Barnaby Rust's Psycho Circus

Closing November 16 - In the summer of 1937, Barnaby Rust's Psycho Circus opened its doors to the public. This traveling circus and sideshow performed all across the country, entertaining thousands of guests. But behind the curtains and cheering crowds lies a dark and sinister secret. All across the country, children began to disappear whenever the circus came to town. Some people believed that the children just ran off to join the circus. But the reality is that Barnaby Rust had a literal taste for children. And he never wasted one ounce of the delicious meat. His dark secret was only discovered after one tragic night in 1944. On July 6th, 1944, the circus set up in Hartford, Connecticut, performing to a full house of over 7,000 enthusiastic guests. The show was going as planned until tragically, a lantern was dropped, and the big top went up in flames. 167 people and 43 exotic animals tragically burned to death, and over 700 others were injured. An investigation was performed, and it was found that the circus crew had waterproofed the big top using wax. Amongst the dead, the authorities found the charred remains of over 42 of the missing children. A post-mortem investigation also found that the bones of the children had been chewed on by human teeth. Barnaby Rust’s body was never found. Many investigators believed that he survived the fire, fled, and changed his name to avoid any liability or legal punishment for his crimes.