Jimmy Bashline’s hand-carved circus finds new life at the Butler Eagle
Step into the Butler Eagle office and you’ll find more than just bustling newsrooms and the scent of fresh ink. A miniature big top steals the spotlight. Horses rear, a parade of elephants marches, and circus wagons roll, all hand-carved by a man whose love for the circus began nearly a century ago, watching it arrive in Butler by train.
The hand-carved circus, a labor of love by late Butler local artist Jimmy Bashline, now resides proudly in the Butler Eagle’s office, meticulously restored and thoughtfully displayed.
About the circus
For more than 22 years, Jimmy Bashline, of Butler, meticulously handcrafted and painted the pieces that are displayed in the Jay Bee Miniature Circus, a miniature big top display that replicates a circus that he saw as a youth that was set up on Fairground Hill.
The Jay Bee Miniature Circus features scale-modeled acts from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, such as tightrope walkers balancing on a delicate wire, men walking on painted stilts and flamboyantly dressed performers riding elephants. Further details include hand-carved figures, wagons, menagerie, a sideshow, food tent, train yard and circus parade.
The circus is owned by Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau and is on display at the Butler Eagle, 514 W. Wayne St., Butler.
Tucked near the presses, in a section of the Eagle Production Center dedicated to preserving the newspaper’s history, the Jay Bee Miniature Circus is on display. Small groups of visitors can tour the circus as well as see historical artifacts belonging to the Butler Eagle.
The exhibit is open to the public during scheduled open houses, typically at least once a week, depending on staffing and press schedules, and by appointment for private groups.
“This is truly a beautiful piece of craftsmanship,” said Tammy Schuey, general manager of the Butler Eagle. “It preserves and celebrates one of the many stories that make Butler unique. The newspaper has always been a record of the community’s history. This is just one more way we’re living that mission.”
Bashline, a sign painter and artist by trade, began carving the circus in 1946, after returning home from World War II. Inspired by his childhood memories of the circus parading through Butler, he spent the next 22 years crafting the detailed display, complete with a 10-by-14-foot train, camels, horses and his favorite animal: elephants. He traveled far beyond Butler in search of ideas and never stopped adding to the miniature marvel.
Though it began as a personal hobby, the circus grew into a community treasure.
As Bashline’s health declined, he donated the circus to the Butler County Historical Society, where it was displayed for a time before being placed in storage. Years later, it was rescued by local businessman Bob Brandon and Butler County Tourism President Jack Cohen, who brought it back to Butler and began the painstaking restoration. Brandon and a small team of friends worked on the circus for over a year before his untimely death due to COVID-19.
The Tourism Bureau explored other options to display the circus, including local libraries, but the pieces remained boxed, until the Butler Eagle stepped in.
Schuey and her team unpacked and reassembled the circus inside the newspaper’s office. It’s the first time the full display has been seen since Jimmy Bashline’s passing in 2008.
“No one else has been able to put it together the way Jimmy intended,” Schuey noted. “It’s quite a conversation piece. Not just the carvings, but the mechanics that bring it to life, and the historic memorabilia that surrounds it.”
In addition to the circus itself, the exhibit includes looping interviews with Bashline, recorded by local and Pittsburgh television stations, offering visitors a firsthand look at his passion and dedication.
The Butler Eagle now hosts at least one open house per week. Dates vary based on the paper’s printing schedule.
Since the facility is an active pressroom, the circus cannot be viewed during production times.
Private groups such as garden clubs, historical societies, and rotary organizations are encouraged to call ahead to arrange tours.
“The circus gives people a reason to come inside the Butler Eagle, see what we do, and celebrate the history we’re still writing every day,” Schuey added.
For more information or to schedule a visit, contact the Butler Eagle office.