DO YOU KNOW?
Six flagpoles are located along the historic Cą dZan road from the Tibbals
Learning Center to the Circus Museum.
What is their significance?
How high are they?
How high were the poles of the big top?
NOW YOU KNOW!
What is the significance of the flagpoles?
The six towering flagpoles that stand between the Tibbals Learning Center and the Circus
Museum represent the center pole layout for the largest canvas big tops used by Ringling
Bros. and Barnum & Bailey combined shows. Just like the big top, the poles are spaced
60-feet apart, which allowed for the placement of a 42 foot diameter circus ring or 32
foot square stage between each pair.
How high are they?
Due to airport restrictions, the flagpoles are only 50 feet tall.
How high were the poles of the big top?
The largest, the center poles, reached 62 feet into the sky, measured ten inches in
diameter and required dozens of men to lift a single one. The poles were anchored to the
ground, secured against winds around its periphery by hundreds of ropes and fivefoot long
wooden stakes.
Source: Ringling Museum Volunteer e-News June & July 2006
ringlingdocents.org
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