Circus History
Girard, Erie County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
America's most famous clown of the Nineteenth Century, Dan Rice (1823-1900), had the winter quarters of his circus in Girard from 1852 to 1875. The nearby Soldiers' Monument was donated by the versatile clown and showman, whose home stood opposite.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
From 1852 to 1875, the lakeside town of Girard was winter home to Dan Rice, the celebrated clown, satirist, and showman who was arguably America's most famous entertainer before the Civil War. Rice was more than a circus jester—a public figure quoted in the press and courted by politicians—and he donated the nearby Soldiers' Monument, one of the earliest memorials to the Union dead. His home once stood across the way.
Why it matters
Rice's story captures the outsized cultural place of the traveling circus in 19th-century America, and his Soldiers' Monument marks an early moment of Civil War remembrance.
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Related people
- · Dan Rice
Themes & tags
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