(McGregor, IA) — The boyhood home of the world-famous Ringling Brothers in northeast Iowa is considered a total loss after a fire. Someone walking by the rural McGregor home discovered the fire Thursday morning. Officials say the structure was fully engulfed in flames when they arrived and was destroyed. A mother and two kids who lived in the home escaped uninjured, along with their three dogs. The Ringling Brothers and their only sister lived out part of their childhood in the home along the Mississippi River from 1860 to 1873. The family eventually moved to Wisconsin, where five of the seven brothers started a small circus in Baraboo. Charles and John Ringling would later purchase a competing circus founded by PT Barnum and James Bailey. The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus operated for 98 years before closing in 2017.
