Harvey Lee Boswell

Capt. Harvey Lee Boswell spent most of his life in show business.It was 1944 and at 16 he enlisted in the U.S. Merchant Marines and served until 1952. Capt. Harvey Lee Boswell got into the business. He bought up leftover oddities, hired performers, collected some animals, put them in tents and traveled by railroad with three 80 foot train cars, carrying his Palace of Wonders to corners of small-town America He created "Palace of Wonders" in 1954, showcasing the oddities he had collected from over 32 countries he had visited. He was injured while serving in the Merchant Marines and was paralyzed. The story goes racing another person to the top of a palm tree and he fell from near the top. He spent a year in a U.S. Marine Hospital. Upon release he stared his first "Palace of Wonders" show. Capt. Boswell has operated many types of side shows including live wild and freak animal shows. Then was the second largest exhibitor of Pickled Punks in the business right behind Lou DuFour. Pickled Punks were still born oddities were a huge draw and showed deformed fetuses preserved in formaldehyde. Sometimes faked and presented as human, animal, or even "alien" fetuses and were displayed in large glass jars. Over the years Capt. Boswell operated shows in permanent amusement parks and he toured with most of the major carnivals on the East Coast and throughout Canada. He would say "This was one of the most enjoyable times in my life." In North Carolina where he was born and died from 1957 to 1962 he operated a zoo and a museum, gift shop, pony and kid rides. He operated a complete small carnival for two seasons until 1963. Capt. Boswell would always say "It's been a great life; I have met some of the most fascinating people in the world, the sideshow greats. Most are now all gone to the big lot in the sky. It has been an honor to be in their company." Capt. Boswell was part of the Confederate Sons of America, CSA, organization. He was fluent in Spanish and would go to Mexico each year to vacation. Close to his death James Taylor and Bobby Reynolds, purchased most of his pickled punks. He gave all his snakes to a family in Nashville, N.C. before his death.