Miss Fancy

Miss Fancy with Allen in 1915

Miss Fancy (born October 12, 1871; died 1954 in Buffalo, New York) was an Indian elephant (Elephas maximus) 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.

At the instigation of Birmingham Age-Herald publisher Ed Barrett, the Birmingham Advertising Club bought the 41 year-old for $2,000 at an auction held by the struggling Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus in Tuscaloosa 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 Barrett won her from the 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. Soon later John Todd, an African American city worker, was given charge of the elephant.

Miss Fancy was an early and enduring favorite of the city's schoolchildren. Todd would often help as many as six or seven young children onto her back for a ride around her pen. Though many parents 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 served in the U.S. Army for 10 months during World War I. He said that as soon as he returned, Miss Fancy greeted him cheerfully with a series of trumpet blasts. She was known to recognize visitors who brought her treats and gave them special attention whenever they were in sight.

Miss Fancy grew from 4,800 to over 8,560 pounds during her years in Birmingham. 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 excursions through nearby neighborhoods. She also helped the occasional stuck motorist out of a pothole. Well-trained from her circus days, she would perform on command. Todd used the command "Beela" to 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. "Hidaboo" prompted her to lie down. Miss Fancy was considered an informal mascot for Howard College, and at least once was permitted to lead the college students on their parade to Legion Field for the Bulldogs football game against Birmingham-Southern College.

Postcard showing Miss Fancy

Miss Fancy was also known to be a medicinal drinker. Whenever she showed symptoms of chills or constipation, a dose of "elephant medicine" was, on the advice of a veterinarian, mixed with a quart of liquor. Since her time in Birmingham coincided with statewide prohibition, city officials provided her with confiscated whiskey. Some of the elixir was rumored to have found its way into Tood's throat, as he was said to appear drunk in public from time to time.

Miss Fancy outgrew a frame elephant house constructed for her and had to drop to her knees to pass under the door. Her pen was enclosed by an iron railing during the day and she was restrained by leg irons at night. She was sometimes permitted to graze on the mountainside. 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 coaxed 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.

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.

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. She remained there until her death in 1954.

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 diminutive bronze statue was added as a centerpiece of the plaza of the renovated Avondale Park in 2012, but was later damaged and removed.

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

• "'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 "Elephant no Prohibitionist, Especially when Sick, Trainer Declares" (c. 1930) unidentified newspaper - via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
• "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 Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
• Childers, James Saxon (March 25, 1934) "Miss Fancy Decides to Tell All" Birmingham News-Age Herald - via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
• Conway, Chris. "Personable Pachyderm: She Was City's Pride." (July 15, 1968) Birmingham Post-Herald
• "Circus Officials and Celebreties Meet at Quarters." (November 17, 1934) Rochester (Indiana) News-Sentinel, quoted in Wendell C. and John B. Tombaugh (2001) "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