Call Number
CWM Mss 7, CWM Ph 10
Title
Hall, William P., 1864-1932, Papers, 1894-1934. (4 c.f. 8 boxes and 2 flat boxes)
History
William Preston Hall was a notable dealer of horses and animals to circus shows in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born on a farm in Lancaster, Missouri in1864, Hall developed into a good judge of horses by the age of 10. Orphaned at an early age, Hall began his career as a farm hand and as an employee in a local livery stable. After a few years Hall got a job under George Meng, a horse trader from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and quickly demonstrated a talent for buying and selling horses.
By 1897 Hall was selling horses across the country and Europe as well. Sensing an opportunity to expand his sales into South Africa (then a British colony) Hall established operations in Cape Town in 1898. The move came none too soon. The following year the Boer War broke out and the British Army relied on Hall as a significant source for its supply of horses. By 1890 Hall was a very wealthy man and was able to purchase a large home and farm outside of Lancaster.
Hall’s first contact with circuses came in 1904, the when he produced the South African Boer War Exhibition Co. for the St. Louis World’s Fair, the same year he purchased the Harris Nickel Plate Show. In 1905, Hall sold the Harris show to purchase the larger Walter L. Main Circus. Although he ran that show for only one season, he continued to trade and sell animals and equipment to numerous circus shows eventually becoming the largest dealer in second-hand circus equipment and animals in the United States. During World War One Hall added to his fortunes when he resumed his lucrative business relationship with the British Army.
Hall’s success continued after WWI, however as the golden age of the American circus came to a close in the late 1920s and early 1930s, business dropped off. The concurrent rise in the production of automobiles and trucks also resulted in the sale of fewer horses and in 1932 Hall was compelled to sell off his remaining inventory. That same year Hall died of cancer at his home at the age of 68.
Scope and Content
The collection is arranged alphabetically and divided into two series, MANUSCRIPTS and VISUAL MATERIALS. The MANUSCRIPTS series contains correspondence, contracts, payroll records, and advertising material documenting Hall’s lifelong business of trading and selling animals and equipment to circuses and other types of entertainment businesses. In addition to files relating to horse prices and financial records, the collection contains business ledgers from the Walter L. Main Circus from 1905 as well as material related to Riverside Printing Co., a lithographic printing company from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Central Printing and Engraving Co. of Chicago. The collection also contains extensive correspondence with numerous circus shows. The circus correspondence is arranged alphabetically by show title. Also found in the collection are correspondence and contracts with the South African Boer War Exhibition Co, carnivals, and Uncle Tom’s Cabin shows.
The VISUAL MATERIALS series (CWM Ph 10) contains photographs of Hall’s farm and business operations in Lancaster, Missouri, as well as images on circus performers, animals, and wagons used by the Robbins Bros. Circus, J.H. Eshman Circus, and Cook and Barrett Shows. Also found in this series are personal photographs of Hall and his home. Three photos showing draft horses in use, an unidentified construction scene and a large barber shop are stored with the library’s oversize materials.
Presented to Circus World Museum by W.F. Bunch November, 1970 and September, 1973
CWM Mss 7
Container List
Box Folder
MANUSCRIPTS
Box 1 Folder 1 Advertising, 1894, 1898, undated
Cancelled checks
Box 1 Folder 2 1894, 1923-33
Box 1 Folder 3 1934
Box 1 Folder 4 1935
Box 1 Folder 5 Carnival correspondence, 1904-1928
Box 1 Folder 6 Census of distribution, 1929
Box 1 Folder 7 Central Printing & Engraving Co., correspondence, 1905
Box 1 Folder 8 Certificates, 1924
Circus correspondence by title of show
Box 1 Folder 9 A-B, 1904-1929
Box 1 Folder 10 C-Ca, 1904-1924
Box 1 Folder 11 Ch-Cu, 1905-1934
Box 1 Folder 12 D-E, 1909-1928
Box 1 Folder 13 F-G, 1903-1924
Box 2 Folder 1 Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus, 1905-1927
Box 2 Folder 2 Ha-Hu, 1904-1928
Box 2 Folder 3 I-J, 1905-1927
Box 2 Folder 4 K-L, 1905-1920
Box 2 Folder 5 M-O, 1907-1929
Box 2 Folder 6 P, 1906-1922
Box 2 Folder 7 R, 1906-1931
Box 2 Folder 8 S, 1904-1933
Box 2 Folder 9 T-W, 1901-1930
Box 2 Folder 10 Yankee Robinson Shows, 1908-1920
Box 2 Folder 11 Young Buffalo Wild West, 1909-1914
Box 2 Folder 12 Zellmar Bros. Circus, 1926-1928
Box 9 Circus Envelopes
Box 2 Folder 1 Contracts, 1905-1934
Box 5 Vols 1-2 Day book, 1905
Box 3 Folder 2 Deeds, titles, abstracts, 1897, 1918, 1932
Box 3 Folder 3 Diary, 1905
Box 5 Vol. 3 Expense ledger, 1907
Box 3 Folder 4 Expenses,, 1895, 1905, 1965
General correspondence
Box 3 Folder 5 1894-1905
Box 3 Folder 6 1905-1917
Box 3 Folder 7 1910-1921
Box 3 Folder 8 1920-1934, 1949
Box 3 Folder 9 Undated
Box 4 Folder 1 Horse prices, 1900-1907, 1922, undated
Box 4 Folder 2 Newspaper clippings, 1896-1933, 1956
Box 5 Vol. 4 Payroll ledger, 1905
Box 6 Vol. 5 Payroll Ledger, advance men, 1905
Box 4 Folder 3 Performers’ contracts, 1905-1926
Box 4 Folder 4 Public Health Act, 1908
Box 4 Folder 5 Riverside Printing Co., correspondence, invoices, 1905
Box 4 Folder 6 Ruhe, Louis, price sheets, undated
Box 4 Folder 7 South African Boer War Exhibition Co., 1904
Box 4 Folder 8 Uncle Tom’s Cabin shows, 1913, 1918, undated
Box 4 Folder 9 United States Tent & Awning Co., 1905
Box 6 Vol. 6 William P. Hall Shows, receipts and expenses ledger, 1905
Box 6 Vol. 7 William P. Hall Shows, receipts and expenses ledger, 1905
Box 10 Vol. 8 William P. Hall Shows, receipts and expenses ledger, 1905
Box 6 Vol. 9 William P. Hall Shows, reserved seat sales ledger, 1905
CWM Ph 10 VISUAL MATERIALS
Box 7 Folder 1 Alterbury Troupe, undated
Box 7 Folder 2 Animal Photographs, non-circus, undated
Box 7 Folder 3 Circus performers, unidentified, undated
Box 7 Folder 4 Circus wagons, 1906,1915,19118, undated
Box 7 Folder 5-6 Elephants, 1910-1918, 1928, undated (2)
Box 7 Folder 7 Elmer Schafer Carnival, 1921
Hall, William P.
Box 7 Folder 8 Farm and Headquarters, undated
Box 8 Folder 1 Farm and Headquarters, undated
Box 8 Folder 2 Personal and Home Photographs, undated
Box 7 Folder 3 Henry, J.E. and “Peanuts the Trick Mule,” undated
OS Folder 1 Miscellaneous, non-circus photographs, undated
Box 7 Folder 4 Roth, Louis, 1917
Box 7 Folder 5 The Two Irmena’s (performers), undated
Box 7 Folder 6 William P. Hall Shows, undated
CWM Mss 7, CWM Ph 10
Title
Hall, William P., 1864-1932, Papers, 1894-1934. (4 c.f. 8 boxes and 2 flat boxes)
History
William Preston Hall was a notable dealer of horses and animals to circus shows in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born on a farm in Lancaster, Missouri in1864, Hall developed into a good judge of horses by the age of 10. Orphaned at an early age, Hall began his career as a farm hand and as an employee in a local livery stable. After a few years Hall got a job under George Meng, a horse trader from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and quickly demonstrated a talent for buying and selling horses.
By 1897 Hall was selling horses across the country and Europe as well. Sensing an opportunity to expand his sales into South Africa (then a British colony) Hall established operations in Cape Town in 1898. The move came none too soon. The following year the Boer War broke out and the British Army relied on Hall as a significant source for its supply of horses. By 1890 Hall was a very wealthy man and was able to purchase a large home and farm outside of Lancaster.
Hall’s first contact with circuses came in 1904, the when he produced the South African Boer War Exhibition Co. for the St. Louis World’s Fair, the same year he purchased the Harris Nickel Plate Show. In 1905, Hall sold the Harris show to purchase the larger Walter L. Main Circus. Although he ran that show for only one season, he continued to trade and sell animals and equipment to numerous circus shows eventually becoming the largest dealer in second-hand circus equipment and animals in the United States. During World War One Hall added to his fortunes when he resumed his lucrative business relationship with the British Army.
Hall’s success continued after WWI, however as the golden age of the American circus came to a close in the late 1920s and early 1930s, business dropped off. The concurrent rise in the production of automobiles and trucks also resulted in the sale of fewer horses and in 1932 Hall was compelled to sell off his remaining inventory. That same year Hall died of cancer at his home at the age of 68.
Scope and Content
The collection is arranged alphabetically and divided into two series, MANUSCRIPTS and VISUAL MATERIALS. The MANUSCRIPTS series contains correspondence, contracts, payroll records, and advertising material documenting Hall’s lifelong business of trading and selling animals and equipment to circuses and other types of entertainment businesses. In addition to files relating to horse prices and financial records, the collection contains business ledgers from the Walter L. Main Circus from 1905 as well as material related to Riverside Printing Co., a lithographic printing company from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Central Printing and Engraving Co. of Chicago. The collection also contains extensive correspondence with numerous circus shows. The circus correspondence is arranged alphabetically by show title. Also found in the collection are correspondence and contracts with the South African Boer War Exhibition Co, carnivals, and Uncle Tom’s Cabin shows.
The VISUAL MATERIALS series (CWM Ph 10) contains photographs of Hall’s farm and business operations in Lancaster, Missouri, as well as images on circus performers, animals, and wagons used by the Robbins Bros. Circus, J.H. Eshman Circus, and Cook and Barrett Shows. Also found in this series are personal photographs of Hall and his home. Three photos showing draft horses in use, an unidentified construction scene and a large barber shop are stored with the library’s oversize materials.
Presented to Circus World Museum by W.F. Bunch November, 1970 and September, 1973
CWM Mss 7
Container List
Box Folder
MANUSCRIPTS
Box 1 Folder 1 Advertising, 1894, 1898, undated
Cancelled checks
Box 1 Folder 2 1894, 1923-33
Box 1 Folder 3 1934
Box 1 Folder 4 1935
Box 1 Folder 5 Carnival correspondence, 1904-1928
Box 1 Folder 6 Census of distribution, 1929
Box 1 Folder 7 Central Printing & Engraving Co., correspondence, 1905
Box 1 Folder 8 Certificates, 1924
Circus correspondence by title of show
Box 1 Folder 9 A-B, 1904-1929
Box 1 Folder 10 C-Ca, 1904-1924
Box 1 Folder 11 Ch-Cu, 1905-1934
Box 1 Folder 12 D-E, 1909-1928
Box 1 Folder 13 F-G, 1903-1924
Box 2 Folder 1 Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus, 1905-1927
Box 2 Folder 2 Ha-Hu, 1904-1928
Box 2 Folder 3 I-J, 1905-1927
Box 2 Folder 4 K-L, 1905-1920
Box 2 Folder 5 M-O, 1907-1929
Box 2 Folder 6 P, 1906-1922
Box 2 Folder 7 R, 1906-1931
Box 2 Folder 8 S, 1904-1933
Box 2 Folder 9 T-W, 1901-1930
Box 2 Folder 10 Yankee Robinson Shows, 1908-1920
Box 2 Folder 11 Young Buffalo Wild West, 1909-1914
Box 2 Folder 12 Zellmar Bros. Circus, 1926-1928
Box 9 Circus Envelopes
Box 2 Folder 1 Contracts, 1905-1934
Box 5 Vols 1-2 Day book, 1905
Box 3 Folder 2 Deeds, titles, abstracts, 1897, 1918, 1932
Box 3 Folder 3 Diary, 1905
Box 5 Vol. 3 Expense ledger, 1907
Box 3 Folder 4 Expenses,, 1895, 1905, 1965
General correspondence
Box 3 Folder 5 1894-1905
Box 3 Folder 6 1905-1917
Box 3 Folder 7 1910-1921
Box 3 Folder 8 1920-1934, 1949
Box 3 Folder 9 Undated
Box 4 Folder 1 Horse prices, 1900-1907, 1922, undated
Box 4 Folder 2 Newspaper clippings, 1896-1933, 1956
Box 5 Vol. 4 Payroll ledger, 1905
Box 6 Vol. 5 Payroll Ledger, advance men, 1905
Box 4 Folder 3 Performers’ contracts, 1905-1926
Box 4 Folder 4 Public Health Act, 1908
Box 4 Folder 5 Riverside Printing Co., correspondence, invoices, 1905
Box 4 Folder 6 Ruhe, Louis, price sheets, undated
Box 4 Folder 7 South African Boer War Exhibition Co., 1904
Box 4 Folder 8 Uncle Tom’s Cabin shows, 1913, 1918, undated
Box 4 Folder 9 United States Tent & Awning Co., 1905
Box 6 Vol. 6 William P. Hall Shows, receipts and expenses ledger, 1905
Box 6 Vol. 7 William P. Hall Shows, receipts and expenses ledger, 1905
Box 10 Vol. 8 William P. Hall Shows, receipts and expenses ledger, 1905
Box 6 Vol. 9 William P. Hall Shows, reserved seat sales ledger, 1905
CWM Ph 10 VISUAL MATERIALS
Box 7 Folder 1 Alterbury Troupe, undated
Box 7 Folder 2 Animal Photographs, non-circus, undated
Box 7 Folder 3 Circus performers, unidentified, undated
Box 7 Folder 4 Circus wagons, 1906,1915,19118, undated
Box 7 Folder 5-6 Elephants, 1910-1918, 1928, undated (2)
Box 7 Folder 7 Elmer Schafer Carnival, 1921
Hall, William P.
Box 7 Folder 8 Farm and Headquarters, undated
Box 8 Folder 1 Farm and Headquarters, undated
Box 8 Folder 2 Personal and Home Photographs, undated
Box 7 Folder 3 Henry, J.E. and “Peanuts the Trick Mule,” undated
OS Folder 1 Miscellaneous, non-circus photographs, undated
Box 7 Folder 4 Roth, Louis, 1917
Box 7 Folder 5 The Two Irmena’s (performers), undated
Box 7 Folder 6 William P. Hall Shows, undated