One of the things that Rich had on his bucket list was to visit Erwin, Tennessee where Mary the Elephant was killed. We both feel this was an unfortunate incident, and yet, as adventurers, we wanted to find out more about how it happened and visit the place where it happened.
We were in the Smoky Mountains National Park, on a Friday, no less, and knew it would be a busy place, especially as we were headed into a holiday weekend, so we thought visiting Erwin to find out about Mary the elephant would be a good thing to do that day.
Looking for a Plaque to Commemorate Mary the Elephant
We were looking for a plaque (it appears there is none as Erwin really does not want to be known for killing an elephant), and we noticed an antique shop. We thought it might be a good place to stop for a souvenir. The gentleman who owned the antique shop, Valley Beautiful Antique Mall, was able to offer a little information.
It appears there had been a circus coming through the area and an elephant had killed its handler in Kingsport and was hanged in Erwin. It was he who told us about the book, The Day They Hung the Elephant. We thanked him and purchased a souvenir, a small elephant made and painted in Erwin Tennessee by Erwin Pottery.
Who Was Mary the Elephant and Why Was She Killed?
It appears there had been a circus in a nearby town, Kingsport, and Mary, the elephant had killed the handler (some think he was the trainer) after she reached for a watermelon rind and was struck with a stick by Walter “Red” Eldridge, who had only worked for the circus for 2 or 3 days.
Word about the event spread quickly, even in those days. There were many municipalities, and it appears even the State of Tennessee was concerned about this event. Mr. Sparks, who owned the Sparks World-Famous Shows circus, had an agonizing decision to make.
The circus was moving to Erwin, Tennessee where the next show was to be held; and the Clinchfield Railroad had a railcar mounted derrick, on which Mary was hanged on September 13, 1916, after it was decided that was the only way to kill her.
There have been rumors that she had an abscessed tooth or that she may have killed someone before. However, in reading The Day They Hung the Elephant by Charles Edwin Price, I read nothing that supported those rumors. Mr. Price did a lot of research before writing his book and it is a good read. I also read the Wikipedia article, which made no references to the rumors mentioned.
Final Thoughts
While this incident was an unfortunate one, I am sure there is much that is unknown about this incident. It could be there is truth to the rumors, or not. And it was unfortunate that someone who had only worked for the circus a couple of days would be handling Mary, especially given her size. And his striking her with his stick could be considered cruelty to animals.
The Elephant Sanctuary
As is often the case, there has been some good that has come out of this incident, although many years later. The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee is dedicated to the wellbeing of captive elephants, providing a haven for them.
Our visit to Erwin was a nice day, as we both enjoyed exploring and visiting new places. On the way back to the Smoky Mountains National Park area where we were staying, we stopped to visit the David Crockett Birthplace State Park, and the Crockett Tavern, which happened to be closed by the time we got there.
We hope to inspire you to travel and explore interesting places. Please note that I did not wish to have a photo of Mary as portrayed on other sites.
