Witt Bandwagon: Rose Kilian’s Rolling Legacy

A Rare Builder for a Rare Show

In the early 1900s, Herbert L. Witt & Sons carved out a quiet but fascinating place in circus history. Based in Morristown, Tennessee, this regional wagon builder gained recognition among Southern overland shows—not through national exposure, but largely by word of mouth. Among their most notable clients was Rose Kilian, one of the few female circus proprietors of the era.

The only known photograph of the Witt shop is this circa 1907 . The wagon in the background was the first Rose Kilian bandwagon.

Photograph courtesy Howard C. Tibbals, print in Piening Archives

The First Wagon and a Growing Reputation

After the success of their first circus commission for the McDonald Bros. Circus, the Witts were introduced to Kilian, who had become familiar with their craftsmanship while performing with McDonald Bros. in 1904. By 1907, she had her own modest overland operation, Rose Kilian Southern Shows, purchasing her first bandwagon from Witt and soon became a repeat customer.

Witt letterhead sent to William P. Hall in 1913.  William P. Hall Papers, Circus World Museum

A Second Bandwagon Takes Shape

Witt’s second commission for Kilian, delivered around 1914, was a more elaborate band chariot. This wagon stood out with its bold side carvings—most notably, gryphon figures, echoing design elements found on the Sparks Circus wagons. A photograph from the Witt workshop in this era features a smaller bandwagon titled for Rose Kilian Shows, hinting at the family collaboration and growing ambition of the builder.

Witt furnished a second bandchariot to the Rose Kilian show sometime around 1914. The young man was Rose Kilian’s son, Otto Kilian.

Hardy O’Neal scrap­ book, Circus World Museum

Engineering for the Road

Witt’s wagons were crafted with practical innovation. The wheel design, for instance, featured half-length panels between spokes—a deliberate choice. This minimized mud buildup from Southern roads and made navigation through ruts easier. The distinctive “sun fleets” on the wheels added a rhythmic “clikker” sound as they rolled—an auditory signature remembered by performer Tom M. Woodward.

More Than Just a Bandwagon

Alongside the bandwagon, Witt delivered a ticket wagon, a “carry-us-all” passenger vehicle, and a lion cage—part of a larger flatcar shipment picked up in Decatur, Alabama. The carry-us-all was a functional masterpiece: a fifteen-person open coach with a roof and rear step, vital for transporting staff between show stops.

( Bracy Family Collection)

A Final Chapter for Kilian and Witt

By 1918, wartime pressures led Kilian to offer her show wagons for sale. She cited her age and the drafting of her sons as reasons, in a heartfelt letter to William P. Hall. Her ten wagons, possibly all Witt-built, reflected two decades of partnership between show and builder. Even after Kilian’s final season in 1929, some of these wagons reportedly ended their days with the Mighty Haag Show—quietly fading in the Florida climate after the switch to motor vehicles.

Did You Know?

• Rose Kilian was one of the rare women to own and manage a circus in the early 20th century.
• Witt’s wagon shop also produced commercial wagons and tools for traveling shows and carnivals, not just circuses.

For a more in-depth account of the Rose Kilian Overland Show and the legacy of its second Witt bandwagon, readers are encouraged to explore the full articles in Bandwagon, the official journal of the Circus Historical Society.

Bandwagon November-December 2001 page 4-11; Herbert L. Witt & Sons – An Obscure Circus Wagon Builder, By Fred Dahlinger, Jr.

Bandwagon 67 Issue 2 2023 page 18-35; Selling the Legacy – Rose Kilian Circus, By Patrick and Heather Bracy

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