Gainesville Community Circus

Editor A. Morton Smith (1903-57) organized and promoted this show after a circus parody by the town's little theater group in 1930 revealed many talented amateurs. Chartered as a non-profit corporation, the community circus used its earnings to buy tents, trucks, and costumes. Local performers practiced their acts with circus professionals who spent the winters here. Touring in the summers through Texas and neighboring states, the popular show won national fame. The Gainesville Circus declined after 1954, when a fire destroyed most of its equipment. (1975)

Gainesville Community Circus is a historical marker in Gainesville, Cooke County, dedicated in 1975. It is one of 44 historical markers documented in Cooke County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 59 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 33.6242, -97.1509 near Gainesville. The nearest cataloged historic site is Cooke County (historical marker), about 0.2 miles away. Others within a short drive include Cooke County C.S.A. (2nd Frontier Regiment), Moffett Park, and W. T. G. Weaver.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5097002098. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.