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| Beasts and Ballyhoo, The Menagerie Men of Somers by Terry Ariano, continued, page 6 |
| Town of Somers History |
| Timeline - Elephant Hotel - Hachaliah Bailey - Menageries - Wright-Reis Homestead - Historic Properties Somers Historical Society Home Page - Somers History Page |
| _______________________________________________________________________________________________ (31) Thayer, Annals, II, 27. (32) (33) Stuart Thayer, Annals of the American Circus, 1830-1847, Vol. II (Seattle WA: Peanut Butter Publishing, 1986), 38. (34) Articles of Incorporation of the Zoological Institute”, 1835, collections of the Westchester County Historical Society, copy in Somers Historical Society. (35) Neil C. Cockerline, “Ethical Considerations for the Conservation of Circus Posters,” Bandwagon, Vol. 46 No. 6 (Nov. – Dec. 2002) 6. (36) The History of the Elephant Hotel (Somers NY: 1958). (37) Broadside in collections of the Somers Historical Society. |
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| Lewis B. Lent, c. 1870 Artist unknown, Oil on Canvas, detail
SHS 97.40 Gift of Arthur McElroy |
| Of the next generation of Somers showmen, Lewis Lent (1813-1887) was born and schooled in the town, his father Benjamin having been a partner of Hachaliah Bailey’s. Lewis grew up around menagerie animals and his early shows featured many animals, including the first troupe of camels in America. At age 13 he was already employed in the family business, and soon after is recorded as working for June Titus and Angevine. In 1834 he invested in J.R. & W. Howe, Jr., & Co.’s menagerie (of North Salem). Using his money, the firm purchased a half interest in June Titus & Angevine’s rhinoceros, polar bear, leopard & their cages. In 1835, at the age of 22, he joined Brown & Co. circus, with Oscar Brown, brother of and successor to J. Purdy Brown. He became partner in Brown & Co. in 1836, most likely with funds from father Benjamin. Lent was a partner to Richard Sands, an English equestrian, in 1846, and managed Barnum’s traveling menagerie in 1853-1854.(31) Lent is one of the early menagerie participants who crossed over to the circus business. Lent has been described as a jovial man and a huge one (over 300 pounds at his death), who insisted on being in charge of every aspect of his business operations- almost a sure sign of a successful man. (32)
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| Lent partnered with Rufus Welch, the great circus entrepreneur from upstate New York in 1856. He operated a successful railroad circus from 1866-1874 and was the proprietor of L.B. Lent’s New York Circus in 1871, quartered on 14th Street in New York City. P. T. Barnum bought out his circus on 14th Street in 1872, but it burned to the ground in the first season. Lent went on to produce his New York Circus, Museum, Menagerie, Caravan & Zoological Garden at the site of Madison Square Garden on 26th Street, also predating Barnum at that site. He died in New York City in 1887, and is buried in Ivandell Cemetery in Somers. |
| The menagerie men of Westchester and Putnam Counties came to dominate the outdoor exhibition business in the northeast.(33) On January 14, 1835 at Somers, the menagerie men gathered at the Elephant Hotel to form a capital stock company called the Zoological Institute. Its stated purpose was “to more generally diffuse and promote the knowledge of natural history and gratify rational curiosity.” One hundred and thirty-five signatures are on the articles of incorporation.(34) The list contained virtually all of the active menagerie owners and managers in the Northeast, as well as individuals whose businesses relied on the shows, such as Richard Hoe, a New York City printer who made advertisements and posters for circuses and menageries.(35) The organizers of the Zoological Institute set routes and performance schedules, monopolizing the business in the East. |
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| Zoological Institute Association Certificate, February 21, 1833,
Charles Wright entitled to 120 shares in Zoological Institute stock The Caroline Wright-Reis Collection, Town of Somers |
| With more than one hundred investors, the appraised value of the animals, equipment and real estate was $329,325. They purchased a performance space in New York at 37 Bowery, which served as winter quarters. The equipment and animals were organized into 12 companies, five of which included circuses. The Association exercised a virtual monopoly on the animal show business. Some members were known as “The Flatfoots” by those who challenged their leadership “because they put their foot down flat against any competitor bringing a show into the eastern territory.”(36) The company disbanded after the financial panic of 1837, and its property was sold at an auction that took place at the Elephant Hotel on August 22nd and 23rd, 1837.(37) The name Zoological Institute was used for a number of years after by exhibiting companies. |