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[[Image:Miss Fancy 1915.jpg|right|thumb|375px|Miss Fancy with Allen in 1915]]
[[Image:Miss Fancy 1915.jpg|right|thumb|3425px|Miss Fancy with Allen in 1915]]
'''Miss Fancy''' (born [[October 12]], [[1871]]; died [[1954]] in Buffalo, New York) was an elephant that served as the star attraction at the [[Birmingham Zoo]] when it was located in the southeast corner of [[Avondale Park]] from [[1913]] to [[1934]].
'''Miss Fancy''' (born [[October 12]], [[1871]]; died [[1954]] in Buffalo, New York) was a large, gentle Indian elephant (''Elephas maximus'') that served as the star attraction at the [[Avondale Zoo]], Birmingham's first public zoo, located in the southeast corner of [[Avondale Park]], from [[1913]] to [[1934]].


[[Image:Hagenbeck-Wallace poster.jpg|left|125px]]
==Purchase==
The [[Birmingham Advertising Club]] bought the 41 year-old for $2000 from the struggling Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus in [[1913]]. They used her as a promotional gimmick and, once the novelty faded, donated her to the city. Another story, promulgated by former ''Miami Herald'' editor [[Ellis Hollums]], is that ''[[Birmingham Age-Herald]]'' publisher [[Ed Barrett]] won her from a circus owner in a poker game. In any case, the ''Age-Herald'' took credit for presenting the animal as a gift "to the children of Birmingham". $500 was raised through children's donations of pennies to provide for her care. The city constructed a green-painted elephant house at Avondale Park. She was initially placed under the custodianship of [[Dayton Allen]], who was instructed on her care and handling by circus trainer Curly Hayes.  
[[Image:Hagenbeck-Wallace poster.jpg|left|175px]]
Miss Fancy, then 41, was purchased in [[1913]] from the struggling Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus for $2,000. She was said to have been injured in a train accident while working with the circus.


Miss Fancy was an early and enduring favorite of the city's white schoolchildren. African-Americans were not admitted to Avondale Park under the city's [[segregation laws]]. The publicity surrounding the new attraction led members of [[16th Street Baptist Church]] to petition the city to be allowed to picnic at the park one Sunday. The [[Birmingham City Commission]] accepted the petition, and decided to allow all Black residents to visit the park on [[July 9]], [[1914]]. The decision was harshly criticized by the [[Avondale Civic League]], and the church withdrew its request.
The best-documented story is that circus officials had offered her for sale, along with a group of smaller animals, prior their stay in Birmingham; and that a local party, led by ''[[Birmingham Age-Herald]]'' publisher [[Ed Barrett]], decided to take the opportunity to purchase them as a major enhancement for the meager animal collection which had been exhibited at [[Avondale Park]] since [[1911]].


Miss Fancy was reported to have eaten 150 pounds of hay and three gallons of grain per day, washed down with 60-115 gallons of fresh water and supplemented by popcorn, peanuts, apples and watermelons brought to her by residents. Despite being exercised by giving rides to children and leading parades to [[Legion Field]] before the annual [[BSC Panthers|Birmingham-Southern]]-[[Samford Bulldogs|Howard]] football game, Miss Fancy managed to grow from 4,800 to over 8,500 pounds during her years in Birmingham.
Barrett's initial $500 contribution was matched by the [[Birmingham Railway, Light & Power Company]], whose [[Avondale Streetcar]] brought visitors to the park. After the circus had moved on, an anonymous donor came through with another $500. Barrett then traveled to [[Tuscaloosa]] to close the deal. His newspaper solicited contributions "to pay the remaining debt on 'Miss Fancy', and printed donors names, divided into "children" and "grown-ups". By January [[1914]] the "Miss Fancy Fund" stood at $129.25, including $25 gifts from [[Robert Jemison Jr]], [[Relton Gilreath]], [[Basil Allen]] and [[John Nast]]. The fund eventually raised the remaining $500 to pay the debt.


[[Image:Miss fancy.jpg|right||thumb|375px|Postcard showing Miss Fancy]]
There are other accounts of Miss Fancy's purchase. A more prosaic version has a city zoo official approaching the struggling circus during its stop in Birmingham. Another story has it that the [[Birmingham Advertising Club]] obtained her for a promotional gimmick, then offered her to the city once the novelty faded. A more colorful version, promulgated by former ''Miami Herald'' editor [[Ellis Hollums]], was that Barrett won the elephant from the circus owner in a poker game.
Miss Fancy was also known to be a drinker, consuming quarts of confiscated whiskey provided by city officials during [[prohibition]]. The liquor was mixed with the elephant's feed as a treatment for constipation or chills. A good bit of it also found its way into the throat of her long-time caretaker, [[John Todd]], who often appeared drunk in public. Miss Fancy often escaped from her enclosure and wandered the streets of Avondale, [[Woodlawn]] and [[Forest Park]], sampling the delights of kitchen gardens and peeping into windows. She was almost always a gentle presence, but on at least two occasions she caused damage to property. Once, in [[1925]] she knocked over the park's cookhouse and kicked over a couple of fire hydrants. In Spring of [[1931]] she barreled through the trees up [[Red Mountain]] in an apparent rage.


In October 1931, the zoo organized a sixtieth birthday celebration for Miss Fancy.<!-- Another Birthday is Near/City to Give Only Elephant Resident Nice Beauty Treatment, Manicure and Possibly Extra Helping of Cereal As Anniversary Gift Another birthday—the sixtieth in her young career—will roll around for "Miss Fancy" Oct. 12 and in celebration of the event the city of Birmingham will give her a new beauty treatment, a manicure and possibly an extra helping of cereal for breakfast. The party which the city will give "Miss Fancy, " the first and only representative of the elephantine family to reside in Birmingham, is an annual event at Avondale Zoo. It will be directed by John Dodd, her negro keeper, who has cared for her needs since she quit a hectic circus career in 1912 to spend the rest of her days in retirement here. The beauty treatment will consist of a new bath in oil, which will remove the barnacle-appearing scales which have accumulated on her mountainous sides this Summer. Five gallons of a special preparation known as "neat's-[illegible]" will be required to give her that flapper complexion to which an elephant of her young years is entitled. The oil will be administered by Todd who has attended to her cosmetic treatments for years and will be daubed on by a large brush. Then "Miss Fancy" will be ready for her Fall manicure. Cuticle Needs Attention – During the Summer the five toes on her feet have become a bit unsightly. Hangnails have appeared in abundance and her cuticle needs attention. Although "Miss Fancy" has tusks about two inches in length, it will not be necessary to saw them off until next year, Todd says. While "Miss Fancy" is nearing her sixtieth year, she still has [13?] years before becoming full grown. An elephant in captivity has an average [illegible sentence]. Consequently, she will not reach her maturity until her seventy-fifth milestone is passed. "Miss Fancy, " though a circus trooper in her youth, is an Indian elephant, her keeper says, and therefore is of aristocratic elephant lineage. Elephants come from India and Africa, he says, but the Indian branch of the family is more gentile than the hairy, uncouth pachyderms from the African jungles. "Miss Fancy" quit the circus in 1913 when the late Edward W. Barrett purchased her from the Hagenb[e?]ck-Wallace Shows passing through Birmingham, for $2, 000 and gave her to the city. More Dignified Now – At the time she was at the tender age of [43?] years and was barely more than a child. She weighed only [4, 8?00] pounds. Now she weighs 8, 560 pounds and is much taller and considerably more dignified. Todd says she still has more height and [girth?] ahead of her before passing through middle age. During her residence here she has had the wanderlust but twice. Once, about six years ago, she broke away from her moorings, kicked over a couple of water hydrants, battered down the park cookhouse and fled toward the mountain. Todd said he finally tracked "Miss Fancy" down in Mountain Terrace and after whispering a few words into her ear finally persuaded her to return to the zoo. Damage from the park resulting from the escapade cost the city $75, he said. The hinterlands beckoned to her again this Spring, he said. "Miss Fancy" who had been placed on the zoo grazing ground suddenly skipped away and was found on Overlook Road on Red Mountain. The spirit of Spring so moved her on this occasion that she pushed over several trees before yielding to capture. Exhibition Purposes – "Miss Fancy" occasionally gets a glimpse of the old circus life when she is taken out for exhibition purposes. She rarely misses the annual Howard-Birmingham-Southern football game, thanks to enthusiastic college boys who escort her to Legion Field to help in making whoopee at the game. Every now and then "Miss Fancy" finds useful tasks to perform such as boosting stranded automobiles from bogholes. Todd says she has never failed to rescue an automobile or truck, usually sending them on their way by the first gentle thrust of her titanic snout. Hale and hearty otherwise, "Miss Fancy" has suffered a few times from a stomach disorder and from chills. Liquor, prescribed by the zoo's veterinarian, with a dash of elephant medicine, he says, has never failed to get immediate results. The keeper said "Miss Fancy" can be made to take any kind of medicine if it is mixed with a quart or so of liquor, but. even when in her [cups?] "Miss Fancy" knows how to act the part of the elephant lady. Very Fond of Water – But "Miss Fancy" is very fond of water as well as medicine, he said. In Summer she drinks 100 to 110 gallons of water a day and in Winter her capacity never falls below 50 gallons. Her appetite is consistently good too, according to the keeper. Her daily diet calls for 125 pounds of hay and five gallons of grain. Her monthly board bill at wholesale prices is $100. Keeper Todd said "Miss Fancy" is no dumbbell, and verified the tradition that elephants have everlasting memories. Todd says he was in the army 10 months during the war but the day he returned to the zoo, "Miss Fancy" elevated her snout sharply the moment she saw him and welcomed him back with a series of terrific trumpet calls. Elephants know people who give them peanuts, he said, and "Miss Fancy" always extends her snout the minute she sights a person who has previously favored her. And they know a lot of tricks, but will perform them for their most intimate acquaintances, he said. "Beela" Magic Word – As an example, Todd walked to "Miss Fancy, " took her gently by the right ear and muttered a word apparently in circus jabber, which sounded like "beela." "Miss Fancy" promptly extended her right leg for Todd to stand on, and lifted him to her back. -->
Whatever the case, the deal was struck in Tuscaloosa, either during another circus stop, or at a liquidation auction. Barett's paper presented the animal as a gift "to the children of Birmingham" (though the city never recorded her as public property). In some versions, the $500 raised by schoolchildren went into a fund to provide for Miss Fancy's care.


==At the zoo==
In the summer of [[1914]], the city budgeted $500 for a green-painted elephant house at the Avondale Park zoo, and $1,872 for the zoo's overall operational expenses for the year.
Miss Fancy was initially placed under the custodianship of [[Dayton Allen]], assisted by [[John Todd]], an African American zoo worker from [[Alexander City]]. The two of them were instructed on her care and handling by circus trainer Curly Hayes, who warned that the elephant had killed one man and injured another. Allen resigned not long afterward, giving Todd full-time charge of Miss Fancy at a wage that peaked at $24 per week. He remained her handler for the remainder of her tenure in Birmingham.
Todd used an elephant hook in her training, taking care "never to use the hook unless she has done wrong, and knows that she has done wrong." His judicious punishments apparently appealed to her innate sense of justice, and were borne without resentment. Early on, Todd had to leave the zoo for ten month's service in France during [[World War I]]. Despite the efforts of interim keeper [[Luell Williams]], Miss Fancy "wasted away" to a fraction of her 4,800 pounds while Todd was gone. Upon his return, she greeted her master cheerfully with a series of trumpet blasts. Thereafter Todd's vacation weeks were invariably interrupted by a request that he come back and spend some time with his elephant to calm her down.
Miss Fancy was an early and enduring favorite of the city's schoolchildren. She was known to recognize visitors who brought her treats and gave them special attention whenever they were in sight. Todd would often help "as many kids on her as could hang on" for a ride around her pen. Though some initially quavered at the thought, the gentle elephant gradually earned the trust of nearly every parent.
The opportunity was not given to all, though. African-Americans were not admitted to Avondale Park under the city's [[segregation laws]]. The publicity surrounding the new attraction led members of [[16th Street Baptist Church]] to petition the city to be allowed to picnic at the park one Sunday. The [[Birmingham City Commission]] accepted the petition, and decided to allow all Black residents to visit the park on [[July 9]], [[1914]]. The decision was harshly criticized by the [[Avondale Civic League]] however, and the church withdrew its request.
Todd led Miss Fancy on regular excursions to African-American neighborhoods, where he introduced her to family and friends and offered rides to children who were barred from visiting the zoo.
Miss Fancy was a feature of almost any parade organized in the city. She was considered an informal mascot for [[Samford University|Howard College]], and at least once was permitted to lead the college students on their parade all the way to [[Legion Field]] for the [[Samford Bulldogs|Bulldogs]] football game against [[BSC Panthers|Birmingham-Southern College]].
[[Image:Miss fancy.jpg|left|thumb|425px|Postcard showing Miss Fancy with Dayton Allen]]
Over the next two decades, Miss Fancy's weight climbed to 8,560 pounds. She was reported to have eaten 125-170 pounds of hay, and three to five gallons of grain per day, washed down with 50-110 gallons of fresh water (depending on the weather), all supplemented by popcorn, peanuts, apples and watermelons brought to her by residents. In [[1931]] her food was reported to cost the city about $100 per month at wholesale prices, about 40% of the total monthly grocery bill for the zoo. Contemporary sources reported that elephants were expected to live to 350 or 400 years, and her keepers believed that she was in the bloom of youth and should be growing steadily to maturity at about age 75. It is now estimated that Asian elephants live an average of 60-80 years.
Miss Fancy was exercised daily by giving rides to children and chauffeuring Todd on 5 to 10-mile excursions through nearby neighborhoods, often accompanied by a monkey named "Sally". She also helped the occasional stuck motorist out of a pothole. Well-trained with "Short Indian" commands in from her circus days, she would perform a number of tricks, but only for Todd. "Da-bal" set her walking and "jet" caused her to stop. "Boo-la" told her to stand behind a wagon or truck to give it a push. The command "Beela" would get her to raise her right foreleg as a step-stool and then lift him onto her back. Another command would start her marching with high-steps. "Da-koo" prompted her to kneel, and "hit-a-boo" was an instruction to lie down. Finally "Koo-pah-koo" was Todd's instruction to "say your prayers" at bedtime.
Miss Fancy was also known to be a medicinal drinker. Whenever she was afflicted by her old injury, or showed symptoms of chills or constipation, a dose of "elephant medicine" was, on the advice of a veterinarian, mixed with a quart of liquor and diluted with a few gallons of water. Since her time in Birmingham coincided with statewide [[prohibition]], city officials provided her with confiscated whiskey.
Some of the "Shelby corn" was shared with Todd, "as he was her very best friend". One afternoon in early 1934, Todd was said to be under the influence when he clambered onto Miss Fancy's back for a ride up the hill toward [[47th Street South|47th Street]] and [[8th Avenue South]]. A crowd gathered and Todd began having Miss Fancy perform her stunts. A resident reported to police that they were blocking traffic.
Officers [[V. W. Gore]] and [[W. H. Fulghum]] responded to the call. They determined that Todd was "too high" to be piloting an elephant, and attempted to carry him away in their patrol car, expecting Miss Fancy to follow. She objected to the arrangement and turned to go the other direction. The officers changed their approach and allowed Todd to be carried back to the zoo on Miss Fancy's back. After he put her to bed for the night, Todd was arrested and spent the night in jail. Todd recalled that the judge at the Recorder's Court accepted the testimony of his own sons, who had observed Todd immediately before the incident and didn't think him drunk. Todd was freed without a fine.
[[Image:Miss Fancy 1934.jpg|right|thumb|375px|Miss Fancy in 1934]]
Miss Fancy outgrew the elephant house constructed for her and had to drop to her knees to pass under the door. Nevertheless, she spent most of the winter indoors, heated by a small stove. Her outdoor pen was enclosed by an iron railing during the day. She was sometimes permitted to graze on the mountainside. Todd also saw to Miss Fancy's regular grooming. She was treated to a cooling shower every other day during the summer and given the full soap-and-water scrub, followed by a brushing of five gallons of neatsfoot oil twice a year — on her birthday in October and again in Spring. Her toenails were rasped smooth at those times, and her tusks were cut back to nubs every couple of years to limit the amount of damage she could do on the loose.
Twice a year she would suffer a "period of madness" that lasted about 48 hours, during which Todd remained nearby and she was restrained by leg irons at night. On at least twelve occasions she broke loose from containment and wandered the streets of Avondale, [[Woodlawn]] and [[Forest Park]], sampling the delights of kitchen gardens and peeping into windows. She was almost always a gentle presence, easily lured back to the park with the lure of food. On at least two occasions, though, she caused damage to property. Once, in [[1925]] she knocked over the park's cookhouse and kicked over a couple of water hydrants before heading up the hill. Todd caught up with her in [[Mountain Terrace]] and coaxed her back to the zoo. Repairs cast the city $75. In Spring of [[1931]] she bolted from her grazing area and barreled through the trees up [[Red Mountain]] until she was caught on [[Overlook Road]].
==Later years==
The $4,600 annual expense of keeping the animal menagerie operating led [[Birmingham Board of Parks and Recreation|Park Board]] to suggest closing the zoo as early as [[1932]]. The [[Birmingham Board of Education]] declined an offer to take over Miss Fancy's care, as did former Mayor [[George Ward]], proprietor of the Roman-styled [[Vestavia (estate)|Vestavia]] estate on [[Shades Mountain]]. He told the board that "Lions, tigers and elephants contributed to the downfall of the Roman Empire. No elephant will have the opportunity to bring about the disintegration of my Roman empire."
The $4,600 annual expense of keeping the animal menagerie operating led [[Birmingham Board of Parks and Recreation|Park Board]] to suggest closing the zoo as early as [[1932]]. The [[Birmingham Board of Education]] declined an offer to take over Miss Fancy's care, as did former Mayor [[George Ward]], proprietor of the Roman-styled [[Vestavia (estate)|Vestavia]] estate on [[Shades Mountain]]. He told the board that "Lions, tigers and elephants contributed to the downfall of the Roman Empire. No elephant will have the opportunity to bring about the disintegration of my Roman empire."


Miss Fancy was ultimately sold, along with the rest of the park's exotic animals, to the Cole Brothers - Clyde Beatty Circus of Rochester, Indiana for a total of $710. Circus crews arrived on [[November 11]], [[1934]] to accompany the elephant to her new quarters in Peru, Indiana. The first boxcar proved too small for the giantess, and she waited by the rail siding for a larger carriage, which departed the city about 7:00 PM. Todd rode with her, but soon returned to Birmingham and worked in the city's greenhouse. The Cole Brothers soon announced the acquisition of "'''Frieda'''", an 8,600 lb. elephant from Birmingham, "which towered over the other three in the elephant row". That name didn't seem to stick, and she toured with the circus as "'''Bama'''" in [[1935]] and [[1937]].
Miss Fancy was ultimately sold, along with the rest of the park's exotic animals, to the Cole Brothers - Clyde Beatty Circus of Rochester, Indiana for a total of $710. Circus crews arrived on [[November 11]], [[1934]] to accompany the elephant to her new quarters in Peru, Indiana. The first boxcar proved too small for the giantess, and she waited by the rail siding for a larger carriage, which departed the city about 7:00 PM. Todd rode with her, but soon returned to Birmingham and worked in the city's greenhouse. The Cole Brothers soon announced the acquisition of "'''Frieda'''", an 8,600 lb. elephant from Birmingham, "which towered over the other three in the elephant row". That name didn't seem to stick, and she toured with the circus as "'''Bama'''" in [[1935]] and [[1937]].


In April [[1939]] the circus sold her to the Buffalo, New York zoo, which had been newly expanded with help from the Works Progress Administration. She remained there until her death in [[1954]].
In April [[1939]] the circus sold her to the Buffalo, New York zoo, which had been newly expanded with help from the Works Progress Administration. In January [[1954]] Todd told [[Bill Mobley]] of the {{BPH}} that he had heard several months prior that she had "gotten pretty bad about her drinking" and wouldn't eat oats that weren't flavored with rum. Todd was interested in visiting to find out if she remembered him, but had not saved up enough money to do so. Miss Fancy died later that year.


Miss Fancy was mentioned in [[Fannie Flagg]]'s novel ''[[Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café]]''. Her image was adopted in the logo of the [[Avondale Brewing Company]]. A diminuative bronze [[Miss Fancy statue|statue]] was added as a centerpiece of the plaza of the renovated Avondale Park in [[2012]].
==Legacy==
Miss Fancy was fondly remembered by the children that had seen her at Avondale Park, and featured in stories passed down from generation to generation of her excursions around the surrounding neighborhoods and of her notorious drinking habits. She was also mentioned in [[Fannie Flagg]]'s novel ''[[Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café]]''.
 
A bronze-colored [[2012 Miss Fancy statue|statue]] was added as a centerpiece of the plaza of the renovated Avondale Park in [[2012]], but was later damaged by a drunk driver and removed. [[Ron Council]] of the [[Friends of Avondale Park]] began a fund-raising campaign in early [[2014]] to commission a new bronze fountain depicting the elephant at full size from a local sculptor. After Council's death, his son, [[Bryan Council|Bryan]] took over the project, and awarded the commission to [[Nelson Grice]]. His much larger [[2022 Miss Fancy statue]] was dedicated on December 11, 2022. In the meantime, the smaller 2012 statue was discovered in storage at [[Legion Field]] and a separate campaign was launched to have [[Mike Chiarito]] repair and install it on a higher platform on the 40th Street side of the park.
 
Miss Fancy's image was adopted in the logo of the [[Avondale Brewing Company]] and features in the brewery's decor and in the names of products such as "Miss Fancy's Tripel" and "Vanillaphant Porter". She also lent her name to [[Fancy's on 5th]], an oyster bar which was located across 5th Avenue from the park from [[2016]] to [[2020]]. [[Irene Latham]]'s children's book ''[[Meet Miss Fancy]]'' was published in [[2019]]. A play based on Miss Fancy's story, "[[Miss Fancy: Elephant Queen of the Zoo]]," premiered at [[Birmingham Children's Theatre]] on [[March 25]], [[2023]].


==Notes==
==Notes==
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==References==
==References==
* "'Miss Fancy', the Elephant Presented to the Children of Birmingham by the Age-Herald, Out for Her Morning Walk in the Avondale Zoo with Her Keeper, Dayton Allen." (November 14, 1915) {{BPH}} rotogravure section
* "'Miss Fancy', the Elephant Presented to the Children of Birmingham by the Age-Herald, Out for Her Morning Walk in the Avondale Zoo with Her Keeper, Dayton Allen." (November 14, 1915) ''Birmingham Age-Herald''
* Beasley, Cecil "[http://server16044.contentdm.oclc.org/u?/p4017coll2,2159 Elephant no Prohibitionist, Especially when Sick, Trainer Declares]" (c. 1930) unidentified newspaper - via {{BPLDC}}
* "[http://server16044.contentdm.oclc.org/u?/p4017coll2,2155 City to give only elephant resident nice beauty treatment, manicure and possibly extra helping of cereal as anniversary gift]" (October 5, 1931) ''Birmingham Age-Herald'' - via {{BPLDC}}
* "[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3QctAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YtUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2473%2C4054727 Stolen Elephant Brings Police Smack Against New Problem]" (February 7, 1934) Associated Press/''The Miami News''
* Childers, James Saxon (March 25, 1934) "[http://server16044.contentdm.oclc.org/u?/p4017coll2,2162 Miss Fancy Decides to Tell All]" ''Birmingham News-Age Herald'' - via {{BPLDC}}
* Mobley, Bill (January 18, 1954) "Old Trainer Ready for New Elephant" {{BPH}}
* Conway, Chris. "Personable Pachyderm: She Was City's Pride." (July 15, 1968) {{BPH}}
* Conway, Chris. "Personable Pachyderm: She Was City's Pride." (July 15, 1968) {{BPH}}
* "Circus Officials and Celebreties Meet at Quarters." (November 17, 1934) Rochester (Indiana) ''News-Sentinel'', quoted in Wendell C. and John B. Tombaugh (2001) "[http://www.fulco.lib.in.us/Tombaugh/Fulton%20Co.%20Handbooks/Html/Handbook%20Cole%20Bros.htm Fulton County Indiana Handbook: Cole Bros. Clyde Beatty Circus]." Rochester, Indiana: Tombaugh House
* "Circus Officials and Celebrities Meet at Quarters." (November 17, 1934) Rochester (Indiana) ''News-Sentinel'', quoted in Wendell C. and John B. Tombaugh (2001) "[http://www.fulco.lib.in.us/Tombaugh/Fulton%20Co.%20Handbooks/Html/Handbook%20Cole%20Bros.htm Fulton County Indiana Handbook: Cole Bros. Clyde Beatty Circus]." Rochester, Indiana: Tombaugh House
* Baggett, James L. (Fall 2012) "Miss Fancy, Queen of the Avondale Zoo." ''Alabama Heritage''. No. 106, pp. 56-8
* Baggett, James L. (Fall 2012) "[https://www.alabamaheritage.com/from-the-vault/miss-fancy-queen-of-the-avondale-zoo Miss Fancy, Queen of the Avondale Zoo.]" ''Alabama Heritage''. No. 106, pp. 56-8
* Shade, Ellen Griffin (October 12, 2016) "[https://bplolinenews.blogspot.com/2016/10/happy-birthday-miss-fancy-avondale.html Happy Birthday Miss Fancy: Avondale Remembers the Queen]." Birmingham Public Library Blog - accessed May 4, 2022
* Trujillo, Cheyenne (March 21, 2021) "[https://bhamnow.com/2021/03/21/restore-miss-fancy-to-avondale/ Found! Original Miss Fancy rediscovered at Legion Field]" ''Bham Now''
 
==External links==
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x46ux_gOHF4 Mr Todd's Fancy] documentary short on YouTube.com


[[Category:Elephants]]
[[Category:Elephants]]
[[Category:1871 births]]
[[Category:1954 deaths]]
[[Category:Zoo animals]]
[[Category:Zoo animals]]
[[Category:Avondale Park]]
[[Category:Avondale Park]]
[[Category:1872 births]]
[[Category:Mascots]]
[[Category:1954 deaths]]

Latest revision as of 15:47, 12 April 2024

Miss Fancy with Allen in 1915

Miss Fancy (born October 12, 1871; died 1954 in Buffalo, New York) was a large, gentle Indian elephant (Elephas maximus) that served as the star attraction at the Avondale Zoo, Birmingham's first public zoo, located in the southeast corner of Avondale Park, from 1913 to 1934.

Purchase

Hagenbeck-Wallace poster.jpg

Miss Fancy, then 41, was purchased in 1913 from the struggling Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus for $2,000. She was said to have been injured in a train accident while working with the circus.

The best-documented story is that circus officials had offered her for sale, along with a group of smaller animals, prior their stay in Birmingham; and that a local party, led by Birmingham Age-Herald publisher Ed Barrett, decided to take the opportunity to purchase them as a major enhancement for the meager animal collection which had been exhibited at Avondale Park since 1911.

Barrett's initial $500 contribution was matched by the Birmingham Railway, Light & Power Company, whose Avondale Streetcar brought visitors to the park. After the circus had moved on, an anonymous donor came through with another $500. Barrett then traveled to Tuscaloosa to close the deal. His newspaper solicited contributions "to pay the remaining debt on 'Miss Fancy', and printed donors names, divided into "children" and "grown-ups". By January 1914 the "Miss Fancy Fund" stood at $129.25, including $25 gifts from Robert Jemison Jr, Relton Gilreath, Basil Allen and John Nast. The fund eventually raised the remaining $500 to pay the debt.

There are other accounts of Miss Fancy's purchase. A more prosaic version has a city zoo official approaching the struggling circus during its stop in Birmingham. Another story has it that the Birmingham Advertising Club obtained her for a promotional gimmick, then offered her to the city once the novelty faded. A more colorful version, promulgated by former Miami Herald editor Ellis Hollums, was that Barrett won the elephant from the circus owner in a poker game.

Whatever the case, the deal was struck in Tuscaloosa, either during another circus stop, or at a liquidation auction. Barett's paper presented the animal as a gift "to the children of Birmingham" (though the city never recorded her as public property). In some versions, the $500 raised by schoolchildren went into a fund to provide for Miss Fancy's care.

At the zoo

In the summer of 1914, the city budgeted $500 for a green-painted elephant house at the Avondale Park zoo, and $1,872 for the zoo's overall operational expenses for the year.

Miss Fancy was initially placed under the custodianship of Dayton Allen, assisted by John Todd, an African American zoo worker from Alexander City. The two of them were instructed on her care and handling by circus trainer Curly Hayes, who warned that the elephant had killed one man and injured another. Allen resigned not long afterward, giving Todd full-time charge of Miss Fancy at a wage that peaked at $24 per week. He remained her handler for the remainder of her tenure in Birmingham.

Todd used an elephant hook in her training, taking care "never to use the hook unless she has done wrong, and knows that she has done wrong." His judicious punishments apparently appealed to her innate sense of justice, and were borne without resentment. Early on, Todd had to leave the zoo for ten month's service in France during World War I. Despite the efforts of interim keeper Luell Williams, Miss Fancy "wasted away" to a fraction of her 4,800 pounds while Todd was gone. Upon his return, she greeted her master cheerfully with a series of trumpet blasts. Thereafter Todd's vacation weeks were invariably interrupted by a request that he come back and spend some time with his elephant to calm her down.

Miss Fancy was an early and enduring favorite of the city's schoolchildren. She was known to recognize visitors who brought her treats and gave them special attention whenever they were in sight. Todd would often help "as many kids on her as could hang on" for a ride around her pen. Though some initially quavered at the thought, the gentle elephant gradually earned the trust of nearly every parent.

The opportunity was not given to all, though. African-Americans were not admitted to Avondale Park under the city's segregation laws. The publicity surrounding the new attraction led members of 16th Street Baptist Church to petition the city to be allowed to picnic at the park one Sunday. The Birmingham City Commission accepted the petition, and decided to allow all Black residents to visit the park on July 9, 1914. The decision was harshly criticized by the Avondale Civic League however, and the church withdrew its request.

Todd led Miss Fancy on regular excursions to African-American neighborhoods, where he introduced her to family and friends and offered rides to children who were barred from visiting the zoo.

Miss Fancy was a feature of almost any parade organized in the city. She was considered an informal mascot for Howard College, and at least once was permitted to lead the college students on their parade all the way to Legion Field for the Bulldogs football game against Birmingham-Southern College.

Postcard showing Miss Fancy with Dayton Allen

Over the next two decades, Miss Fancy's weight climbed to 8,560 pounds. She was reported to have eaten 125-170 pounds of hay, and three to five gallons of grain per day, washed down with 50-110 gallons of fresh water (depending on the weather), all supplemented by popcorn, peanuts, apples and watermelons brought to her by residents. In 1931 her food was reported to cost the city about $100 per month at wholesale prices, about 40% of the total monthly grocery bill for the zoo. Contemporary sources reported that elephants were expected to live to 350 or 400 years, and her keepers believed that she was in the bloom of youth and should be growing steadily to maturity at about age 75. It is now estimated that Asian elephants live an average of 60-80 years.

Miss Fancy was exercised daily by giving rides to children and chauffeuring Todd on 5 to 10-mile excursions through nearby neighborhoods, often accompanied by a monkey named "Sally". She also helped the occasional stuck motorist out of a pothole. Well-trained with "Short Indian" commands in from her circus days, she would perform a number of tricks, but only for Todd. "Da-bal" set her walking and "jet" caused her to stop. "Boo-la" told her to stand behind a wagon or truck to give it a push. The command "Beela" would get her to raise her right foreleg as a step-stool and then lift him onto her back. Another command would start her marching with high-steps. "Da-koo" prompted her to kneel, and "hit-a-boo" was an instruction to lie down. Finally "Koo-pah-koo" was Todd's instruction to "say your prayers" at bedtime.

Miss Fancy was also known to be a medicinal drinker. Whenever she was afflicted by her old injury, or showed symptoms of chills or constipation, a dose of "elephant medicine" was, on the advice of a veterinarian, mixed with a quart of liquor and diluted with a few gallons of water. Since her time in Birmingham coincided with statewide prohibition, city officials provided her with confiscated whiskey.

Some of the "Shelby corn" was shared with Todd, "as he was her very best friend". One afternoon in early 1934, Todd was said to be under the influence when he clambered onto Miss Fancy's back for a ride up the hill toward 47th Street and 8th Avenue South. A crowd gathered and Todd began having Miss Fancy perform her stunts. A resident reported to police that they were blocking traffic.

Officers V. W. Gore and W. H. Fulghum responded to the call. They determined that Todd was "too high" to be piloting an elephant, and attempted to carry him away in their patrol car, expecting Miss Fancy to follow. She objected to the arrangement and turned to go the other direction. The officers changed their approach and allowed Todd to be carried back to the zoo on Miss Fancy's back. After he put her to bed for the night, Todd was arrested and spent the night in jail. Todd recalled that the judge at the Recorder's Court accepted the testimony of his own sons, who had observed Todd immediately before the incident and didn't think him drunk. Todd was freed without a fine.

Miss Fancy in 1934

Miss Fancy outgrew the elephant house constructed for her and had to drop to her knees to pass under the door. Nevertheless, she spent most of the winter indoors, heated by a small stove. Her outdoor pen was enclosed by an iron railing during the day. She was sometimes permitted to graze on the mountainside. Todd also saw to Miss Fancy's regular grooming. She was treated to a cooling shower every other day during the summer and given the full soap-and-water scrub, followed by a brushing of five gallons of neatsfoot oil twice a year — on her birthday in October and again in Spring. Her toenails were rasped smooth at those times, and her tusks were cut back to nubs every couple of years to limit the amount of damage she could do on the loose.

Twice a year she would suffer a "period of madness" that lasted about 48 hours, during which Todd remained nearby and she was restrained by leg irons at night. On at least twelve occasions she broke loose from containment and wandered the streets of Avondale, Woodlawn and Forest Park, sampling the delights of kitchen gardens and peeping into windows. She was almost always a gentle presence, easily lured back to the park with the lure of food. On at least two occasions, though, she caused damage to property. Once, in 1925 she knocked over the park's cookhouse and kicked over a couple of water hydrants before heading up the hill. Todd caught up with her in Mountain Terrace and coaxed her back to the zoo. Repairs cast the city $75. In Spring of 1931 she bolted from her grazing area and barreled through the trees up Red Mountain until she was caught on Overlook Road.

Later years

The $4,600 annual expense of keeping the animal menagerie operating led Park Board to suggest closing the zoo as early as 1932. The Birmingham Board of Education declined an offer to take over Miss Fancy's care, as did former Mayor George Ward, proprietor of the Roman-styled Vestavia estate on Shades Mountain. He told the board that "Lions, tigers and elephants contributed to the downfall of the Roman Empire. No elephant will have the opportunity to bring about the disintegration of my Roman empire."

Miss Fancy was ultimately sold, along with the rest of the park's exotic animals, to the Cole Brothers - Clyde Beatty Circus of Rochester, Indiana for a total of $710. Circus crews arrived on November 11, 1934 to accompany the elephant to her new quarters in Peru, Indiana. The first boxcar proved too small for the giantess, and she waited by the rail siding for a larger carriage, which departed the city about 7:00 PM. Todd rode with her, but soon returned to Birmingham and worked in the city's greenhouse. The Cole Brothers soon announced the acquisition of "Frieda", an 8,600 lb. elephant from Birmingham, "which towered over the other three in the elephant row". That name didn't seem to stick, and she toured with the circus as "Bama" in 1935 and 1937.

In April 1939 the circus sold her to the Buffalo, New York zoo, which had been newly expanded with help from the Works Progress Administration. In January 1954 Todd told Bill Mobley of the Birmingham Post-Herald that he had heard several months prior that she had "gotten pretty bad about her drinking" and wouldn't eat oats that weren't flavored with rum. Todd was interested in visiting to find out if she remembered him, but had not saved up enough money to do so. Miss Fancy died later that year.

Legacy

Miss Fancy was fondly remembered by the children that had seen her at Avondale Park, and featured in stories passed down from generation to generation of her excursions around the surrounding neighborhoods and of her notorious drinking habits. She was also mentioned in Fannie Flagg's novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café.

A bronze-colored statue was added as a centerpiece of the plaza of the renovated Avondale Park in 2012, but was later damaged by a drunk driver and removed. Ron Council of the Friends of Avondale Park began a fund-raising campaign in early 2014 to commission a new bronze fountain depicting the elephant at full size from a local sculptor. After Council's death, his son, Bryan took over the project, and awarded the commission to Nelson Grice. His much larger 2022 Miss Fancy statue was dedicated on December 11, 2022. In the meantime, the smaller 2012 statue was discovered in storage at Legion Field and a separate campaign was launched to have Mike Chiarito repair and install it on a higher platform on the 40th Street side of the park.

Miss Fancy's image was adopted in the logo of the Avondale Brewing Company and features in the brewery's decor and in the names of products such as "Miss Fancy's Tripel" and "Vanillaphant Porter". She also lent her name to Fancy's on 5th, an oyster bar which was located across 5th Avenue from the park from 2016 to 2020. Irene Latham's children's book Meet Miss Fancy was published in 2019. A play based on Miss Fancy's story, "Miss Fancy: Elephant Queen of the Zoo," premiered at Birmingham Children's Theatre on March 25, 2023.

Notes

  1. The Cole Bros. Circus acquired another "Frieda" in 1947. This Frieda died of old age in 1957. Yet another Frieda from the Cole Bros. Circus was involved in a series of fatal incidents and two rampages from 1985-1995.

References

External links

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