and striped canvas and calliope of colors and sounds, they were full of exploitation, forced performance and the heartbreak of being othered. I know, I know. Tough stuff.
And Georgia has no shortage of gravestones that reflect the woeful tales about the people who traversed the roads and rails in hope of a better life and a bit of comfort…
Tears of a Clown
Over 2 dozen performers and countless animals lost their lives due to a collision with a passenger train six miles outside of the city.
As you can imagine, there are lots of ghost stories swirling about involving calliope music, brightly colored orbs and cries for help in the darkness. The rainy day we went there were only a pair of shiny beads and a faded kazoo to be seen. But if you listen long enough you can hear the trains off in the distance and it’s a bit of an eerie reminder…
I shared much more in this post which featured a historic article by a Columbus historical society.
No Place Like Home
Slover played several roles in the Wizard of Oz and he died at 93 after retiring to the small town of Dublin, Georgia. Even though he enjoyed late life fame honoring his work in that famous movie, his beginnings were brutal.
Born in Germany, Karl’s father subjected him to a number of tortuous treatments to increase his height. Dipped in oil, stretched, buried in sand and forced to eat rotten foods were just some of the indignities he was subjected to. At age 9 his father sold him to a traveling circus out of Berlin and Karl’s theatrical legacy began…
You can read an in-depth article about Karl’s life here.
Twins from the Yucatan. But not really.
Genelee died first and has her own stone. Elvira was buried alongside another family member much later.
The Snow Sisters had the show names of Pip and Flip, and were most known for their feature in the controversial 1932 drama horror film Freaks.
Their real names were Genelee (whose name is often interchanged in advertisements and historical records as Jenny Lee) and Elviria, originally from Hartwell, Georgia. They were born with microcephaly, a rare neurological condition that results in a smaller-than-normal head size. In 1929, Coney Island impresario Sam Wagner ‘rented’ the sisters from their parents for $75 a week. Billed as Twins from the Yucatan, although the were neither twins or from that region, the sisters found fame on a variety of show tours as well as long engagement with the World Circus Sideshow on Coney Island.
Genelee died young while Elviria lived well into her 70’s. They are both buried in a tiny cemetery not far from were they were born…
Magnetic South
Dixie Haygood was known as one of the Georgia Wonders and gained popularity at the height of the Spiritualism movement…
Brief summary: The Georgia Wonders were a group of women who seemed to have abilities beyond the average mortal, and many claimed that they had these powers thanks solely to supernatural elements. Dixie’s stage performance featured levitating chairs and incredibly difficult feats of strength.
After marrying a local marshall Haygood, Dixie took her show on the road with increasing success. She ramped things up after her husband was killed in the line of duty and she became the sole earner of the household with 3 small children to feed.
Dixie was invited to perform in London and her success there led to a two-year European tour where she performed for numerous heads of state including Kaiser Wilhelm II of the German Empire, Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria-Hungary, and Tsar Alexander III of the Russian Empire. Even Harry Houdini, famously known as a debunker of spiritualism and all things uncanny, gave Dixie compliments on her work.
Sadly, she died young at 54 after a lifetime of criticism for her abilities. Truthfully, her tale is the least traumatic of the bunch.
I wrote more about Dixie and another Georgia Wonder Lulu Hurst in a post here.
What Becomes of the Brokenhearted
Adrien Esmilaire, born in Lorraine, France, became known the globe over as “Little Mabb.” Advertised as the Smallest Man in the World, he was traveling with the Johnny Jones Exposition when he fell ill and died while on tour in Atlanta in 1918. Officially, Adrian died of influenza, but those that like to spin yarns have also thrown out the idea that he actually died of a broken heart when his love Alma, also in the Exposition, passed away a few months prior.
His original tombstone was a small statue inscribed in French, but it was stolen many years prior. After its disappearance, a simple stone marker was placed on his grave. However in 2022 this new stone was dedicated to him and is engraved with a portrait of him at his actual size.
Step Right Up
This life-size baby elephant gravestone marks the resting place of circus creator/owner William Duggan, Sr. who died before he ever witnessed his circus actually come to fruition.
It’s said that Nancy, the real-life baby elephant he purchased for the show, followed him everywhere including to the hospital where Duggan Sr. died of unknown (to me) causes. Nancy’s whereabouts after Duggan’s death haven’t ever been confirmed from what I’ve found. Story is that she found her way to another circus. Anyone out there know?
I’ll stop here but there will be more of these in the future – conjoined twins Chang and Eng Bunker, the motorcycle twins Billy and Benny McCrary, and the tragic story of the tightrope daredevil Karl Wallenda to name just a few…
