Any of these words and phrases could describe Phineas Taylor Barnum — and any of them would be fitting. P.T. Barnum was one of America’s most captivating personalities, at once a man who ...

On November 12, 1836, Phineas Taylor “P. T.” Barnum arrived in Rocky Mount after leaving Aaron Turner’s Traveling Circus, for which he managed the sideshow acts and took tickets.

P.T. Barnum: The Birth of a Showman & His Personal Life The first Barnum to arrive in North America was a man named Thomas Barnum, and his three times great-grandson was a boy with a million dreams.

Barnum's father died when he was 15 and he was determined to rise up from his poor living. He first bought a museum and made it into a live performance with animals. He would then partner with ...