March 4, 2013 Hi Mr. Dahlinger, My name is Lauren Kramer and I am a 7th grader at Kirksville Middle School in Missouri.

I live in Lancaster, MO and when we had to choose our National History Day topic, Hall's legacy intrigued me. This year's theme is: Turning Points in History, People, Events, Ideas and I decided to create a website. http://59781931.nhd.weebly.com/index.html I won first place at the regional level this past weekend, and I will advance to state on April 20. Before submitting my stie for judging, I need to update and revise the site. If I may, I would love to solicit your help in a couple of ways... 1) Would you have time to look through the site and give me your honest opinion? Primarily in the areas where it can be "beefed up." 2) Would you have time to provide your opinion in these area? 1) Hall's impact and influence on Lancaster, MO, 2) Hall's impact on the Second Boer War (horse dealings), 3) Hall's impact on the small traveling circuses of that time, Thank you in advance for your time and help, Lauren Kramer March 4, 2013 Dear Ms. Kramer: Congratulations on creating a very informative and engaging website about William P. Hall. My best wishes for further success with it at the national level. I have looked through the site and have several initial remarks. My compliments on having used good English composition, grammar, punctuation and excellent spelling. The visual layout is also pleasing and it is easy to move between pages. The site is organized logically. These are all plus points for a website presentation. Excellent. In general, I think you have done very well to create a story about William P. Hall and to provide a context for it, in terms of the local Lancaster community, the traveling show business, and the United States of the time. You have information about Hall as a respected and prominent business man and also as the head of a family. His role in boosting the local economy through his commerce is clearly

defined. You might consider adding some commentary about the other ways he was engaged in the community, whether by club membership, church participation, politics or other activities of the time. He was also a local employer, which meant flow through of cash from all over into Lancaster. His work meant that there were always people from outside coming to the community, broadening knowledge of it. In some ways he was like a small tourist bureau on his own. His purchase of supplies to maintain his operation also funneled dollars into the community. I'm not really informed on the Boer War, so I cannot provide any commentary in that regard. I would surmise that if he was successful in providing all of the animals purchased from him that he was an essential element in supporting the forces to whom he provided the beasts. An army at that time moved as much on its animals as on its stomachs, to adapt a well-used phrase. Had there been a shortfall, army movements would have been curtailed. There were other dealers in used circus and traveling show equipment besides Hall, but none were as enduring and carried the breadth of horses and elephants as did the Lancaster dealer. He served as something of a "supply reservoir" of equipment and beasts for showmen, absorbing it into Lancaster when shows failed, leasing and selling it as shows desired to start operations or to expand. Almost every business endeavor has someone that acts as the supply reservoir; Hall was the best known to traveling showmen. Hall's operation was essentially a "department store" for showmen. They could buy just about anything that they wanted, single items up to and including an entire circus. He usually held a "chattel mortgage" on his leases. That meant that if a show failed, all of it came back to him. The ultimate result of this legal position was that a show was framed, went on tour, failed, came back to the Hall farm, then went out again under another name, selected by the showman that had signed the next contract with Hall. It meant that many pieces of equipment, especially railroad cars and wagons, went out and back several times from the Hall place. The fact that Hall leased equipment was of great benefit to showmen. Owing to the very high risk and failure rate of showmen, they could not go to a local bank for funds to expand. Hall made this possible. Smaller showmen could expand, so long as they were successful. If they did not thrive, all of their holdings could end up in his possession through foreclosure proceedings. One thing for certain, Hall kept on top of legal issues, always having proper paperwork in place on his sales and leases. In that regard he was likely ahead of his time. Other than the biggest circuses, Hall probably owned more elephants than anyone else in the US, and for that matter, anywhere in the world.

There are a few corrections that should be made to photographs. This is not unexpected, it happens, and you'll want to correct them. The photograph of the two elephants hitched to a small bandwagon was taken in front of Hall's about 1918. The man is elephant handler Al Langdon. The two bulls are Billy and Kate. The wagon was built by the Beggs company of Kansas City, MO for Indian Pete's Wild West. It was one of the wagons that Hall periodically leased to showmen. It finally left the Hall farm permanently in 1925, with the Perry Bros. Circus. The elaborate bandchariot was not built specially for July 4. This elaborate wagon was built by the Fielding Bros., wagon builders in New York, New York. They were commissioned to provide it to the Van Amburgh & Co. Menagerie for the season of 1868. Exactly how it became a Hall possession is unknown. He leased it to the Barton & Bailey Circus in 1915, regained possession, then sold it to the 1920 Rhoda Royal Circus. This is one of a pair of photographs taken by H. V. Hollowell of Lancaster between 1915 and 1920. The other bandchariot with applied carvings was part of the W. H. Harris Circus when it was acquired by Hall. He leased it to various shows. It was with Cook & Barrett and then became part of Fred Buchanan's Yankee Robinson Circus. There are some Hall photos that may not be familiar to you on the blog maintained by William H. "Buckles" Woodcock. Check his entries for June 25, 2007. The Circus World Museum recently gained the rights to scan and post several additional photographs of the William P. Hall Circus of 1905. You can find these on the museum's website. They generally show the parade. Hall's circus was largely the Walter L. Main show, which last toured in 1904. The material from Hall's home in Lancaster, paper and photographic documentation, is not actually stored; it is filed in the library at Circus World Museum, where visitors can research through it. There is also a cage wagon that remained at the Hall farm into the 1940s and beyond. This is also now in the museum's possession. The specific history of it is not known. I believe that there are also a few other wagons at Baraboo that were once at the Hall farm, such as the France Tableau and a Barnum & Bailey/Buffalo Bill's Wild West Ticket Wagon; the Robbins air calliope; and others. Thus, some large artifacts also survive. These are my initial thoughts. I will give the website another look later and advise of any further comments. Best regards,

Fred Dahlinger Jr. Curator of Circus History John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art Sarasota, FL March 5, 2013 Mr. Dalhlinger, Thank you so much for all of your great insight. Do you mind if I quote some of your information on my site? I will go look on Buckles site to make sure I have all of the Hall pictures. I did a search a while back, but I could have missed some. It will take me through this weekend before I get back to the site. My mom is making me let it rest for a few days before I get back on it! I will go through your email again and my sight. Again, thank you so much for your help and insight. I really do appreciate it. Everyone has been so kind in sharing information and their personal knowledge. -Lauren March 7, 2013 Dear Ms. Kramer: I'm pleased that I was able to help you a bit. You may use extracts from my message---but I would like to review and approve the specific remarks that you desire to use and learn where they will be placed in the website.

March 19, 2013 Mr. Dahlinger, Again thank you for the information. I notated in capitals letters next to the parts I would like to use. I thought this would be the easiest way. Lauren On Mon, Mar 4, 2013 at 4:57 PM, Fred Dahlinger <afdj51@charter.net> wrote: > Dear Ms. Kramer: > > Congratulations on creating a very informative and engaging website about > William P. Hall. My best wishes for further success with it at the national > level. > > I have looked through the site and have several initial remarks. >

> My compliments on having used good English composition, grammar, punctuation and excellent spelling. The visual layout is also pleasing and it is easy to move between pages. The site is organized logically. These are all plus points for a website presentation. Excellent. > > In general, I think you have done very well to create a story about William P. Hall and to provide a context for it, in terms of the local Lancaster community, the traveling show business, and the United States of the time. You have information about Hall as a respected and prominent business man and also as the head of a family. >

> His role in boosting the local economy through his commerce is clearly > defined. You might consider adding some commentary about the other ways he was engaged in the community, whether by club membership, church participation, politics or other activities of the time (I AM LOOKING INTO THIS, BUT NOT MUCH IS MENTIONED). >

> He was also a local employer, which meant flow through of cash from all over into Lancaster. His work meant that there were always people from outside coming to the community, broadening knowledge of it. (I WOULD LIKE TO PARAPHRASE THIS INFORMATION TO USE ON THE SCHUYLER COUNTY PAGE) ** In some ways he was like a small tourist bureau on his own.** (I WOULD LIKE TO USE THIS AS A DIRECT QUOTE ON THE SCHUYLER COUNTY PAGE) His purchase of supplies to maintain his operation also funneled dollars into the community. . (I WOULD LIKE TO PARAPHRASE THIS INFORMATION TO USE ON THE SCHUYLER COUNTY PAGE) >

> I'm not really informed on the Boer War, so I cannot provide any commentary in that regard. I would surmise that if he was successful in providing all of the animals purchased from him that he was an essential element in supporting the forces to whom he provided the beasts. An army at that time moved as much on its animals as on its stomachs, to adapt a well-used phrase. Had there been a shortfall, army movements would have been curtailed. >

> There were other dealers in used circus and traveling show equipment besides Hall, but none were as enduring and carried the breadth of horses and elephants as did the Lancaster dealer. **He served as something of a "supply reservoir" ** (I WOULD LIKE TO USE THIS AS A DIRECT QUOTE ON THE COL. HALL PAGE) of equipment and beasts for showmen, absorbing it into Lancaster when shows failed, leasing and selling it as shows desired to start operations or to expand. Almost every business endeavor has someone that acts as the supply reservoir; Hall was the best known to traveling showmen. (I WOULD LIKE TO USE THIS INFORMATION ON THE COL. HALL PAGE) >

> **Hall's operation was essentially a "department store" for showmen.** (I WOULD LIKE TO USE THIS AS A DIRECT QUOTE. I THINK I MIGHT COMBINE IT WITH THE ONE ABOVE. IT WOULD BE ON THE COL.

HALL PAGE) They could buy just about anything that they wanted, single items up to and including an entire circus. (I WOULD LIKE TO USE THIS INFORMATION). He usually held a "chattel mortgage" on his leases. That meant that if a show failed, all of it came back to him. The ultimate result of this legal position was that a show was framed, went on tour, failed, came back to the Hall farm, then went out again under another name, selected by the showman that had signed the next contract with Hall.

** It meant that many pieces of equipment, especially railroad cars and wagons, went out and back several times from the Hall place.** (I WOULD LIKE TO USE THIS AS A DIRECT QUOTE) >

> The fact that Hall leased equipment was of great benefit to showmen. Owing to the very high risk and failure rate of showmen, they could not go to a local bank for funds to expand. Hall made this possible. Smaller showmen could expand, so long as they were successful. If they did not thrive, all of their holdings could end up in his possession through foreclosure proceedings. One thing for certain, Hall kept on top of legal issues, always having proper paperwork in place on his sales and leases. In that regard he was likely ahead of his time. (I WOULD LIKE TO USE THIS INFORMATION AS WELL AND ATTRIBUTE IT TO YOU.) > > Other than the biggest circuses, Hall probably owned more elephants than anyone else in the US, and for that matter, anywhere in the world.

There are a few corrections that should be made to photographs. This is not unexpected, it happens, and you'll want to correct them. (THANK YOU, I WILL FIX THESE. SOMETIMES GETTING THE CORRECT INFORMATION ON SOMETHING THAT IS 50+ YEARS OLD IS DIFFICULT!)