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A Man So Hated There Were No Pallbearers at His Funeral
Gibsonton
In a state known for its oddities, Gibsonton, located in Hillsborough County on Florida’s west coast, stands out as one of the oddest. In the nineteenth and twentieth century, Gibsonton became the winter home for circus and carnival performers because of its proximity to Sarasota, the home of the Ringling Brothers circus. People here didn’t stare at Monkey Girl or Lobster Boy. The US Post Office had a counter low enough for the little people in the community. Need to park your elephant? Gibsonton was zoned for it.
Lobster Boy
Born in 1937, Grady Stiles, Jr. inherited a condition called ectrodactyly.
Instead of five separate fingers on each hand, his fingers were fused together into two large claws. His legs were stunted and useless, and his toes fused too, so he used a wheelchair. At the age of seven, he joined the family business: being a freak show performer as part of the “Lobster Family” with the other family members who had the condition.
