Jan Costello and Cathie Smith

An Interview with Jan Costello and Cathy Smith,

Part of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library

Family Memories Oral History project

Interviews on January 21, 2026

Interview # FM-V-L-2026-000

Jan Costello and Cathie Smith, lifelong residents of Petersburg, Illinois, were interviewed on the date listed below as part of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum’s Oral History Program.

Interview date & location:
Date: January 21, 2026
Location: Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Springfield, Illinois

Interview Format: Digital audio

Interviewer: Scot Loyd, Oral Histories Manager, ALPLM

Technical Support (cameraman, etc.): N/A

Transcription by: [To be completed]

Edited by: [To be completed]

Total Pages: [To be completed]
Total Time: [To be completed]

Accessioned into the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Archives on [To be completed].
The interview is archived at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois.

© 2026 Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

Abstract
Jan Costello and Cathie Smith, Oral History Interview

Biographical Information Overview of Interview:
Jan Costello was born in Springfield, Illinois in 1952 and raised in Petersburg, Illinois. Cathie Smith was also born in Springfield, Illinois and has lived in Petersburg her entire life. Both are members of a large family and descendants of Dan and Kitty Kelly, who were active participants in the American circus during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Through this family connection, Costello and Smith developed a deep interest in circus history and its ties to central Illinois.

The interview documents Petersburg’s emergence as a significant winter center for circus performers in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Costello and Smith describe how prominent figures such as Harry Lamkin, Edward Shipp, and members of the Lawande family contributed to the development of a vibrant circus community in the town. Central to this activity was the “ring barn,” a circular structure used for practicing and performing acts during the winter months when traveling circuses were not on tour.

Costello and Smith reflect on their upbringing on a rural farm near their grandparents, where they were introduced to circus history through stories, photographs, and personal artifacts. Their grandmother, Kitty Kelly, played a key role in preserving this history through her work as a photographer, documenting circus performers, animals, and daily life within traveling circus communities. Her scrapbooks and photographs provide a rare and valuable visual record of circus culture during this period.

The interview also explores the broader structure of circus life, including the organization of traveling shows, the scale of circus communities, and their cultural significance in American entertainment history. Costello and Smith discuss their ongoing efforts to reconstruct this history through family collections, local newspapers, and archival research, emphasizing the importance of preserving both local heritage and family memory.

Topics Covered:
Petersburg, Illinois; rural Midwestern life; family history; circus history; winter circus quarters; ring barns; Harry Lamkin; Edward Shipp; Lawande family; Dan and Kitty Kelly; circus performers; traveling circuses; Sells-Floto circus; Buffalo Bill; circus photography; scrapbooks; local history research; oral history; nineteenth- and early twentieth-century entertainment culture.

Note to the Reader: Readers of the oral history memoir should bear in mind that this is a transcript of the spoken word, and that the interviewer, interviewee and editor sought to preserve the informal, conversational style that is inherent in such historical sources. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library is not responsible for the factual accuracy of the memoir, nor for the views expressed therein. We leave these for the reader to judge.

COPYRIGHT

 The following material can be used for educational and other non-commercial purposes without the written permission of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.  “Fair use” criteria of Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976 must be followed. These materials are not to be deposited in other repositories, nor used for resale or commercial purposes without the authorization from the Audio-Visual Curator at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, 112 N. 6th Street, Springfield, Illinois 62701.  Telephone (217) 785-7955