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| Circus House |
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| Sig Sautelle's Circus Wagon |
Those who
drive on US Rt.11 between Homer, N.Y. and Cortland, N.Y. can see the concentric
8-sided
Circus House on the east side of the road. It was built around 1901, and
today, due to age and circumstances, it needs repair and paint.
Every house or
building has a story behind it. The story of the Circus House is the story of
circus promoter Sig Sautelle (Santell). He was born George Satterlee in
Luzerne, N.Y. on September 22, 1848. He enlisted in the Union Army and fought
in the Civil War and learned the art of ventriloquism from a fellow soldier. By age 24 he had his own
Punch and Judy show, and within a few years he was working for Stowe’s Great
American Circus and Barnum and Bailey. In 1882, he started Sig Sautelle’s Big
Shows in Syracuse, N.Y. A SIGnature act was Sig's Cat Orchestra. Sig controlled threads connected to miniature band instruments in the paws of cats, and feline music was created. He used the state barge canal to transport
his staff, animals and equipment for
shows along the Erie Canal. When state roads improved, he travelled by wagon.
Later on, he used the railroads. He wintered in DeRuyter, N.Y. from 1896 to 1901 and then moved to Homer, N.Y.
His elephants, horses and ponies grazed on the east side of the Tioughnioga River on a hillside located between the river and current day I-81.
Sautelle built
a large octagonal-shaped barn and several octagonal-shaped stables behind the Circus House. The 8-sided buildings were
imitations of the shape of circus tents.
Where is the vision and money to fully restore the Circus House, add circus memorabilia and posters, and make it an adjunct to the Central New York Living History Museum?
Read an
excellent short two-page bio by John C. Kunzog (1948) at: http://cortlandonline.org/sautellecircus.html.
There is also a short history of Sautelle’s stay in DeRuyter which can be viewed at:
http://www.deruyternygov.us/museum/id10.html
Do you have or know anyone who has a picture of the house from the early 90's when it was painted to look like a circus? Before it was the lamp repair shop. I remember being disappointed as a child when it was painted that awful maroon and I'm hoping to find a picture of it from how I remember it.
ReplyDeleteWe would suggest that you contact author and Homer town historian Martin Sweeney. His email address is mapssweeney@hotmail.com. His phone number is listed at www.homerny.org. You may also contact the Phillips Free Library in Homer, N.Y. Good luck!
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