George Francis Dorman (1879–1940): The Man Who Sold the First Midway Ticket
George Francis Dorman was a monumental foundational figure in outdoor amusement history, structurally cementing the transition from decentralized 19th-century street fairs to modern organized midways. Born in Alliance, Ohio, Dorman spent his youth as a circus performer before stepping onto the mud-soaked lot of Frank W. Gaskill’s 1898 Alliance Street Fair. His sharp operational instincts saved the rain-slicked event, prompting Gaskill to hire him immediately.
Over the winter of 1898–1899, Dorman worked closely with Joe Conley at Meyer’s Lake Stock Farm to build the wagons, animal cages, and physical infrastructure for the historic Canton Carnival Company. When the show launched its premier season in Chillicothe, Ohio, in the spring of 1899, Dorman manned the main gate box office. By taking the opening gate cash, Dorman sold the literal first ticket ever issued for a successful, unified collective carnival company in American history.
Dorman rapidly transitioned from a builder into an elite show operator. He partnered in the American Amusement Company (1900), the Solomon & Dorman Shows, and the Rice & Dorman Shows—the latter serves as the foundational nucleus purchased to form the legendary Morris & Castle Shows. In the 1916 and 1917 seasons, Dorman partnered with Ben Krause to command the Dorman & Krause Shows across New England before stepping into his long-term corporate role as the trusted Secretary-Treasurer of the massive Krause Greater Shows.
Deep into his sixties, Dorman remained a relentless traveling showman. While en route from his home in Taft, Texas, to Royston, Georgia, to transport his physical riding devices for a spring midway contract in South Carolina, he suffered a fatal attack of chronic cardiac asthma. He passed away in Mobile, Alabama, on March 21, 1940, forever sealing his legacy as the gatekeeper of the first true midway.
In His Own Words:
The Origins of The Carnival From The Billboard Spring Edition March 21, 1925
by George F Dorman
“In the fall of 1898, the Elks, Akron, Zanesville, and Canton, Ohio, Dayton enclosed carnivals, having merchants’ exhibits along the streets, all fenced in, and at the end of the merchants’ business booths, they would have their midway. The midway was composed of attractions. Secured from anywhere and everywhere. Sometimes the local Elks would put on a sort of burlesque sideshow, using their local members for the actors and freaks. Canton was the last of the above mentioned towns to put on its carnival at that time,
Frank W. Gaskill was running the Yohe hotel there and arranging with the Elks to put on a show, which is called the American Theater. He contracted with the Diamond Brothers Minstrels to give the performance. The Elks Carnival and midway was a grand success. So, Gaskill conceived the idea of organizing the carnival, and have it all under one management and book it solid for the season under the auspices of the Elks. In order to try it out before going at a great deal of expense he went to his old hometown Alliance, Ohio and contracted with the uniformed rank Knights of Pythios to put on a carnival. He sold only one eye block of space to the merchants and booked about 4 or 5 shows and put on a few shows himself. When the time for the show came, it rained all week. But he made money.
He said: “if I can make money in a bad town with a bad show and bad weather, what can I do in a good town with good weather and a good show?” So he went back to Canton, and started to build a carnival which he called the Canton Carnival Company and opened the season at Chilicothe, Ohio in the spring of 1899. Harold Bushea was Gaskill’s first contracting agent and was connected with him for years. Others connected with Gaskill, who helped to build and organize and operated the show were Fred P Shields, Ed Bender, Joseph J., Conley, Al Levering, Harry Sourbeck, and myself, George Francis Dorman.
George Chartier and several other Canton men who had been connected with the Elks Carnival at Canton, built another carnival company in Canton the same winter that Gaskill’s Show was built. It was called the Exposition Circuit Company and opened in the spring, also.
About the fifth week out the Gaskill Show at Dayton, Ohio, booked quite a number of attractions belonging to Bostock – Ferari. and they (Bostock and Ferari) soon after, added more attractions as they also operated their own carnival. Both the Gaskill Carnival and the Bostock – Ferari shows where a few weeks later at the Elks Carnival in Columbus, Ohio.
The Exposition Circuit Company, Chartier’s Show, its second year was sold to Pontious and Werner and was called the New England Carnival Company.
Many other shows started to spring up in nineteen hundred, among them, being Munday, Morley and Monk, Bill Rice, Harry Sourbeck and myself, George Francis Dorman opened another at east Toledo called the American Amusement Company. Bostock, and Ferari, split up, and Ferari Brothers went out about 1902 or 1903. Gakill took P.J. Munday as a partner, about 1902 and dissolved partnership at Austin, Texas in the fall of 1902 each one put out his own show the following season, and both opened it. The Battle of Flowers San Antonio. Texas, in the spring of 1904, which was the spring that Gaskill died at Pittsburgh, Kansas. I mentioned these shows because I was around them. Many other shows opened in 1901, which no doubt The Billboard has records of the Nat. Reiss Show, Danny Robinson Show Jim Sturgis, Cincinnati Carnival Company, and many others followed in quick succession.”
- Full Name: George Francis DormanLife Span: August 5, 1877 – March 14, 1940 (Age 62)
- Resting Place: Taft Memorial Park, Taft, Texas
- Historical Claim to Fame: Hand-built the Canton Carnival Co. properties and sold the literal first front-gate ticket of the collective midway industry (Spring 1899).
- Key Midway Titles Held: General Manager, Partner, Secretary-Treasurer, Mechanical Fabricator.
- Family Tree Data: Married Caddie E. Dorman in 1906.
- Corporate Timeline Summary:
- 1899: Fabricated Canton Carnival Co. properties; managed opening gate box office.
- 1900: Formed the American Amusement Co. in East Toledo, Ohio.
- 1916–1917: Partnered with Ben Krause on the Dorman & Krause Shows New England fair circuit.
- 1920s: Operated as long-term Secretary-Treasurer for the Krause Greater Shows.
- 1939–1940: Fielded independent riding devices with the Wolf Amusement Company and Down East Attractions.
George Francis Dorman from A Pictoral History of The American Carnival Page 46 – 47 by Joe McKennon
George F Dorman was born at Alliance, Ohio on August 5th, 1879. He became a circus performer as a young boy and had trouped for several seasons when Frank Gaskell asked him to help on the 1898 street fair in Alliance. After the street fair, Gaskell engaged him to come to Canton and assist Joe Conley in building the Canton Carnival Companies properties for the first 1899 season. When the show began its tour, Dorman was given the front gate ticket box and sold the first ticket ever sold for a successful organized collective amusement company. In 1900, George was one of Bill Rice’s partners in that short season male order street fair company.
His last partnership with rice was in the Rice & Dorman Shows of the late teens. This was the show Morris and Castle bought for the nucleus of their Morris and Castle Shows. At one time Dorman was partners with Sam Solomon in the Solomon & Dorman shows later he was secretary-treasurer of the Krause Greater Shows and in 1939, he was with Wolf Amusement Company.
In March 1940, George F Dorman was enroute from his home in Taft, Texas to Royston, Georgia to pick up his riding devices and take them to the Down East Attractions in South Carolina. He had to enter a hospital in Mobile, Alabama with an attack of cardiac asthma, with which he had suffered for years. He died there on March 21, 194
George Francis Dorman is buried in Taft Memorial park in Taft, Texas.
