By Den Ardinger 32° KCCH

Whenever the name of a circus comes up in a discussion, one name stands out among all the others no matter where you are in the world: The Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus.  Known as “The Greatest Show on Earth” it has thrilled people in all walks of life with a rich variety of entertainment. What is not well known is that the seven Ringling Brothers were all Master Masons and herein lies our tale.

The family was of German and French ancestry.  The name was originally Rungling. Heinrich Friedrich Rungling (1826-1898), a harness maker, came to America in the mid-1800s and settled in McGregor, Iowa in 1860. In America, he and his French wife, Marie Salome Juliar (1833-1907) had seven sons and one daughter: Albert Carl (1852-1916); Augustus George (1854-1907); William Henry Otto (1858-1911); Alfred Theodore (1861-1919); Charles Edward (1863-1926); John Nicholas (1866-1936); Henry William George (1869-1918); and Ida Loraina Wilhelmina (1874-1950).   In 1872, the family moved to Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin and then to Baraboo, Wisconsin in 1875.

The founder of the circus was Augustus, called Gus. In time he became known as the “Head of Tented Shows in America.” He set the business up in 1884 with his brothers being performers in various acts. Alfred, for example, was a juggler, while John Nicholas was a clown. The brothers travelled widely as a touring company and gradually built the business into a thriving affair. Of the seven sons, five were central to the circus business: Alfred, Charles, John, Al, and Otto. They were known as the Kings of the Circus World.

In the early 1900s, the Ringling Brothers Circus merged with their largest competitor, Barnum & Bailey, to become the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The circus has been in business continuously except for a short break from 2017 to 2022.

John Nicholas Ringling (1866-1936) was the most famous of the brothers. He bought a large tract of land in Sarasota, Florida where today the Ringling Museum is located. He was an entrepreneur along with his wife, Mable, and their fortune has benefited everyone for nearly a century.

The Ringling brothers were members of Baraboo Lodge No. 34 in Baraboo, Wisconsin.  All the brothers were raised Master Masons between January 22, 1890, and August 19, 1891. 

The Ringling Brothers, more than men, they were Masons.