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Bert Silver &
The Silver Circus
Photos from:
Christine Birdwell
re-printed here with permission
Bert Silver was born into a show business family. In 1904 he started tent shows and had the first motorized circus in the United States, with four touring cars, four trucks and an advance car. Two of the trucks were built by the Tower Truck Company of Greenville. The Silver Circus was headquartered in Crystal on what is now a county park overlooking Crystal Lake in Montcalm County. Bert and his entire family played in the Silver Family Concert Band as part of the circus and also in concerts.
In 1916 the circus had to be disbanded because the tents and trucks were confiscated by the U.S. Government for use in World War I. When the circus disbanded the family settled in Greenville. In 1909 Bert opened a theater in what is now the Old Kent Bank in Greenville. In 1915 he purchased the Phelps Opera House and renamed it the Silver Theater. That building was torn down in June of 1988.
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Information gathered by
Sharon K. Thompson
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