146 NATURAL HISTORY AND TOPOGRAPHY OF GROTON, MASS. 



or Fitchburg, or some other town twelve or fifteen miles away, 

 and they entered quietly very early in the morning, and de- 

 parted soon after the evening performance. It was always 

 a source of wonder when the actors got their sleep. Large 

 wagons for the transportation of heavy articles, as well as 

 lighter vehicles for the personnel, made up the train ; and there 

 was the usual sprinkling of mottled horses and trick ponies, 

 and of course the inevitable band. The circus came more fre- 

 quently than the menagerie, or " show " as it was generally 

 called, though sometimes it was spoken of as the " caravan." 



The menagerie was the more popular place of amusement, 

 as some people would take their families there who would 

 not allow them to attend the circus. It furnished a kind of 

 object-lesson which taught natural history, and for that reason 

 was sometimes patronized by persons of strict notions. The 

 elephant was always a wonder and a delight to the boys who 

 believed strictly the current report that he never would cross 

 a bridge, but would swim the river, because he would not 

 trust himself on the artificial structure. To the youthful 

 mind the monkeys, however, were the particular attraction, 

 and they were looked upon as almost human. If the Dar- 

 winian theory had been then in vogue, the youngsters would 

 have become ready converts to its doctrines. 



In these days of large combinations it is not at all likely 

 that the show business will ever again be attempted in Groton ; 

 and hereafter it will be a recollection or a tradition, and not a 

 reality. The circus and the show first came to Groton, prob- 

 ably near the beginning of the nineteenth century, though at 

 that time they were managed on a very small scale. Persons 

 whose recollection went back to the year 1810, have told me 

 that these public amusements were no novelty in their child- 

 hood, and of course they precede that date. The last exhibi- 

 tion of this character, within the limits of the town, was given 

 at the " Junction," by the Great Oriental Circus and Egyptian 

 Caravan, on June 4, 1870. It was duly advertised in "The 

 Weekly Public Spirit" (Groton Junction), May 26, 1870, and 

 was considered, by comparison with similar exhibitions, a very 

 slim affair. 



