Monadnock Moment No. 152

Multi Era 3 - 6: 1790s to 1870s

In the Lion's Cage

John Sears, the son of a cobbler, was born in Keene in the 1790s. During the early 1800s an impressive animal show visited Keene. Sears was fascinated by the show and left home to spend the summer working with it.

He worked well with the animals and soon organized his own menagerie. In 1834 he brought his caravan of wild animals to Keene. The creatures were exhibited under a large tent and created a local sensation. Sears became famous for his ability to tame wild animals. On one occasion he consented to being shut up in a room with a savage bear before he purchased it to determine if it could be trained. An intense confrontation ensued, but Sears conquered the bear, bought it, and taught it to do a variety of tricks.

At one time he lost his entire collection of animals, valued at $10,000, to a fire in Boston. He rebuilt his show, however, and was one of the foremost showmen in the country at the time of his death. His greatest claim to fame was the fact that he was the first person in this country to enter a lion's cage. Keene native and animal tamer John Sears died in the 1870s at the age of 76 years. His death was caused by a bite from a baboon in his animal collection.