The Ted Lewis Museum

About

Celebrating the life and preserving the legacy of Circleville's own Ted Lewis by making everybody happy through education and entertainment.

Story

Founded in 1977 by Lewis’ widow, Adah Becker Lewis, the Ted Lewis Museum pays tribute to one of Ohio’s greatest citizens and one of the most popular entertainers of all time. The museum holds and exhibits Ted Lewis’ archives, memorabilia and music library in the only remaining edifice that stood within the original circle of Circleville. Upon Ted Lewis' passing, the Smithsonian Institute, Yale and Harvard University all asked for Ted’s collection, but his widow Adah made sure that everything was donated back to his hometown, which Ted fondly referred to as “The Capital of the World.” Admission to the museum is free and it is open from 1:00 - 5:00 pm every Friday and Saturday, hosting thousands of visitors from around the world.

Ted Lewis, "The High-Hatted Tragedian of Song,” was born Theodore Leopold Friedman in Circleville, Ohio on June 6, 1890. Starting in Vaudeville in 1910 as a comic clarinetist, Lewis moved to New York formed his own jazz band in 1916. His first break was in The Greenwich Village Follies (1919) where he introduced his theme song, “When My Baby Smiles at Me.” Over the years his band included such musical greats as Benny Goodman, Jimmy Dorsey and Muggsy Spanier. Lewis made hundreds of records between 1919 and 1954 and appeared in several movies including Is Everybody Happy (1929), Here Comes the Band (1935) and Hold that Ghost (1941). He was in demand as a star in theatres, nightclubs, on radio and television until his passing in 1971.