In Love with Lucy the Elephant of Margate City

Because some things are big enough to spot a mile away…
Here’s how a trip through Margate, New Jersey brought us face to face with the World’s Largest Elephant and some late 19th century nostalgia.

Lucy the Elephant is located along the beach in Josephine Harron Park (named for the co-founder of the Save Lucy Committee) in Margate, New Jersey.

I have driven up and down the New Jersey Parkway hundreds of times. I have even stopped in the City of Margate for work on one occasion, but somehow this vintage roadside attraction eluded me. On this particular day, we are on our way to Wildwood, New Jersey but make it a point to drive through Margate one more time. And this time, maybe because we now know she is there, we finally spot her. Over the rooftops, through the buildings and trees, we first see the canopy seat on her back and then little by little the rest of her starts to come into view.  She now sits at center of the Josephine L. Harron Park. A few parking spots line the side of the small fenced in park. We pull into a spot and sit there for a while taking it all in. To our right is the rest of the town and to our left, the ocean. 

Josephine L. Harron Park in Margate, New Jersey

The City of Margate sits right along the Jersey Shore and so it is no wonder that many a seamen sat and looked out over the waves at the bit of land where Lucy the Elephant would one day be built in 1881. Land developers were busy at work in this area and each time the boats passed, they would notice a few more buildings along the shore, as life on land progressed.

Circa 1881 one-room train depot now part of the Lucy gift shop.

Legend has it that a seaman, on his first voyage, was keeping watch on the ship on their way to the New York Harbor. When they asked him to give his first report, he started to say that all appeared well, but his report was suddenly cut short. He blinked a few times in disbelief and managed to shout a single word, “Elephant!” Not exactly something you would expect to hear while at sea. The captain of the ship and others rushed to the deck and, sure enough, they also spotted Lucy standing there amongst the sand dunes and grass. “Elephant!” At 65 feet tall, she was an elephant alright, and she was hard to miss. Today, whether on land or sea, it is said that she can still be seen, without binoculars, from about 8 miles away.

At 65 feet tall Lucy is recognized as the World’s Largest Elephant and America’s oldest surviving roadside attraction.

We step out of the car and venture through the “Welcome to Lucy” gate. All we could do at this moment is look up. She is BIG and she is beautiful. Immediately, the details of her construction captivate us. We walk around and look for the tin, timber, bolts, nails, and irons bars — the new ones that have given her a fresh lease on life and remnants of the old ones that held up her bones when she laid there slowing dying of old age. While her outwardly animal shape is familiar to us, it is like coming face to face with a giant mythical creature.

“My invention consists of a building in the form of an animal, the body of which is floored and divided into rooms…the legs contain the stairs which leads to the body…”

According to The History of Lucy, a booklet written by William McMahon together with the Save the Lucy Committee, that is the wording on the original 1882 patent application submitted by James V. Lafferty, Jr., the designer and builder of Lucy.

Surprisingly, Lucy the Elephant is not an only child. She is one of three sisters similarly designed by Lafferty. Both the 40 foot Light of Asia in Cape May, New Jersey and the 122 foot Elephantine Colossus in Coney Island, New York are long gone. Lucy is the only one still hanging on strong thanks to the help of the Save the Lucy Committee. 

Carpenter Walkway dedicated to Sylvia & Edwin Carpenter, co-founders of the Save Lucy Committee.

Lucy was built to attract real estate buyers and visitors to the area. She survived hurricanes, floods, and even a fire accidentally started by party-goers when she once served as a tavern. Everyone loved her, but it was time itself that proved to be her worst enemy. At her lowest point, Lucy was in such a state of disrepair that she was almost unrecognizable.

It was hard to imagine this Jersey Shore sweetheart labeled a “nuisance” but she was and certain people (particularly those seeking to develop and bring something new to the area) wanted her gone. The ocean air turned  her “skin” a dark brown color, she was full of holes, and the tips of her tusks were reportedly charred after being zapped by lighting. She had been through a lot. Her eyes were devoid of any life and her smile was only a distant memory. Crumbling and on the verge of demolition by a land developer, a small, concerned group of ordinary citizens formed the Save the Lucy Committee to help save what would soon (with their help) become a National Historic Landmark.

Lucy the Elephant’s giant foot and brightly painted toes.

In 1970, at nearly 90 years old, she made her big move down the road to the place where she now sits next to an 1881 one-room train depot (which is now part of the Lucy gift shop). I imagine that seeing her roll down the road was quite the sight!

Tour group enters & exits Lucy the Elephant’s staircase leg during a tour.

This past week was a busy one for Lucy. She celebrated her 138th birthday and signed a new 20 year lease. We’re thankful to the committee for their love of Lucy and their hard work in preserving and protecting her historical status. Read all about her history, the Save the Lucy Committee, and her recent birthday bash on her website: LucyTheElephant.org.

Nostalgic pup is with us on this trip and, while dogs can happily play outside with Lucy, they are rightly not allowed inside. And so we don’t get a chance to climb up the stairs that run along the inside of her leg, up to her body, and into the rooms upstairs. We look forward to the day we can return to look out one of her many windows and, for once, see the world pass by as Lucy has for 138 years.

Happy belated birthday, Lucy! May you continue to mystify seamen from their boats and amuse the beachgoers that stumble onto your brightly painted toes.