Image: Leslie Jones/Boston Public Library
First opened to the public in 1926, Benson’s Wild Animal Farm in Hudson, New Hampshire, housed a panoply of exotic animals, including, at one point, a presidential primary candidate.
The farm was founded by Teddy Roosevelt’s hunting buddy John Benson as an animal training center, and expanded in the 1930s with the addition of a circus featuring performances by elephants, chimps and tigers, dozens of rides and a miniature train which circled the 165-acre property. Children could also ride a “live carousel” on the backs of real spotted reindeer.
At the height of its popularity, a “Jungle Train” would run from Boston to Hudson every Sunday, and the farm had a parking lot with room for 5,200 vehicles Read more…
