Sunday, January 31, 2010

Barnett WQ May10, 2008


BarnettWQ2-May10,2008, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Dear "Buckles",

My family moved to York in 1935. I was 5, and spent more time on the lot than at home during the winters and felt like family.

I hope we can talk later, but right now, the Town of York is planning to have a "Circus Appreciation" weekend May 14th and 15th. We are going all out and hope to have a town full of Circus stuff , Circus people and tales. York is still home to a few Circus off-spring from the`late Pete Sadowski and perhaps Texas Ted Lewis.

I was fortunate in meeting Lee Powell, Hoot Gibson, Clyde Beatty and others. The old workshop is still there and one can read the large faded sign:CIRCUS WINTER QUARTERS. The stone elephant house`is still there.

I hope this interests you as it does me. We are closing off all of downtown for P.R. and vendors.

Best Regards,

Charles Blackwell Long time friend of Jack Heinsohn and Donnie Macintosh


Mr. Blackwell,
This recent picture from Hal Guyon of the York Quarters brings back some of my earliest memories. The recent passing of Marie Pettus and Tommy Bentley even add to this.
I was born in 1935 and our first season on the Barnett Show was 1937.
I hope your event goes well and best regards to all.
Buckles

Posted by Buckles at 1/31/2010 05:53:00 AM

3 comments:

Hal Guyon said...

Mr. Blackwell, I live in Columbia SC and would be more than happy to help out with this event in York. I also know several other fans in the state that would probably enjoy working with you also. I can help with displaying models, posters, photos or anything I have that would be of intrest. Please let me know, my email address is hguyon@aol.com. We are having a circus fan and model builder get together this coming weekend here in Columbia with both Ringling and Hanneford Circuses here on that weekend if you would like to join us. I look foward to hearing from you.

31 January, 2010 11:31
Anonymous said...

How do the surviving buildings in York rank, as far as being among the oldest surviving and purpose-dedicated motorized circus winter quarters? Those that may exist at the R. T. Richards site in New Jersey would be older. A few still stand in Peru, where the Coop & Lent truck outfit was "birthed," but was it their real quarters? Maybe there should be some thought given to landmarking the York structures, or at least documenting them?

01 February, 2010 09:17
Hal Guyon said...

The metal shed that is pictured here was in very good shape when I last saw it about a year ago. As you can see the windows are boarded up but the other side of the building is open across the front except for one end of it. The stone elephant building that Mr. Blackwell refered too is across the street from this one and is also in good shape. I think there is still one other building on the property that was part of the old quarters. I have some other pictures of them and will send them to Buckles. I also have a drawing of the layout of old winter quarters that was in an old issue of Bandwagon. I will send this along with the photos, just need to look them up. Bob Cline has some pictures of it also taken the same time mine were. I would love to see them on the Historic Register, being a resident of South Carolina I`ll see what I can do about that.

01 February, 2010 20:07

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