Holland Circus Collection
Scope and Contents
The contents of this collection consist of family photos, circus photos, correspondence, and church materials from the Holland family.
Dates
- circa 1880s-1940s
Creator
- Holland, George Francis, 1850- (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Noncirculating; available for research.
Conditions Governing Use
This collection may be protected from unauthorized copying by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code).
Biographical / Historical
George F. Holland was born January 25, 1850 in Delavan Wisconsin. George Holland was the son of John Holland, the founder of the Holland family circus. The Holland family circus began circa 1850s and lasted several generations. George Holland was an acrobat and rider and worked in the family business with his two brothers John and Edward. George Holland married Katherine Holloway in 1872 and performed together until they retired in 1910. George and Katherine worked for some of the largest circuses of the time such as, Dan Rice’s, Burr Robbins, John Robinson’s, Sells-Floto and Holland participated in two circus partnerships. The first partnership was with brothers Charles, Edward and John McMahon thus creating the Holland-McMahon railroad circus. The second partnership was called Holland and Gormley Allied Railroad Circus which toured for two years and George and Katherine retired shortly after the conclusion of that show. The Holland family was inducted into the International Circus Hall of Fame in 1980 for their contributions to the circus community that spanned multiple generations.
Extent
.50 Cubic Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Contains photographs and memorabilia from the Holland circus family.
Arrangement
The contents of the collection were arranged alphabetically based on the folder title.
Provenance
Donated by Charles McCoy on 12/16/2016.
Sources
Biographical information obtained from the case file.
- Circus. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.). Subject Source: TGM II, Genre and physical characteristic terms
- Holland Family Circus. Holland-McMahon Railroad Circus. Holland and Gormley Allied Railroad Circus (circa 1850-)
- Letter. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Memorabilia. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Photographs. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Postcards. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- Holland Circus Collection
- Author
- Collection processed and finding aid written by Amanda Abulawi
- Date
- June 17, 2019
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Historical Manuscripts and Photographs Repository
118 College Drive - 5148
Hattiesburg MS 39406-0001
601.266.4345
