Dutchess County Historical Society Yearbook Vol 041 1956

being in the country, prevents their attending the evening performance."

Among the particular attractions offered were: Elegant equitation

by Master W. Howes; the song "Jim-Along-Josey" by Mr. John Smith; Corpuscular Manoeuvres by the whole company, Messrs. Rockwell, S. B. Howes, W. Howes, Shindle, Miller, Mestayer, Huntington, Needham, Bownie, Gossin, Franklin, Reynolds, Russel, Burnal and Master James Howes; Clown, Mr. J. Gossin ; Amazonian Maid

by Mrs. Gullen, and a Polish Entree by six male and six female Equestrians. The admission price was 50 cents to the boxes, pit 25 cents. Children would be admitted to boxes at half price. In this advertisement, appeared the first mention in the local newspapers of the song "Jim-Along-Josey," which had long been a favorite with the performers in New York.

"A COMBINATION EXTRAORDINARY, Grand Equestrian Circus and National Olympic Arena Company, united with the novel and interesting exhibition of the Giraffe or Camelopard and other animals and both exhibited for one price of admission," was offered at Poughkeepsie on Monday and Tuesday, September 23 and 24, 1839, as per the Poughkeepsie Eagle.

Welch, Bartlett & Co. were the proprietors of the two exhibitions. This was the first announcement of a combined equestrian show and a menagerie and set the pattern for what Dutchess County people came to expect when a circus was announced. The advertisement for this particular exhibit was illustrated with a cut showing two giraffes, one standing, although there was nothing in the reading matter to indicate there were two of these animals in the collection.

Perhaps this was not to mislead the reader, but to demonstrate that the animal could fold up. The price of admission, which included both exhibitions, was fifty cents in the boxes and 25 cents in the pit.

And, children under 12 years of age would be admitted to the boxes at half price. The exhibition was scheduled to be shown at Fishkill on Wednesday, September 25.

Since the appeal to the curious in 1787, over a span of fifty years, the advertisements in the local newspapers show the growth and development of this most popular form of entertainment as offered to the residents of an up-river county. If the shows increased 69