Trying to Explain Peru, Indiana

Peru, IN, Circus Capital of the World

Peru, Indiana is a town of about 10,000 people located an hour and half north of Indianapolis. Trying to explain Peru, Indiana, is not easy. Individually, there is nothing in Peru that is very exciting. But collectively, I found it fascinating that the entire town is dedicated to the history of the circus. In fact, this remote Indiana town makes the claim to be the Circus Capital of the World.

To attempt to convince you that Peru is deserving of their Circus Capital title, I will tell you of one fine day in July. On this day, my 9th grade English teacher and I visited the Circus Hall of Fame, several Circus museums, and the Big Show.

But first, some Circus History

If I asked you to name a circus, you could only name the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Ringling is about all that’s worth mentioning in recent times. However, in the early 1900s, circuses were a much bigger business. One of the biggest circuses at that time was the Wallace Circus that soon became the American Circus. The American Circus made it’s winter home in Peru, IN. However, by the end of the 1920s, Ringling Brothers bought out the American Circus of Peru, Indiana. Eventually, Ringling phased out any circus operations that were located in Peru. So, the American Circus ceased to exist in Peru.

For the next 50 years or so, the Ringling Brothers were pretty much exclusive for all things circus. Beyond their circus, the Ringling Brothers also operated the original Circus Hall of Fame in Sarasota, FL. But, in 1980, the HOF was deemed a financial loser. The history and artifacts of circus past were then designated for sale or the dumpster. However, a contingent of Indiana circus enthusiast put together the finances to buy the whole collection. Furthermore, this circus contingent repurchased the Wallace property in Peru (former headquarters of Wallace Circus). With this property and the Ringling collection, the Circus was reborn in Peru, Indiana.

Circus Hall of Fame

As I mentioned, the original Wallace farm that served as the winter home for the American Circus is now the Circus Hall of Fame. A couple of the original menagerie barns still exist. In the buildings and on the grounds are the remnants of 100+ years of circus history.

Suffice it to say, there was a lot of circus stuff. There were lots of posters, pictures, circus miniatures, circus wagons, calliopes, and animal cages. To be clear, this is not a high budget operation. Beyond the well preserved stuff, the farm also had its share of equipment that has seen better days.

At the risk of being morbid, I must share the most tragic of circus stories on display at the Hall of Fame. Back in the day, they used to water the elephants in the river near Peru. Well, one day, Charlie the Elephant got a little tired of his handler Henry Hoffman. Charlie picked up Henry and dropped him on a large rock. Tragically, Henry did not survive. However, the rock did. The Hall of Fame prominently displays the rock used by Charlie to kill Henry Hoffman.

And, the Museums

Suffice it to say, in addition to the Hall of Fame, this small town had two other full museums honoring the circus. I’m telling you…this town loves its circus. But, as for the museum, it’s all the old circus stuff/history that you would expect. You will be very glad to know that I will not share a bunch of circus museum pictures with you. However, I would be remiss if I did not share one specific picture…

It’s the skull of Peru’s murderous elephant Charlie. After bashing handler Henry on the rock, the circus management had Charlie put down. Prominently displayed in one of their museums is the skull of Charlie…bullet hole and all.

The Big Show

Rest assured, Peru is not just about tired old circus history. Peru also does the circus. For one week each July, the circus festival is held. The downtown is filled with carnival rides and bad food stands. The town even maintains an arena exclusive to this circus.

It’s important to understand that the Peru Circus is not some traveling circus company. Rather, it’s all the local youngsters aspiring to be in the circus. Everyone in the annual Big Show is under 18 years old and lives in the area. Some small towns obsess on high school football. Well, in Peru, the circus IS the varsity sport.

As for Peru’s Big Show, about 25% of it was quite impressive. Some of the older high flying acrobats may indeed have a future with Ringling Brothers. However, for full transparency, the other 75% was like watching you own kid’s middle school tumbling show. The acrobatics were not high end. There were hundreds of kids in this show. I did not think it was ever going to end. My ninth grade English teacher and I had front row seats to the show. We both had the strong feeling that we were the only ones in the crowd not related to a performer.

Wrap It Up

So, the question is…have I been successful in trying to explain Peru, Indiana? As you can probably tell, I am not trying to convince you that the entertainment events in Peru are the “greatest show in Indiana.” The Hall of Fame is struggling. The museums are not captivating. And, the circus itself is very local and amateurish. But, that’s not the point. It’s the totality of Peru that fascinated me. Here is a remote little town of only 10,000 people that is completely dedicated to the romance of the circus. These people resurrected the Circus Hall of Fame from Ringling. Furthermore, they maintain 2 separate circus museums. Finally, every kid in the town spends most of their time practicing their circus act to perform in the summer Circus City Festival. Beyond any shadow of a doubt, this is an extremely unique and blog worthy Small Town, USA. Have a wonderful day. PT

I hope you have enjoyed “Trying to Explain Peru, Indiana” on Traveling with PugsleyTonks.

Here’s another example of some serious Small Town Pride https://travelingwithpt.com/waldo-its-all-about-the-bologna/

If you want to plan for Peru’s Circus City Festival 2023, here you go https://www.perucircus.com/