Walter L. Main
Posted By thecircusblog on August 9, 2012
While managing Lakemont Amusement Park, for Bill Capell in the late 1980’s, I was approached by a customer that I had seen at the park before. He said “you come from a circus family I hear”. I said ” yes, why?” He asked me if I was familiar with a circus train wreck that had happened outside of Tyrone. He caught me off guard as I thought he was speaking of the present time. Then he explained to me that his grandfather had helped in the clean up and also helped repair wagons as he was a carpenter. I heard some very horrific stories form this man that were told to him by his grandfather, I have to stop here, I think you know why! I knew the history of the accident but the actual whereabouts was unknown to me. Lakemont Park was located in Altoona, PA, just a few miles from Tyrone. That sparked my interest because there was another smaller amusement park in Tyrone, called Bland’s Park, Bill Capell sold rides to this park before we took over Lakemont Park a few years later. A day or so later I called the customer Sylas Ringler and asked if he knew the location of the accident and could he take Bill and myself there. On our day off we went to Tyrone. We were able to get to the area where the wreck accrued but all was overgrown where the wreckage ounce laid. Bill and I walked down and though the area in hopes maybe something could be found. Bill did come across a small splinter of wood with a haft inch bolt and washer the bolt length was about five inches. Sylas said that the area had been picked over for years…………” Could have been circus people”? Bill kept what he found. ……..” Well we will never know for sure but I am going to keep it anyway”.
About the author
thecircusblog
My name is Ivan M. Henry and I am the 4th generation of a circus/show business dynasty. I hope you enjoy the blog.Comments
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My Granddads name was Grover Taylor he worked for the Walter L Main Circus I guess in the late 1800’s or early 1900’s he did horse riding acrobatics and did an acrobatic bit 40 ft up with no net. He was on that train when it wrecked he saw what was happening and jumped from the moving train only to have his back broken. He was in a cast for a year and had small pox while in the cast. He was in his 20’s when this happened and he had a few other jobs after that but his back never healed properly and he had trouble with it from the day it happened. He and my grandmother Dora Taylor raised 13 children and almost all of the boys went off to WWII one was killed the rest lived to tell their story’s about the war each one of them were acrobats in their own rite the oldest boy Alfred walked home one night from school 5 miles on his hands and my dad Dave Taylor could have gone to the olympics excellent on the rings and parallel bars. They are all gone except one son who became a preacher and lives in Columbus Oh. Eddie Taylor, and a daughter Nancy Taylor Jackson of Segal and a daughter Naomi Taylor McKllellen of Pittsburgh. I hope this is some information you can use.