The following article was submitted by Meredith Gadzinski, a Public Services Librarian at the Manitowoc Public Library.
Wisconsin has a rich Circus History with the Ringling Bros. Circus having been based out of Baraboo. What you may or may not know about with regard to Manitowoc is that our community has a noteworthy circus tradition, as well. One of my favorite things about Manitowoc’s history is its uniqueness. To my surprise, I learned that once-upon-a-time, our community was the home of a circus training school. Not only was there this circus school, but I discovered newspaper articles with headlines stating that its students went on to perform in the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus and other circus troupes as well. Which means it wasn’t some fly-by-night operation—it was a great circus training program!
Manitowoc’s circus school was led by Billy Schultz and the school became known as the “Billy Schultz Indoor Circus.” His circus prep school lasted well into the 1940s. Here’s a little taste of the history of Manitowoc’s circus school and the infamous Billy Schultz. Billy Schultz fell in love with the circus at a young age and at 8-years old, he put on backyard acrobatic circus shows with his friends. When his family moved to Milwaukee, he met a contortionist named Adonis Ames—the “Flexible Marvel,” born John A. Krause. Young Billy so impressed Ames with his pluck and abilities that Ames included him in his act for the next two years. Schultz’s family eventually moved back to Manitowoc and Billy wound up performing in a variety of circuses. He also assembled his own company, but WWI forced that company to dissolve.
Meredith Gadzinski
Following this, Billy performed with other famous acrobatic acts, eventually finding his way to the Ringling Bros. company. He retired from touring with the circus in the 1920s. By the 1930s, he was the only teacher at the circus prep school in Manitowoc, which amazingly enough, was the only circus prep school in the world at the time. The school closed in 1956 and sadly, Billy Schultz passed away in 1958.
The Billy Schultz Indoor Circus training facility was located at the Vocational School—which is now called Clarkbridge Hall—at 1402 Clark Street. In fact, if you go to the Clarkbridge Hall Facebook page, there is a post that they shared from Manitowoc County Historical Society with a video of some of his students practicing their skills. The Manitowoc County Historical Society has a wonderful collection from the Billy Schulz Circus School. There are historical photos you can look at in the Manitowoc Local History Collection if you search “circus.”
I had a ton of fun learning about Manitowoc’s unique circus history in my research and I am just as excited to tell you about a fantastic historical program about the Ringling Bros. Circus and the Ringling family that Joe Colossa—co-owner of the Al Ringling Museum in Baraboo—will be presenting at Manitowoc Public Library—“A Spectacle of Grand Proportions: A History of the Ringling Brother’s Circus.” Joe will be bringing circus artifacts and his abundant knowledge of the Ringling Bros. Circus and the family that put it all together. Joe’s roots are firmly planted in the circus as he is a fourth generation Ringling family member. He drove the circus train for fourteen years before purchasing the Al Ringling Mansion to begin the work of restoring it and sharing his circus collection with everyone. As someone who has toured the Mansion several times, the restoration work is amazing and it has been a joy to see it progress. “A Spectacle of Grand Proportions” is an in-person event, taking place in the Balkansky Community Room of Manitowoc Public Library on Thursday, February 10 at 6 PM.
