On a pleasant day around the turn of the twentieth century, hundreds of Brunswick citizens gathered along Newcastle Street to watch a parade. The procession included horseback riders, musicians, wagons, and even a group of elephants, adorned with cloth placards advertising an upcoming circus. For those who watched from Brunswick’s sidewalks and squares, this was a sight to behold—and an effective enticement to attend the performances.
Coastal Georgia Historical Society
Circus Parade circa 1905
Taken in Downtown Brunswick - 1400 block of Newcastle Street, looking south.
As a town deeply connected to railroads, with large rail yards only blocks from the site of this parade, Brunswick was no stranger to traveling entertainment. Over the preceding century, the American three-ring circus had evolved from European tradition, mostly focused on riding and acrobatics, into a full-fledged display that included both human performers and exotic animals. The expansion of the railroads brought the show to smaller towns, where residents paid for a glimpse of animals and acrobatic feats that they had often only read about. Across the country, big-name circuses like P.T. Barnum’s drew thousands of viewers, but dozens of smaller, family-run enterprises also rode the rails, making stops in towns like Brunswick.
At the height of its popularity, “running away to join the circus” was not just a figure of speech. Unassuming citizens sometimes revealed their performing pasts. Such was the case for G.A.H. “Hal” Jennings, Brunswick’s coroner, who often regaled friends with tales of his youth as a tightrope walker and trapeze performer. In March of 1897, when his friends doubted his stories, Jennings set out to prove them wrong with a daring feat: a tightrope walk across the intersection of Gloucester and Newcastle streets. He began planning immediately, even contacting the Brunswick Times to ensure word got out to the public and especially to the city’s children, whom he was eager to include. He assured everyone that he would perform the walk later the same week.
As the day approached, Jennings’s friends became concerned that he would injure himself in pursuit of his goal. Undeterred, Jennings secured the permit to stretch the rope across the intersection, built a balancing pole, and considered adding a trapeze act to his performance. When the day of the walk dawned wet and windy, though, Jennings made his way onto a roof overlooking the crowd of at least two hundred and announced that the performance was postponed. It was then that the spectators realized the day: April Fools’ Day. According to the Brunswick Times, when the crowd grasped the joke, “there was a slinking around corners, a succession of dry grins, invitations to kick each other, and the various manifestations of a good sell.”
This month’s featured image from the archives of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society shows a view of the circus parade circa 1905 from the 1400 block of Newcastle Street, looking south.
Coastal Georgia Historical Society presents this article and images from our archives as part of our mission “to connect people to Coastal Georgia’s dynamic history.” The Society operates the iconic St. Simons Lighthouse Museum and the World War II Home Front Museum, housed in the Historic Coast Guard Station at East Beach. To learn more about the Society, its museums, diverse programs, and membership, please visit coastalgeorgiahistory.org.
