Im jamie colby, and today im in wilmington, North Carolina. Its known for its gorgeous beaches and its great surfing, but it was also the last confederate port city to fall during the civil war, so it is fitting that im here to meet an heir whose ancestor became famous in defeat at the Highwater Mark of the confederacy. My name is George Edward pickett v. Im the greatgreatgrandson of general george e. Pickett of gettysburg fame. And i never knew exactly what that would bring to my family fame, fortune, or dishonor. George who goes by his middle name, ed has invited me to his home. Hi, ed. Hi. You must be jamie. I am jamie. How are you today . Im good. When the 59yearold isnt working as a surfing instructor, ed enjoys doing yoga and playing guitar. Its a far cry from his famous greatgreatgrandfather who fought at gettysburg. Growing up, did your family ever discuss that you had a connection to that battle . Well, i knew about it. It was discussed briefly. I was not really that interested as a little kid. Its easy to understand why. Eds ancestor is best known for being on the losing side of the most pivotal battle in the civil war. Some people said, oh, didnt he lose . Wasnt he a loser . Because that was the way that a lot of the history books talked about picketts charge. So you dont bury your head like, oh, i cant believe i came to school today . I remember doing that one time. I didnt know enough to defend him. Someone who does know a lot about general pickett is civil war historian earl coates. I meet earl right here on the gettysburg battlefield. I am standing right on the site of picketts charge. You certainly are. Youre at one of the iconic sites of the civil war. What was picketts contribution . General pickett, till that time, was certainly known as a confederate commander, but after the charge, he was known the world over. Pickett serves under general James Longstreet in july 1863, here at gettysburg, in the army of northern virginia, commanded by general robert e. Lee. General lee was looking for a great victory on union soil. But the federal army holds the high ground. After two days of failing to break through, lee orders a controversial attack, an assault on the center of the union line. General picketts troops are assigned to break through the middle. [ march plays ] so, earl, right now, were on the confederate side. Yes. In fact, youre moving pretty much along the ground that picketts division came across. Youll see how the ground slopes away here, and then you start up a steady slope up to where the trees are. There were union cannon along the whole ridgeline. Theyre high, theyre elevated, they can see whats coming, and they can sweep the ground in front of them. They had the edge. They had it, and they used it. Picketts men advance directly into heavy fire. The union guns mow down the rebels. What did the scene look like after . Well, this field that youre seeing out here was littered with dead. It was just a scene of total devastation. Earl reads me some firsthand accounts of the bloodshed. On one part of the field, the dead lay almost as thick as they could and men with heads shot off, men shot in two, and men shot to pieces as hardly can be recognizable as any part of a man. Its a turning point in the war. Never again would the south mount an invasion of union territory. Was that the Highwater Mark . Thats the Highwater Mark. From that point on, the fortunes of the confederacy started to wane. Just knowing that picketts charge was a disaster is enough for ed while growing up in North Carolina in the 1960s. I had other interests that seemed to be more important to me at the time. He certainly has no interest in this old suitcase of family heirlooms that his father inherited. When his parents divorce, his dad passes the suitcase along to his mother with instructions to hold onto it for ed. Ed, this is the actual case . Its the actual case. You want to take a look . I really would. Okay. As far as young ed could tell, this suitcase only contained some boring, old militarylooking knickknacks a cap, part of a uniform, some old documents. Whatever. My mother would kind of say, theres this legacy you have, you know . And its gonna be yours one day. And i would be like, yeah, okay. Sure. Can i go outside and play . Whether he appreciates it or not, ed takes possession of the suitcase in the early 90s. Its his by Family Tradition as the firstborn pickett male. After his 70yearold mother moves into an assisted living facility, she warns her son to remove it from the family home before someone steals it. Id got it out of the closet. I didnt take the time right away to look through it. I kind of opened it and looked at it and went, oh, okay, and closed it and moved on. It winds up tucked away in a closet again, now at eds house. But he has no time to play curator. I spent a lot of time with my own children. And that was more important to me than looking through stuff. Ed may not take much interest, but certain people in the civil war collecting world do. Rumors spread that a metal case full of general pickett artifacts is still in the familys possession in North Carolina. In september 1995, ed gets a call from a guy named Russell Pritchard in philadelphia. Pritchard says hes an antiques appraiser looking for artifacts to buy for a new Civil War Museum being built in harrisburg, pennsylvania. I was a little bit standoffish because i didnt really believe him. A few weeks later, a letter arrives. And i had a letter from the mayor of harrisburg. Saying . Russ pritchard is the official representative of the national Civil War Museum in the city of harrisburg. Did you get a letter from the mayor because you asked for credentials . No. It just arrived. Thats exactly right. Next thing you know, Russ Pritchard just arrives uninvited in wilmington and, boy, is he persistent. Russ wanted to be my new best friend. He followed me around like a puppy helped me carry drywall to a construction site, he had sat on the beach with my children while my wife and went surfing. He kept asking, you know, can i see the artifacts . When can i see them . Ed finally agrees to show pritchard whats inside that old family suitcase. The next few hours are a revelation for ed. That old cap is called a kepi, and it was worn by general pickett at gettysburg. Theres his bloodstained uniform sleeve, personal letters, photos, his military sash, and this picketts own handdrawn map of the gettysburg battlefield. He was very knowledgeable. He knew what everything was. Tell me about the reaction on Russ Pritchards face. He was delighted. It was like he found a gold mine. And he said, im prepared on behalf of the mayor to make you an offer. Who did you feel he represented . Your interest or the museums interest . As i understood it, he was an appraiser standing in the middle. Thats what he said. That he could not overestimate or underestimate the value of it. Russ comes up with an offer to buy most of the contents of the case. 87,500. Now its ed who thinks hes struck gold. I thought, wow, 87,500 is a lot of money to me. Did it look fair . Seemed fair to me. It was more money than id ever gotten in my life. Ed happily accepts pritchards offer and a check, and signs away the items. Pritchard immediately departs with the pickett artifacts. But general picketts greatgreat grandson is in for the shock of his life, when he finds out what eventually happens to his family heirlooms. It was all lies. He just lied to me completely. Thats next. But first, our strange inheritance quiz question. The answer in a moment. T my dad. Good job, michael ok, lindsey now tell the class what your mommy does. My mom has super powers. Its like she can see the future. What . its like she time travels in a rocket ship. Thats cool and then she comes back saying try this or try that. She helps everyone. She helps them feel less worried. Wow mommy, so what is it that you do . Im a financial advisor. She is aig proudly supports all the professionals taking care of our financial futures. So, how many generals were killed or mortally wounded at gettysburg . Its a 9. Five confederate, four union. No other battle claimed as many general officers. In the fall of 1995, in wilmington, North Carolina, ed pickett, greatgreat grandson of confederate general george pickett, is thrilled to complete the sale of some of his family heirlooms to antiques appraiser and buyer, Russ Pritchard. The total amount was 87,500, which seemed like an awful lot more than i had made in a couple years. The items had been in the family for generations. Now, the artifacts including the generals cap, bloodstained sleeve, and his handdrawn map of the gettysburg battlefield are to be showcased at a new Civil War Museum in harrisburg, pennsylvania. Did you talk to at least one other dealer to kind of get a sense of what you had and what it was worth . No, he told me he was working for the city and that his job was to appraise it accurately. Three years later, in the summer of 1998, ed accepts an invitation to speak at a dinner in gettysburg, hosted by the friends of the national parks. Its here hes introduced to civil war historian earl coates. And i knew he was an expert in clothing. And i asked him, how much would a kepi be worth . He kind of stunned me. I said, you mean the generals . And he said, yes. Whoa. And of course at that moment, the room got very silent. He said, well it could be worth a lot of money. 200, 250 just for the kepi alone. 250,000 . Yes, 250,000. I said, you know, thats more than i got for everything. But ed does not want to believe hes been swindled. He considers Russ Pritchard a friend. You trusted him so much, you let him babysit your infant. Thats correct. Earl suggests they find out more. Through his connections, he discovers how much the museum paid pritchard for the items. How much did they pay . They paid over 800,000. Your reaction . I was astounded. I realized something was really wrong. Then another shocker he learns pritchard flatout stole some items, including family photos that hed kindly offered to restore for ed. Russ pritchard told me that hed be glad to frame them for me and send them back, no charge. No charge. You know, he was just going to do it because he was a nice guy. Wondering what they could be worth, ed takes them to the highly regarded gettysburg antique store, the horse soldier. The owner takes one look and says. These are not real photographs. These are laser copies. I said, are you sure . Upon closer examination, even ed can clearly see the lines from the laser printer. Pritchard had reframed his photos with fakes. Eds embarrassment over making a bad deal is now replaced with a new emotion anger. What was your reaction . I was pissed. It began to dawn on me that i had been really, truly ripped off. Ed decides its time to take the fight to the enemy. Thats next, on strange inheritance. Heres another quiz question. 3,903 confederate solders were killed at gettysburg. The answer in a moment. I cant believe it. What . That our new house is haunted by casper the friendly ghost . Hey jill hey kurt movies . Ill get snacks no, i cant believe how easy it was to save hundreds of dollars on our Car Insurance with geico. I got snacks ohhh, i got popcorn, i got caramel corn, i got kettle corn. Am i chewing too loud . Believe it geico could save you fifteen percent or more on Car Insurance. Noand if youre troubledan a lifby falls and bleeds,ers. Worry follows you everywhere. Over 100,000 people have left blood thinners behind with watchman. Its a onetime, minimally invasive procedure that reduces stroke risk and bleeding worryfor life. Watchman. Its one time. For a lifetime. So how many confederate soldiers are buried in the National Cemetery at gettysburg . Its b 7. All soldiers were originally buried on the battlefield, but in november 1863, the National Cemetery was reserved for those who died preserving the union. All confederate killed in action were later reburied in the south, though seven remained by mistake. In the fall of 1998, ed pickett is stunned to learn the civil war artifacts he sold to appraiser Russ Pritchard for 87,000 are later resold by pritchard for 880,000. I was pissed, because its not really just me that had been ripped off, but my children. And so thats when i got a lawyer. The family heirlooms belonged to his greatgreat grandfather, confederate general george e. Pickett, whose name is synonymous with the failed rebel charge at gettysburg. In 1999, ed heads into battle himself this time in the courtroom. A civil jury eventually awards him 800,000 the difference between what the museum paid the con man and the con man paid him. Ed is thrilled at first. I received a jury verdict against Russ Pritchard for 800,000, of which i did not receive 800,000 cause Russ Pritchard suddenly had empty pockets. I got 250,000 of which my attorney took his cut of the cash. How much . Close to 100,000. But the laws not done with Russ Pritchard yet. As eds case plays out in court, fbi agent Robert Wittman is paying very close attention. He was very smooth, he dressed well, he was very glib of tongue. It turns out, pritchard and his partners had been running the same kind of scam on others who had civil war artifacts. Usually 10 times was what they were selling material for after they had appraised it for 1 10 of value. Eds lawsuit helps wittman and the fbi build a criminal case. In the end, there was a superseding criminal indictment that had more than 20 counts in it. Faced with a mountain of evidence against him, pritchard strikes a deal in 2001 with prosecutors and pleads guilty. Hes sentenced to a year in prison and 830k in restitution fees. Half of that sum is awarded to ed pickett, but. Russ pritchard doesnt seem to have the money. I think ive received a total of maybe 25,000, 30,000. Are you furious . Im pretty upset. Look in the camera and tell Russ Pritchard what you want him to do. I would like for Russ Pritchard to actually pay the restitution. But moreover i would like the national Civil War Museum to do the right thing and actually return my items to me. The right thing and actually return my items to me. So what about that . Ed picketts charge against the museum next. This is decision tech. Find a stock based on your interests or whats trending. Get realtime insights in your customized view of the market. Its smarter Trading Technology for smarter trading decisions. Fidelity. Now back to strange inheritance. In 2001, ed pickett wins a second legal battle over his civil war artifacts, passed down from his greatgreat grandfather, confederate general george pickett. But ed feels its a hollow victory, as those artifacts go on display at the newlyopened national Civil War Museum in harrisburg, pennsylvania whose mayor wrote pickett a letter endorsing the con man whod swindled him. Whats most unfortunate is that the city of harrisburg is quite willing to take items that were taken by fraud and keep them. Fbi agent Robert Wittman investigated the case. Ultimately, the museum paid 880,000 for these artifacts, so they paid what theyre supposed to. I think a better result would have been the city and the national Civil War Museum to say, i am so sorry. Let me give you your items back and we are going to sue Russ Pritchard for defrauding us. Current museum c. E. O. Wayne motts, who took over in 2012, believes the pickett items are best suited at their current home. I think it was regretful and unfortunate what happened to mr. Pickett but the pickett collection has been well taken care of here. It has been preserved and it has been exhibited for the joy of thousands of people. Civil war historian earl coates only hopes that ed pickett takes comfort in knowing that the enormous value placed on his greatgreat grandfathers things reflects historys verdict on his leadership and courage that july day in gettysburg. Was pickett thinking along the way, what have i just done . Well he was probably thinking, what have i been asked to do . But they were told to go and they went. Pickett and his men failed. So did their cause. But its a tribute to their valor that gettysburg vets from north and south would return to this spot, to do their part to bind up a nations wounds. So should ed take comfort in knowing that general pickett was a soldier through and through, did as hes told, even if he might have believed it was wrong . Absolutely. It cost him hundreds of men, but it made him immortal. Wow. Thats cool. Yeah, theres some interesting stuff in here. Its certainly made ed pickett better appreciate the heirlooms that remain in that old suitcase. This is a copy of general picketts report of the battle of williamsburg, may 1862. Look at the handwriting. Its a lost art, i think. Fabulous. What else . And thats george picketts hair. Would you ever sell that . This right here . No. Not anymore. This is quite a section of your family history. What are you gonna do with it now . Um. Ill probably give it to my children. We dont really get to choose our names when were born. And we have to do whatever we can or live up to it. Ive, to some extent, ducked that legacy, but also honored it in the same way. Ed is not done fighting the battle over his strange inheritance. For one thing, he thinks there should be a statue right here at gettysburg honoring his greatgreat grandfather and his men. In other ways, George Edward pickett v feels its time to move on. When his own son was born, he and his wife chose the name doug. Perhaps some names just need to rest in peace. Im jamie colby for strange inheritance. Thanks so much for watching. And remember you cant take it with you. Do you have a strange inheritance story youd like to share with us . Wed love to hear it send me an email, or go to our website strangeinheritance. Com. Its the circus, downsized. [ crowd cheering ] hes got the big top, the sideshow, the menagerie. And you can almost smell the popcorn and sawdust. Made by a master whittler. He never used a jigsaw. He never used a lathe. It was always a pocketknife. Boy, this knife has some mileage on it. But it comes with a jumbosized burden. He would usually cry and hed say, barbara, i dont know what to do. I didnt know what to do either. And now the big reveal. Are you ready . Okay, here we go. Wow. [ bird squawks ] im jamie colby, on my way to see a family who wrote in about their strange inheritance. Were meeting in baraboo, wisconsin, which, not coincidentally, was once the winter headquarters of the famed ringling bros. Circus. My names barbara dickey. My fatherinlaw loved the circus, and he left me something thats had me jumping through hoops. Barbara. Im jamie. Hi. Its so nice to meet you. So nice to meet you, too. You wrote me about this . I did. This is a miniature circus, handcarved with a pocketknife by my fatherinlaw. A true 1inch scale reproduction of a 1920s circus, to be precise, each piece painstakingly handcrafted by barbaras late fatherinlaw, William Dickey. The detail is fascinating. You can almost hear them playing their instruments. Is there more . Absolutely. How many pieces total . Approximately 62,157 pieces. [ laughs ] it was his passion. It was his love. So it was just a lifelong work. A lifelong work that begins in the early 1900s, when the circus comes to bristol, virginia. In attendance, an artistic teenager, william t. Dickey. The first time he went to the circus, he fell in love and he wanted to be there every time he had an opportunity. What do you think the thrill of it was for him . He loved the clowns, the popcorn and the cotton candy, and the music, and just the whole atmosphere. Its no surprise william is captivated. Ladies and gentlemen. This is, after all, the golden era of the circus. It was a really huge event. I mean, schools would shut down. Businesses shut down. Joe colossa, former ringling bros. Trainmaster. [ whistle blows ] it was the Great American family outing. Absolutely. Tightwire act. I mean, disney world didnt exist back then, so, in a sense, disney world came to them. This fascination with the big top sparks a curious hobby with a smallbutavid following circus model building. Enthusiasts even start their own the Circus Model Builders Association of america. With five members . Oh, more than that. Several hundred. Really . Including joe himself. Yes, the Circus Model Builders Association of america still meets today. Theres miniature circuses that are around the country. There are . There are. Theres a group of folks that actually, thats their love. They build miniatures of the circus. Its that same love that drives William Dickey to create his own miniature big top. His grandson, clayton dickey, says it all starts with a pocketknife. A pocketknife . Yes, maam. He never used a jigsaw. He never used a lathe or any kind of turning tools. It was always a pocketknife. Boy, this knife has some mileage on it. William takes that pocketknife and puts it to a block of wood. Did he see a drawing of something . Did he have a blueprint . Well, my dad always said that his dad always said was, you carve away everything thats not and youre left with a horse . And then youre left with a horse. If only its that simple. It took him years and years of practice to learn how to do everything right. By his late teens, williams creating detailed, intricate pieces. The man was a brilliant woodcarver. Johnny trapino, another cardcarrying member of the Circus Model Builders Association of america. He says every circus Model Builder worth his penknife appreciates dickeys work. Mr. Dickey did all that with a single pocketknife, and thats absolutely amazing. Williams circus grows to include hundreds of wooden animals. Clowns. Ringmasters, musicians. And delighted customers. Then he adds even more tricks to his toolbox. His uncle was a blacksmith, and he made him an anvil. And he learned how to fashion metal. That metalwork becomes animal cages, chains, ladders, and even musical instruments. Now he has enough pieces to set up an entire display. He calls it dickeys circus. Mr. Dickey always said, when it was set up it had to sit on a platform at least 75 feet long by 14 feet wide. Thats about as long as a tennis court. The grounds include 15 tents, highlighted by a 25footwide big top with 10,000 seats. Venture outside, and youll find the menagerie, with lions, giraffes, hippos, snakes, zebras, camels, and elephants. Continue your journey past a freak sideshow and a parade. Its every little, intricate piece of an entire circus. And you can almost smell the popcorn and sawdust. Dickey spends more than a decade of his youth on his masterpiece, but will anyone outside his small Virginia Town see it . More than he ever imagines. Next stops, atlantic city, manhattan, paris, and. It traveled to the the worlds fair. Yes. Heres astrange inheritance quiz question. The answer after the break. So, circus lore holds that which is bad luck . Its c. Stagehands communicated by whistling. An extra tweet could be mistaken for a cue and cause an accident. By the 1930s, William Dickey has spent more than a decade handcarving this incredible 1inch scale model he calls dickeys circus. What did mr. Dickey bring to life . Hes got everything the big top, the sideshow, where youd see the freaks, and the menagerie, the midway. Its a piece of art, really. When dickeys circus goes on display around bristol, virginia, it catches the eye of pete moore, a wealthy circusloving businessman. Who apparently had the financial means to help my grandfather get some places that he wouldnt have been able to get on his own. Turns out mr. Moore has some good connections. He begins promoting dickeys circus, and, in 1933, the businessmans able to book a monumental gig, the worlds fair. The worlds fair. Chicago worlds fair. Thats incredible. Yes. Nearly 40 Million People visit the chicago worlds fair, enjoying exhibits such as dickeys circus and a futuristic sky ride. The little big top then heads across the atlantic for another huge booking, the famed paris exposition. It goes on to be shown at the museum of the city of new york and along the boardwalk in atlantic city, new jersey. The little circus that could. Yes. But its not so little. William dickey himself is no showman and usually stays back in virginia. By now, hes married, raising two boys, and making a living as a mechanical engineer. One of those boys, bill, grows up and marries barbara, who discovers that the model circus is a great way to connect with her new fatherinlaw. What do you think it meant to him that you took in interest in his circus . He loved the circus and he loved for everybody else to love the circus, and that caused me to feel like i was a part of the family. Over the years, mr. Dickey keeps adding to and improving his miniature big top. You think he was a perfectionist when it came to this project . Absolutely, he was. If there was anything wrong with a piece, he would not fix it or paint over it. He would throw it away and start over. You have any idea how many hours he worked on this . Its above 10,000. Did mrs. Dickey ever say, come in here and spend time with the family . She may have felt that way from time to time, but she also valued the circus and appreciated it and was supportive. William retires to florida in the 1960s and begins the search for just the right place to put his signature achievement on permanent display. Did you ever see him stressing out about where to house the circus . I know that he spent long hours writing to people, and, a lot of times, he got word back that circuses are a dime a dozen. And he would say, they just dont know what we have. Did mr. Dickey ever try to sell it . Not really. He always told us that he felt like it was worth quite a lot. 10,000 . He said 100,000 at the time, and i think he insured it for that at one time. In 1972, william finally finds a place to pitch his tent. A tourist attraction in New Hampshire called circus towne agrees to indefinitely showcase his miniature big top. He was totally happy and totally excited it was gonna have its permanent home in New Hampshire. What was your reaction . I was so thrilled. Sadly, just days after the contract is signed, William Dickey has a heart attack and dies at age 69. He never gets to see his circus in all its glory at circus towne, nor, as it turns out, will many others. I used to talk to my husband about it, and he would usually cry. And hed say, barbara, i dont know what to do. And i didnt know what to do either. Heres another quiz question. Which famous actor worked as a lion tamer before making it big . The answer when we return. So youre a small business, or a big one. You were thriving, but then. Oh. Ah. Okay. Plan, pivot. How do you bounce back . You dont, you bounce forward, with serious and reliable internet. Powered by the largest gig Speed Network in america. But is it secure . Sure its secure. And even if the power goes down, your connection doesnt. So how do i do this . You dont do this. We do this, together. Bounce forward, with comcast business. So, which famous actor worked as a lion tamer . Its christopher walken, who, as a teen, performed in a traveling circus with a lioness named sheba. Over the course of his life, William Dickey handcarves a 62,000piece model circus. He dies in 1972. The miniature big top is willed to his son bill and daughterinlaw, barbara. Was it an honor . It was an honor, yes, to have that as a part of the family heritage. But in 1975, circus towne, the tourist attraction where dickeys circus is on display, goes out of business. So the family packs it all away into a storage facility, thinking, just for a little while. It needs a home. Absolutely. We just felt like it needed to be seen. Thats what it was created for. Did you feel like you were personally disappointing him if you didnt find a place for it . We did. It really shouldnt take that long, right . After all, the circus was once valued at 100,000. Yet, the couple has zero luck finding anyone interested in displaying their strange inheritance. I used to talk to my husband about it, and he would usually cry. And hed say, barbara, i dont know what to do. And i didnt know what to do either. So we simply put out some feelers and waited. And waited. And waited. For how long . Around 20 years. Wait a minute. [ laughs ] you paid for storage for 20 years to store a model circus . Wasnt that a burden . It became more so through time, because the rental price kept going up. So barbara and bill moved the circus into the family garage. Another five years pass. When her husband, bill, dies, in 2002, barbara becomes the sole heir to her fatherinlaws pride and joy, spread out across her garage. Why didnt you call the Salvation Army and just say, come and take my circus. Ill get a deduction. Absolutely not. [ laughs ] we just love the circus too much to just let it go that way. In 2009, an eager buyer finally materializes. Theyll take the entire circus for 25,000 bucks. Thats a lowball bid, says Johnny Trapino of the Circus Model Builders Association of america. A full display such as the dickeys circus or those of that size generally run about 40,000, 50,000, 60,000. These were built by master craftsmen. You have to find the right buyer for it, but the price usually holds. Of course, finding the right buyer is always the catch. Barbara, now a 62yearold widow, has been looking for one for 34 years and the circus is packed up in her garage and ready to go. So she turns down the offer. Would have been a good price, dont you think . We did not think so. We feel like its an antique. We feel like its one of a kind. We feel like its a work of art. And we just couldnt let it go for that. Soon, barbaras kids join in the quest to find the circus a permanent home. Theyve never actually seen the 60,000plus pieces set up. So for them, its about more than money, says her son, clayton. I feel like its our responsibility to carry on the legacy of the people who have gone before us, and this is really all i have of my grandfather is the circus. This was his lifeblood. With the search now entering its fourth decade, the family redoubles their efforts. We started reaching out to many people, but everything just kinda fell through. Was there pressure on all of you to do something . Yes, but we just didnt have the means or know how, and there wasnt any way for us to meet anybody to get it set up. Then someone discovers the internet. What was the dickeys reaction when you said, i live in the ringling mansion . Whats your strange inheritance story . Wed love to tell it. Send me an email or go to our website, strangeinheritance. Com. O strange inheritance. Its a 100yearold masterwork of whittling that toured the world. But for almost 40 years, the 62,000piece dickeys circus has sat in storage. Its the strange inheritance of the artists devoted daughterinlaw, barbara dickey, whose son, clayton, has joined her quest to find someone, somewhere, to display it. I feel as if the circus is a brother, and i know that it would be a dishonor to my family for me to allow anything bad to happen to it. So clayton sets up a Facebook Page to help promote the model big top. What happened . Nothing for a long time. Six years, in fact. Then, in 2016, former ringling trainmaster joe colossa stumbles across the page. They had mentioned that they were looking for a home for the dickeys circus. Did you have a home that could accommodate it . I think we do, yes. Why . Where do you live . The al ringling mansion. Turns out joe is also the new coowner of the al ringling mansion, right here in baraboo, wisconsin, which was once the winter home of the famous circus. Joes looking for new exhibits for his tourist attraction, like miniature circuses. What was the dickeys reaction when you said, i have the space, i have the expertise, and i live in the ringling mansion . I think they were a little apprehensive at first. Youre what . Youre where . [ laughs ] and, of course, i was standoffish, because its ours and its our baby. You feel that strongly . Absolutely. Joe wins over the dickeys, who agree to loan out the circus for three years. In october 2017, just months after the real ringling bros. Circus has its final show after 146 years in business, the tents of dickeys circus are pitched for the first time in four decades. It was overwhelming. Just an unbelievable amount of parts. It was about five days of intensive work. When fully set up, the circus takes up most of the ballroom. And, today, barbara finally gets to see her strange inheritance assembled as her fatherinlaw intended. Are you ready . Uh. Yes. [ laughs ] okay, here we go. And, remember, clayton has never seen his grandfathers complete masterpiece. Wow. Arrayed across a proper fairgrounds. Its overwhelming, right, barbara . Come here and take a look at this. This is your legacy, your inheritance. This is glorious. I mean, its something, my whole life, that ive thought about and heard about, you know . And its real. Its not just in pictures and in boxes, and now its a little overwhelming. The dickeys have really done something incredible. Something incredible that will now delight thousands of others, as the centuryold circus opens to the public once again. You think william knows that its all together again . [ laughs ] wed like to think so. And we know hed be so excited to think that its at the ringling mansion. Thats great, too, yeah. A boy falls in love with the magic of the circus, spends his life whittling his very own version of the big top, only to carve out his own place in circus history. Its an amazing work of art by a man with no formal training, a boy in the mountains who loved the circus. Theres a bit of lore about young William Dickey that his family says is true. When he was 10, the story goes, the curious boy wandered into the menagerie tent, opened a cage of dosing lions, and fell asleep with them. When the keeper returned, he screamed, provoking a feline uproar. Little william awoke from his slumber and walked out of the cage without a scratch. Close call or tall tale . You decide. Im jamie colby. Thanks so much for watching strange inheritance. And remember you cant take it with you. [ crowd cheering ] maria good morning, happy monday, everyone. Thanks for joining us. Im maria bartiromo, it is monday september 28th, top stories 6 00 a. M. On the east coast. Breaking news, no john durham interim report before the election. Its unlikely we will see indictments before november 3rd election as well. Sources tell me criminal investigation is expanding. Then who knew what and when. Bombshell documents related to unlawful survey lane surveillance of trump
comparemela.com © 2020. All Rights Reserved.