Petersburg’s Circus History

Located in the Ghost Show Queue area.

Run Dates: 6/10/2026 – 12/7/2026

For over forty years, Petersburg, Illinois was the winter home to circus performers across the country. Local circus performer, Harry Lamkin, built a circus ring barn in Petersburg in 1880. This allowed performers to train, create new acts and perform over the winter months. After Lamkin’s death, the ring barn was taken over by his half-brother Edward Shipp. By 1890 the performers outgrew the first ring barn, and a larger barn was built nearby that could accommodate aerial acts, with room for several hundred spectators. Petersburg was also home to a famous circus band. The Feagans Family Band performed in the ring barn and around the country. Edward Shipp sold the Ring Barn to local performers Pat and Dan Kelly in 1908. They held weekly shows of The Kelly Bros. Circus which became a Petersburg tradition. The Kelly Bros. were still operating in 1916 but the barn was eventually sold. It later became a storage facility and was taken down in 1937. At the height of the ring barn circus, around 100 circus performers lived in Petersburg.