In Photos: The Hunt for a Circus Train Graveyard

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Circus Wreck

(Image credit: Tyrone Area Historical Society)

[Read the full story on the circus train graveyard]

Casualties

(Image credit: Tyrone Area Historical Society)

Five people, at least 50 horses and two "sacred cows" were killed in the accident. A tiger was reportedly shot after escaping from the wreckage and attacking a cow on a nearby farm.

Elusive Graveyard

(Image credit: Tyrone Area Historical Society)

The wreck was cleared in just three days and the circus moved on within a week. The animals that were killed were said to have been buried in a mass grave near the site, though historians don’t know exactly where it is.

[Read the full story on the circus train graveyard]

New Investigation

(Image credit: Indiana University of Pennsylvania)

A team of archaeology grad students from Indiana University of Pennsylvania recently probed the site of the crash looking for clues to the animal grave. Here, a Mala RAMAC X3M ground-penetrating radar is poised to look under the modern surface of the accident site. In the background at right, a small memorial commemorates the crash.

Data Slice

(Image credit: Tyrone Area Historical Society)

The geophysical data showed a "low reflective anomaly," circled in this image. This means there is likely less metal buried in this area. The team from IUP expected to see a higher reflective anomaly, indicating buried parts of the train wreckage. It's possible that the grave lies outside of the study area. For now, its location remains a mystery.

[Read the full story on the circus train graveyard]

Hillside View

(Image credit: Courtesy of Susie O'Brien)

A view of the wreck from above.

Medical Tent

(Image credit: Courtesy of Susie O'Brien)

The embankment at McCann's Crossing where the train left the tracks. A medical tent was set up just beyond the wreckage, near the trees in this photo.

[Read the full story on the circus train graveyard]

Minimal Loss of Life

(Image credit: Courtesy of Susie O'Brien)

The sleeper cars never left the tracks. Only five people were killed in the accident.

Friday Farm

(Image credit: Courtesy of Susie O'Brien)

The train crashed into property owned by a man named Hiram Friday who had just cleared his land for farming, as the tree stumps in this photo show.

Tiger Skull

(Image credit: Courtesy of Susie O'Brien)

Shortly after the wreck, Hiram Friday's daughter Hannah was milking a cow on the farm when the tiger attacked and killed the animal. An injured Civil War veteran, Hiram Friday didn't allow guns in his home. A bear hunter was called in to kill the tiger. Its skull hangs in a local hunting club today.

[Read the full story on the circus train graveyard]

Circus Artifacts

(Image credit: Courtesy of Susie O'Brien)

Friday's descendants still live on the property today. When building homes, they've found bones, horseshoes, wood and scroll work from a circus wagon, a railroad spike, an iron donkey bottle opener and a bolt and lock from one of the lion cages.

Megan Gannon
Megan Gannon
Live Science Contributor
Megan has been writing for Live Science and Space.com since 2012. Her interests range from archaeology to space exploration, and she has a bachelor's degree in English and art history from New York University. Megan spent two years as a reporter on the national desk at NewsCore. She has watched dinosaur auctions, witnessed rocket launches, licked ancient pottery sherds in Cyprus and flown in zero gravity. Follow her on Twitter and Google+.