Miss Fancy

From Bhamwiki
Revision as of 17:24, 11 December 2013 by Dystopos (talk | contribs)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Miss Fancy with Allen in 1915

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

Hagenbeck-Wallace poster.jpg

At the instigation of Birmingham Age-Herald publisher Ed Barrett, the Birmingham Advertising Club bought the 41 year-old for $2,000 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 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 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.

Todd served in the U.S. Army for 10 months during World War I. He reported 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. Todd used the command "Beela" to prompt her to raise her right foreleg as a step-stool and then lift him onto her back.

Miss Fancy was reported to have eaten 125-150 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. Despite being exercised by giving rides to children, helping the occasional stuck motorist, and leading parades to Legion Field before the annual Birmingham-Southern-Howard football game, Miss Fancy managed to grow from 4,800 to over 8,560 pounds during her years in Birmingham.

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 mixed with a quart of liquor. During 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 occasionally 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 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.

In October 1931, the zoo organized a sixtieth birthday celebration for Miss Fancy. She was treated to an extra large breakfast followed by a rubdown with neatsfoot oil and a manicure. These "beauty treatments", administered by Todd, were part of her regular seasonal grooming. Her tusks were cut back to nubs every couple of years, as well.

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

Retrieved from "http://bhamwiki.com/w/index.php?title=Miss_Fancy&oldid=98224"