P.T. Barnum's New and Greatest Show on Earth: 1876 Maine Route

1876, Barnum's Longest Tour of Maine, Visits Lewiston Before heading to New Hampshire!

In 1876, the centennial year of our nation's birth, P.T. Barnum treated the people of Maine to the longer tour for and incarnation of a show using his namesake. This tour featured a full fourteen dates in twelve cities! Those dates were July 15 in Saco, July 17 & 18 in Portland, July 19 in Damariscotta, July 20 in Rockland, July 21 in Bath, July 22 in Augusta, July 24 in Houlton, July 25th in Calais, August 7 & 8 in Bangor, August 9 in Dexter, August 10 in Waterville and August 11 in Lewiston. This was also the first year of a Barnum show in Maine under the "Greatest Show on Earth" title! This was "P.T. Barnum's New and Greatest Show on Earth"! Presented here is a newspaper ad and short write up regarding the final Maine stop in Lewiston.

The advertisement posted here reads as follows:

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P.T. BARNUM'S

NEW AND

GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH IS COMING

ON THREE MONSTER SPECIAL TRAINS

OF SOLID STEEL CARS, AND WILL EXHIBIT AT

LEWISTON, FRIDAY, AUGUST 11th!!

$1,500,000 CASH CAPITAL INVESTED!

1100 Persons and 600 Horses and Ponies Employed by it.

A Century's Festival of Features in a Metropolis of Separate Tents.

Its Menagerie 100 per cent. the largest ever moved.

SIXTY CAGES OF RARE ANIMALS AND AMPHIBIA

Many of which singly cost more than a common Menagerie.

TOWERING LIVING GIRAFFES, HALF TON LIVING LIVING SEA LIONS,

AND

1876