I recently spotted this ticket on eBay. The Hunt Brothers circus was coming to Broomall on Friday, May 9th at the Circus Grounds. What year? What circus grounds? Who were the Hunt Brothers? I knew the information was likely to be “out there” on the Internet. A few hours later I had some answers.
Charles T. Hunt founded the circus in 1892, later joined by sons Harry and Charles. His circus was one of many small circuses that traveled in caravans from place to place in season, setting up tents and a midway and putting on a show of animal acts, clowns, daring equestrians, death-defying acrobats and sideshows exhibiting strange and wonderful curiosities. Circuses were as old as America – George Washington attended the Ricketts Circus in Philadelphia. 19th and early 20th-century local newspapers are full of articles about the excitement generated when the circus came to small towns. An 1878 article said, “We don’t suppose there is a boy in Chester who doesn’t know that the circus is coming tomorrow.”
The ticket in the photo would have admitted you to the afternoon or evening show on May 7th, But the thirty trucks full of animals, tents and equipment would have arrived several days before. The 
Hunt Brothers had elephants, an ostrich, camels, zebras, lions and a bear cub, and so typically they would parade the animals and clowns down the main street of the town they were visiting, to build excitement for the event. In the days before the Internet, video games and black and white televisions with three channels, the circus came to you. It set up in an open field in your town – in this case, the ground now occupied by Lawrence Park Shopping Center. And every kid in the community came out to see the show. Schools would close early when necessary so their students could catch the afternoon show.
In the 1950s, the circus made several stops in Delaware County. Each stop had a local sponsor who shared in the proceeds of the event. The 1954 Broomall event was sponsored by the local American Legion. But circuses began to close in the 1960’s. Animal rights activities protested the treatment of the animals. Television could take you around the world and into outer space.
The traveling circus was a relic of earlier times. The Hunt Brothers closed their circus in 1978.
For more on the history of Marple, visit the Marple Historical Society website and Facebook page, and join the Society to keep up to date on coming events: www.MarpleHistoricalSociety.org