Oversized green-and-yellow shoes. Performing elephants. A bedazzled pink jacket. A man riding two horses at once. The circus – or at least a circus exhibit – must have arrived at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

The colorful array of photos and artifacts examines the circus history of Petersburg, Ill., a central Illinois town better known for its Lincoln connections. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Petersburg was also the winter home to circus folk who trained, perfected new acts and performed for the community in a custom-built arena called the Ring Barn.

The exhibit, which runs through Dec. 8, features photos of the acrobats, clowns, stunt-riders and other performers who made their home in Petersburg. It also offers unique artifacts, from clown shoes to a contortionist’s jacket to juggling clubs. There’s even a wooden globe used in an act where a woman named Kitty Kelly walked on the globe, even up and down see-saws, while doves perched on her arms.

The project is a joint initiative between the ALPLM and the Menard County Historical Society. It is housed in a display space reserved for telling the stories of central Illinois groups and communities.

An oral history interview with two descendants of Petersburg’s circus families can be found here in our Oral History site.

Petersburg is celebrating its first “Circus Days” on June 19 and 20. The ALPLM will be on hand to give away Lincoln merchandise and help children design and make their own circus-themed buttons.

The mission of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is to inspire civic engagement through the diverse lens of Illinois history and share with the world the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. We pursue this mission through a combination of rigorous scholarship and high-tech showmanship built on the bedrock of the ALPLM’s unparalleled collection of historical materials – roughly 13 million items from all eras of Illinois history.

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