The Last Act
Where do the show folk go?
If you’ve ever wandered into Woodlawn Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois and been startled to see a giant granite elephant, you might’ve gone down the delightful rabbit hole that I’ve been down recently. Did you know that there are specific sections in cemeteries for circus folk and other traveling performers?
Welcome to the world of Showmen’s Rest.1 Showmen’s Rest plots are scattered throughout the country, with the original being the Woodlawn site in Chicago (above), but the biggest one being in Miami (below).
Showmen’s Rest plots were created and funded by The Showmen’s League of America, founded in 1913 by none other than founder Buffalo Bill Cody. The League was created to cater to the needs of “out of doors performers, through good times and bad.” Solidarity, people.
The League bought land at Woodlawn in 1916, just in time for the biggest circus tragedy in American history. The Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus Train — composed of 3 trains, 22 tents, and 1000+ employees — en route to a show in Hammond, IN and stalled during the middle of the night on the tracks due to a fixable mechanical issue, was rear-ended by a train barreling full speed into them due to a sleeping engineer. Allegedly.
In the accident, 86 people died, most of them recently hired “roustabouts” known only by nicknames like “Baldy” and “4 Horse Driver.” (yes those are the names on the gravestones.) The circus only missed one show, forging on and borrowing crew from a circus in Beloit.
This history is cool, obviously, but I’m drawn in by the idea that many circus people didn’t choose the life and perhaps for one reason or another weren’t able to be buried by family. So the League stepped in and gave a dignified final resting spot for performers that lived on the fringes of polite society.
I went down this rabbit hole for 2 reasons: 1. I sometimes give tours at Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis, which also has a Showmen’s Rest plot. People are always fascinated by it. 2. I recently shared an obituary on Tips from Dead People of a trapeze artist named Mary of The Flying Marilees trapeze act, whose obituary captivated me both for its glamour but also its criminal brevity (video linked at the end). Her life rivaled Lindsey and Britney in its drama and poignancy.
There are more than a dozen Showmen’s Rest plots across the country, so if you go to one or know of one near you, let me know in the comments. Or if you’re scared of clowns, let me know that too.
We’ll accept the sexist language with arms crossed and a noisy “harumpf” — although for real why can’t they change it now?
This is a fascinating rabbit hole you led us down. And Mary's story is undoubtedly the story of countless people who've met a disastrous end with no family to witness or care. This reminds me of Hattie McDanials and other Black performers who were not allowed to be buried in Forest Lawn et al.
Then again, must we get our panties in a twist over a sexist word that is literally etched in stone and has provided for dignified graves of the unnamed?
Wow, really neat. Thank you