Benoni Sweet was a well-known Providence printer. He was also one of the most sought-after funambulists in the country – an expert in the historic sport of tightrope walking.

Born in 1840 to Benjamin and Susan Sweet, Benoni first publicized his amazing ability to balance himself upon a suspended rope when he was just 19 years old. That Sept., he walked a tightrope stretched over the Pawtuxet River in the village of Phenix. As he neared the center of the rope, it snapped and he plunged into the water below. Miraculously, his life was spared and he escaped without serious injury.

The next week, eager to prove that Americans were just as skilled as the French when it came to balancing on tightropes, Benoni heartily volunteered when it was announced that the agricultural fair in Norwich was seeking a tightrope walker to perform. He successfully walked across the Thames River during the event without issue.

He then made another attempt at crossing the Pawtuxet River. A rope measuring about 600 feet in length and one inch and a quarter in diameter was suspended from a tree on the Henry estate and secured on the opposite side of the water. Almost 6,000 people gathered on the riverbanks below the bridge to watch him perform. Gillmore’s Band played as he mounted the rope with a balancing pole and walked across the length, stopping a few times to balance on one foot. The crowd gasped at amazing feats such as Benoni standing on his head, lying on his back, hanging by one leg and standing on one foot, fifty feet above the water. He also performed several tricks on a slack rope which was suspended from the main rope. Upon completion of the performance, thunderous applause arose and a collection was quickly taken up in order to thank him for the breath-taking entertainment.    

The following month, Benoni performed his stunts again at a carnival in the village of Silver Lake. There, he walked back and forth across the lake several times throughout the event, high above the water. 

Like many young American men, Benoni left home to fight in the Civil War. On June 18, 1864 he received a wound which damaged the muscles in his neck and he was afraid he might never be able to perform his tightrope walking stunts again. Serving as a sergeant in Company H of the 2nd Regiment of Rhode Island Volunteers, Benoni’s patriotism outweighed his fear. That Independence Day he gave a tightrope exhibition at the camp shared by two RI regiments. It was the highlight of the day, which included prayers, parades and great celebration.

Upon returning home from war, Benoni resumed his act. At the Pawtucket Riding Park, on May 5 and 6, 1868, he succeeded in the most difficult feat he had ever attempted. Now known as ‘Professor Sweet’, his abilities were called out from advertisements announcing that he would attempt to walk 100 miles in 24 consecutive hours for a wager of $1,000 and that, after completing the first 30 miles, he would stop to perform for one hour on a tightrope 300 feet long, 1 inch in diameter and 50 feet from the ground while a band played.

The following month, he completed another 100-mile walk in 22 hours and 54 minutes, strolling into New Haven’s Hamilton Park at 5:00 in the evening. The heat was intense that summer and many bets were placed regarding whether or not he would be able to finish the walk. Most knew better than to bet against Benoni Sweet. 

By 1880, he had become a printer in Providence, serving as foreman of Porthouse & Carleton’s printing department. He hadn’t given a tightrope walking exhibit since 1875. But he decided to reignite his passion in 1894 and announced that he would once again walk over the Pawtuxet River of the Fourth of July at 6:00 in the evening. The feat was performed in the same exact place as his original exhibit, near the suspension bridge. He showed the crowd that a 54-year-old man could still do some amazing tricks.

So impressed were his old fans and friends that he was immediately secured to do another performance. Hosted by the Riverpoint Fire Department, he stepped onto a rope 75 feet above the ground stretching from Flanagan’s Block to Pike’s Block. He had only taken a few steps when the rope began to sag. Declaring the rope unsafe, he refused to perform.

Benoni Sweet died on Feb. 16, 1913 of diabetes and a terminal rectal abscess. He was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Coventry, his steady feet forever committed to the ground.

Kelly Sullivan is a Rhode Island columnist, lecturer and author.