Contact CHSOfficers & Trustees
CHS history
Bandwagon, magazine.Information.
Complete index, 1940 to current year.
Order back issues.
Many early articles online!
News & Views, the CHS Newsletter, information and index. 
Join Now!Membership information
Application
Post questions or information on circuses, performers, staff, etc. here!Help answer questions here.
Convention news!Read about past conventions.
Circus history and CHS merchandise available from CHS. 
Circus and circus-related books, magazines, newspapers, other.Indexes to White Tops (CFA), Circus Fanfare (Windjammers).
Index to magazine articles, 1912-1972
Major collections in the USA.State-by-state listing.
Photos of shows, acts, wagons, animals. 
Interviews with and about circuses and circus showmen. 
Links to websites with early history, circuses, biograpies, museums and organizations. 
Circus Historical Society
PLEASE NOTE: This is the archived version of the Circus Historical Society website. Do NOT submit any payments via this archived site.
To join the Circus Historical Society, learn more about current programming, events, and Bandwagon: The Journal of the Circus Historical Society, and to access new and updated research tools, please visit the current site at circushistory.org
Circus History Library
Click on the underlined links below.
People, Staff, performers, and Slout's Olympians of the Sawdust Circle, all online.
Circuses, Sturtevant's List, 1724-1952; Circuses, 1836-1990s (brief information); Official route books; Couriers. All online.
Routes, Day-by-day routes for a number of circuses, cities visited.
Circus Wagons, Photos and information on the many magnificent circus wagons of the past,
a project created for CHS by CHS member Bob Cline.
Books, Online books, read books covering circus history, 1700s to early 1900s.
Articles, Online articles, read articles covering circus history, 1800s to 1900s.
Circus logos, Logos from the 20th century, illustrated.
Circus titles, ads, those magnificent circus advertisements and unusual circus titles!
"Insider" circus humor, for the enjoyment of circus historians.
Newspaper excerpts 1840s-1870s
Excerpts from the New York Clipper 1850s - 1918
Sporting and Theatrical Journal, circus news, 1880s (pdf files)
Billboard, 1894 to 1922 (excerpts) and some complete issues - early 1900s (pdf files). Circuses, theatrical/variety, fairs, billposters news. Note: Google "Books" has issues online from 1942 on.
Variety, circus news 1906 to 1911 (excerpts)
Circus Scrap Book, Index and online articles from this serial publication 1929-32. Original articles, reprints from newspapers and magazines.
Excerpts from Show World, circus and show news, 1907, 1910(partial).
Greater Show World, 1930, 1931, 1936, 1950, 1951. Circus and show news.
Hobby Bandwagon 1947 & Jan 1948 (previously Hobby Swapper, pdf files)
Circus Report, Index to articles 1972-1990 (some complete issues online). In the 1970s to 1980s, Circus Report, American's Favorite Circus Weekly, carried current news/information and circus history. Especially useful for finding circuses, people, staff, performers, acts, animals, etc. It also carried some variety & magic shows and carnival news, as well as some international circus news.
Back Yard, Circus news - issues of this publication for 1998-2000 are online (Pdf files).
Bandwagon Many early Bandwagon circus history articles are online! Check the Bandwagon indexes 1940 to 1965, as well as a number of articles 1966-1974+.
White Tops, official magazine of the Circus Fans Association, partial index 1927-1997
Circus Fanfare, publication of Windjammers Unlimited, index 1971-2006. Windjammers is a historical music society dedicated to the preservation of traditional music of the circus
CHS honors Circus Historians
The Circus Historical Society does not guarantee the accuracy of information contained in the information in these online articles, books, etc. Information should always be checked with additional sources.