The train wreck occurred on November 22, 1915 when the circus/carnival train owned by Con T. Kennedy was hit head on by the engine of a Central of Georgia passenger train six and ½ miles east of Columbus, Georgia. The two trains collided; the fire engulfed the circus train, resulting in many injuries and deaths. The photographs were taken by John B. McCollum, a photographer in Columbus, Georgia who had a studio on Broadway, across from the Bradley Theater. These two photos are numbers 1 and 5 of a series taken by McCollum.

A funeral cortege was held from the First Baptist Church to Riverdale Cemetery where the dead were interred. A circus tent memorial headstone was later erected commemorating the event.