In the late 19th century, Nyack became a regular stop for circuses that toured the country by railroad. Elephants, acrobats, and tightrope walkers delighted villagers during their brief performances before moving on to the next town. Circuses typically began their tours in May and continued through the summer and into October.
In the early 20th century, Nyack had the good fortune to have its own circus, the Clarkstown Country Club Circus. This circus, complete with animal trainers and a professional acrobat school, was unique to Nyack in its individualistic, bohemian, and artistic style. It opened to the public just once a year under America’s largest privately-owned canvas tent. In addition, West Nyack headquartered Howard Starrett’s trained animal circus.
Railroad Circuses Come to Nyack
Circuses were widely advertised in the Rockland County Journal from 1860 to 1900. Before 1870, when the Northern Railroad opened in Nyack, circuses like the Union Circus and the New York Circus held shows in the village. The advent of the railroad, however, brought circuses to town more frequently.
Circus ads. From left to right, ad for an 1872 railroad circus, 1872 ad mentioning the”old Circus Lot”, 1861 ad for a circus during the Civil War.
Nyack’s Circus Lot
Circus parades would march from the train station at the corner of Franklin Street and Cedar Hill Avenue to the circus lot, located near Mrs. Frewelling’s house at the corner of Midland and Depew Avenues. In those early years, Midland ended at Main Stree leaving a large open space perfect for the circus. Later, as the 20th century approached, the circus lot moved to Main Street, across from the ice pond, near where the NYS Thruway crosses Rt. 59.
By 1932, the circus lot was still in use, as evidenced by Hunt’s Three Ring Circus, which performed two shows on July 15th, 1932, along with a free street show. By this time, circuses had transitioned to motor vehicles, eliminating the traditional parade from the train station.
The European-Style Circus
Nineteenth-century American circuses were modeled after European equestrian circuses, featuring acrobatic acts performed by horses and riders. On August 27, 1870, Stone and Murray’s Circus, advertised as a “chaste, elegant, and refined” show, featured performances by the daring ‘funambulist’ M’lle Ellsler, the great equestrian John Henry Cooke, and various other acrobats, horses, and clowns.
By 1884, circuses began incorporating other animals besides horses. At Nyack, O’Brien’s Six Shows, along with Lowanda’s Greater Brazilian Circus, paraded with two bands, wide-open dens of wild animals, and 100 royal marchers. Although bareback horse-riding acts remained popular, they now included animals like the twelve-foot elephant, High Empress, and a hippo. Van Amburgh’s American and Japanese Railroad Show, performed on October 15, 1885, featured a museum, aquarium, and menagerie, including Quedah the elephant. That same year, Frank A. Robbins’s two-ring circus boasted 150 celebrated artists, 13 elephants, and even a musical elephant band.
The Clarkstown Country Club
Pierre Bernard and his group of yoga enthusiasts began purchasing property in Nyack just after WWI. First in Upper Nyack and then in South Nyack, Bernard bought the Stephen Bradley estate on South Mountain, which later became part of Nyack College and the Nyack Education Department. Their group, known as the Clarkstown Country Club (C.C.C.), became a controversial fixture in the area. Bernard was seen variously as the founder of yoga in America, a charlatan, a spiritualist, an entrepreneur, or all the above. At different times, he was arrested and sued, owned an airport in Nyack, built a sports arena that seated thousands, and oversaw a club with 300 resident members, a 7,000-book lending library, and an 800-seat theater. The club declined during WWII, and Bernard passed away in 1955.
The Clarkstown Country Club Circus
One of the most unusual features of the Clarkstown Country Club was its circus. Bernard had collected numerous animals, including Bengal and Sumatran tigers, lions, leopards, bears, monkeys, a gorilla, a dwarf stallion, llamas, exotic birds, and elephants. These animals lived on the campus year-round, except when they were sent on tour with other circuses.
The Elephants
At one point, Bernard owned as many as nine elephants, including Old Mom, who lived to the age of 92. The elephants plowed fields at the club, participated in Nyack parades, and were leased for acts at the Ringling Brothers and other circuses. They even appeared at national Republican conventions. While we now recognize the abuse circus animals often suffered, the C.C.C. provided a relatively humane environment for its elephants.
The Acrobatic School
Alongside teaching yoga and physical fitness as a pathway to spiritual health, Bernard ran an acrobatic school led by Edward Evans, a New York City acrobat known for his extraordinary skills. Evans had long been associated with circuses and vaudeville worldwide.
The main gym was in the Brick House on Broadway in Upper Nyack, once the home of Hugh Maxwell and the clubhouse for the Nyack Country Club. Mats were spread out in the casino, which had been used for plays and dancing during the country club years. The acrobatic school offered over 200 tricks, from elementary cartwheels to the triple conjunction porpoise dive.
During the summer months, the school moved to a 15,000-square-foot circus tent, allowing for trapeze rigging, flying rings, slack wires, and other aerial apparatus. Members of the acrobatic club also had access to a glass-covered swimming pool, four top-notch tennis courts, and a “skinned” baseball diamond.
The Annual C.C.C. Circus
The C.C.C. hosted a “formal” circus every year, typically after Labor Day. Many of these circuses were private, and those without invitations were turned away. In 1929, guards managed the gate and directed hundreds of automobiles, many with chauffeurs carrying fashionably dressed women. The venue was a large canvas tent, complemented by additional tents used as dressing rooms and side shows. All costumes and food were prepared by club members.
Both human and animal performers were on-site club “members.” The elephants were the stars of the show. Juno, dressed as a clown, rode a tricycle, while Bood walked a tightrope and balanced on a four-inch beam. Elephants paraded over a prone woman without disturbing a feather on her costume. The trainer even put his head inside an elephant’s mouth. Pierre Bernard often performed a dance with an elephant called “The Barber’s Itch.”
Howard Starrett, West Nyack’s Circus Trainer
From 1915 to 1935, Howard Starrett, who once traveled with the Barnum & Bailey Circus, trained dogs, ponies, and monkeys at his headquarters in West Nyack. Among his performers was a pony only 28 inches high, reputed to be the smallest in the world. Starrett once gave a special show for President William Howard Taft and became well-known for his annual Christmas shows in a Philadelphia department store. He frequently performed in Rockland County and ran several recreation centers, including the Garnerville Recreation Park.
Circuses, Then and Now
For nearly a century, circuses were a vibrant part of Nyack’s cultural fabric, bringing joy, wonder, and a sense of community to the village. While the golden age of circuses has passed, the memories of those thrilling performances, parades, and unique personalities still linger. As times change, the nostalgia for the circus era continues to capture our imaginations, reminding us of a time when elephants roamed Nyack’s streets, acrobats defied gravity, and the village gathered under the big top to share in the magic of the moment.
Mike Hays is a 38-year resident of the Nyacks. He worked for McGraw-Hill Education in New York City for many years. Hays serves as President of the Historical Society of the Nyacks, and Vice-President of the Edward Hopper House Museum & Study Center. Married to Bernie Richey, he enjoys cycling and winters in Florida. You can follow him on Instagram as UpperNyackMike.
Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by Sun River Health. Sun River Health is a network of 43 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) providing primary, dental, pediatric, OB-GYN, and behavioral health care to over 245,000 patients annually.
