As the International Circus Hall of fame reports, a portion of the circus journey can begin at the Circus Winter Quarters in Peru, Indiana — home to the Circus Hall of Fame established by Ben Wallace in 1892.Here circus wagons were repaired, painted and carvings received gold leaf; and during the height of the winter respite thousands of horses roamed the fields and hundreds of exotic animals were housed and trained in scattered barns.To listen to the old timers, they would tell that it was not at all unusual to see zebras and camels grazing on snow covered ground, and this resulted in visitors passing by daily just to see what was going on.But the history of the circus goes much farther back than Peru, Indiana in 1892 in fact, Ancient Romans began the process with their Circus of Rome and its chariot races, jugglers, and trained animals which were thought to have been influenced by the Egyptians and Greeks.The first circus of Rome was the Circus Maximus which was borne of itinerant showmen and their large animals traveling the fairgrounds of Europe.Fast forward to the first circus building opening in the United States in 1793 in Philadelphia where George Washington was in attendance, and the rest (some might say) is showbiz history.