In its early years, the American circus erected temporary wooden performance spaces and would remain in that city until the attendance would drop off.  The circus owner would either sell the materials for lumber or use the site when they would return the next year.  Then the company would move to another city and build another performance space.  This process, in the first forty years of the American circus, was limited to about seven of the larger urban (New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Charleston, Richmond, Norfolk, Albany, Boston areas) that could support the cost of this type of operation.   

In 1825, Joshuah Purdy Brown (1802-1934) revolutionized the circus business and other traveling shows with the introduction of the canvas tent.  The tent made it possible to go anywhere in the new territory, stay as long or short a time and perform “rain or shine.”  Tents not only allowed the circuses to perform in more cities, it also changed to the meet the requirements of moving the show.  More wagons were needed to transport the additional equipment, stock (work) horses other than show horses were needed to pull the wagons and more personnel were needed to erect the tent and drive the wagons.  The introduction of the tent also had a profound influence on the manager/owner of the circus.  Prior to the tent, the owner/manager only had to deal with a small number of cities in a season, now they had to deal with 150 or more different towns in a single season performing six days a week. 

The tent size also grew exponentially with the audience.  As owners increased the size of audiences, tents grew in width, height and length. With the growth of the big top, ancillary tents where needed to accommodate additional personnel and equipment. Self-sufficient canvas cities traveled throughout the country.

In its early years, the American circus erected temporary wooden performance spaces and would remain in that city until the attendance would drop off.  The circus owner would either sell the materials for lumber or use the site when they would return the next year.  Then the company would move to another city and build another performance space.  This process, in the first forty years of the American circus, was limited to about seven of the larger urban (New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Charleston, Richmond, Norfolk, Albany, Boston areas) that could support the cost of this type of operation.    In 1825, Joshuah Purdy Brown (1802-1934) revolutionized the circus business and other traveling shows with the introduction of the canvas tent.  The tent made it possible to go anywhere in the new territory, stay as long or short a time and perform “rain or shine.”  Tents not only allowed the circuses to perform in more cities, it also changed to the meet the requirements of moving the show.  More wagons were needed to transport the additional equipment, stock (work) horses other than show horses were needed to pull the wagons and more personnel were needed to erect the tent and drive the wagons.  The introduction of the tent also had a profound influence on the manager/owner of the circus.  Prior to the tent, the owner/manager only had to deal with a small number of cities in a season, now they had to deal with 150 or more different towns in a single season performing six days a week.  The tent size also grew exponentially with the audience.  As owners increased the size of audiences, tents grew in width, height and length. With the growth of the big top, ancillary tents where needed to accommodate additional personnel and equipment.  Self-sufficient canvas cities traveled throughout the country.