CARNY TOWN, PT. 1

Today we are getting freaky. Really goddamn freaky. We're turning our spotlight towards Gibsonton, FL, a humble town which rose to prominence as the winter home of the talented and clannish sideshow performers of Barnum and Bailey's circus. We explore what exactly the term "freak" entails, take a look at the murky origins of the freak show, gawk at the wretched, scarred vacancy where PT Barnum's soul ought to have been, and ponder Gibsonton's beginnings as a safe haven and place of community for the otherwise weird and outcast.Oh, also, by listening to this podcast you now automatically have the Omicron variant of COVID-19. You're welcome.Help the show by becoming a patron today! patreon.com/FloridaWomanpodYou can follow us on Instagram at:@FloridaWoman.PodEmail us at [email protected] Woman theme song is My Heart Is Open by So Sensitive Band from their album Bedroom Drama. Instagram at @sosensitiveband.MYAKKA ELEPHANT RANCH: a nonprofit conservation center for rescued circus elephantshttps://www.myakkaelephantranch.org/Source materials for this episode are:https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/feb/26/welcome-to-gibtown-the-last-freakshow-town-in-americahttps://people.howstuffworks.com/gibtown-where-circus-folk-went-to-retire.htmhttp://www.weirdus.com/states/florida/fabled_people_and_places/gibsonton/index.phphttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/florida-man-terrorizes-town-forcing-federal-government-step-180972757/American Sideshow: An encyclopedia of History’s Most Wondrous and Curiously Strange Performers by Marc HartzmanAmazing self portrait by Matthias Buchinger, the “Little Man from Nuremberg". The first “famous freak”.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_BuchingerFLORIDA WOMAN: https://www.iheart.com/content/2018-12-28-florida-woman-who-claimed-to-be-god-robs-mail-truck-flees-on-tricycle/FLORIDA MAN: https://miami.cbslocal.com/2021/12/10/florida-man-andre-abrams-accused-of-using-flamethrower-to-settle-dispute/