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Carnival Shows Had Their Own Fire Department

February 26, 2015 By Editor

Big Shows Fire Departments … [Read more...]

World’s Columbian Exposition’s “White City”

February 26, 2015 By Editor

1893 Chicago World's Fair The … [Read more...]

Crafts 20 Big Shows

February 26, 2015 By Editor

Crafts 20 Big Shows Legacy … [Read more...]

Midways Of The Past

February 26, 2015 By Editor

The Way It Was On The Midways … [Read more...]

History of The Railroad Circus And Carnival In America

April 16, 2012 By Editor

American Railroad history with … [Read more...]

Girl Shows Where The Carnival Midway Shined After Dark.

April 7, 2012 By Editor

Girl Show History A look … [Read more...]

The Shootout in “Bloody Breathitt” County Kentucky

March 27, 2012 By Editor

The Great Jackson … [Read more...]

Carnival Midway Melodies and Memories

March 10, 2012 By Editor

Memories On The Carnival … [Read more...]

International Independent Showmens Museum

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International Independent Showmens Museum

The Cardiff Giant is one of the most famous hoaxes in American history. It was a 10-foot-tall purported "petrified man", uncovered on October 16 1869 by workers digging a well behind the barn of William C. "Stub" Newell, in Cardiff, New York. The giant was the creation of a New York tobacconist named George Hull. He was an ardent believer in science, especially in the theory of evolution proposed by Charles Darwin. Hull, an atheist, got into an argument with a fundamentalist minister named Reverend Turk and his supporters at a Methodist revival meeting about a Bible passage (Genesis 6:4) which states that there were giants who once lived on Earth. Hull lost the argument to the fervent congregation and was quite miffed. Hull decided he wanted to prove how easily he could fool people with a fake giant so in 1868, Hull, accompanied by a man named H.B. Martin, hired men to quarry out a 10-foot-4.5-inch-long block of gypsum in Fort Dodge, Iowa, telling them it was intended for a monument to Abraham Lincoln in New York. He shipped the block to Edward Burghardt in Chicago, a German stonecutter he had sworn to secrecy. Burghardt hired two sculptors, Henry Salle and Fred Mohrmann, to create the giant. They had taken cautious steps to cover up their work during the carving, putting up quilts to lessen the sound of carving. For the giant to look ancient, various stains and acids were used to make the giant appear to be old and weathered, then buried the "Gaff" behind the barn and waited until he thought the time was right to unveil it. It initially caused a lot of speculation both pro and con and opinions abounded as to its validity by "experts" and it even resulted in a court ruling.On December 10, 1869, Hull confessed everything to the press.The Cardiff Giant was displayed at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition but did not attract much attention.Iowa publisher Gardner Cowles, Jr. bought it later to adorn his basement rumpus room as a coffee table and conversation piece. In 1947 he sold it to the Farmers' Museum in Cooperstown, New York, where it's still displayed. These Cardiff Giant "gaffs" were extensively used on carnival midways as stand-alone side shows from the early 1900s, right through the latter part of the 20th century. Incidentally, we have a pretty good "Cardiff Giant" of our own going under another name that's displayed here at the sideshow exhibit at the Showmen's Museum. ... See MoreSee Less

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Carnival Shows Had Their Own Fire Department

World’s Columbian Exposition’s “White City”

Crafts 20 Big Shows

Midways Of The Past

History of The Railroad Circus And Carnival In America

Girl Shows Where The Carnival Midway Shined After Dark.

The Shootout in “Bloody Breathitt” County Kentucky

Carnival Midway Melodies and Memories

Great Hilliar’s Mentalist Show

Early Forms of Entertainment In America

Showbiz And The Big Screen

Magic Acts

Carnivals

Carnival Movies