This Day in History: Old Bet, First Circus Elephant

On or around this day in 1816, America’s first circus elephant, “Old Bet,” is tragically killed. The details of her passing are disputed. But, then again, a haze of mystery surrounds much of Old Bet’s life, so perhaps this is unsurprising.

For starters, we don’t even know, for sure, whether she was the first or second elephant in the country.

The first elephant came to America in the mid-1790s, and its owner exhibited the pachyderm along the east coast. George Washington even paid to see this elephant in 1796!

Some claim this elephant could have been Old Bet, but it’s much more likely that she arrived later—around 1805 or so, when Hachaliah Bailey purchased her.

He’s been called the “Father of the American Circus” because of what happened next.

A 1797 broadside depicts the first elephant in the States.

Bailey reportedly paid $1,000 for Old Bet—an immense sum back then! Possibly he initially meant for her to perform manual labor, but that soon changed. Most Americans, remember, had never seen an elephant before. Thus, Old Bet’s presence was electrifying.

Bailey soon discovered that many would pay to see such a novel animal.

Old Bet was shown in open fields, in barnyards, and in tavern greens. She traveled from town to town, usually moving at night so no one would get a free peek at her. Business was so lucrative that Bailey acquired other exotic animals, too.

He even sold shares in Old Bet.

“This wheeling and dealing in exotic fauna came naturally to the cattlemen,” one White Plains journalist explains, “and more of the prosperous farmers joined in. Large sums of money changed hands as more animals were purchased and [more] menageries set out from Somers north to New England . . . west into Pennsylvania and south to New York City . . . .”

These deals did not always go smoothly. At least reportedly, one of Bailey’s partners attempted to hide profits that he was supposed to share. Legend has it that Bailey marched straight to Old Bet, aiming his loaded musket at her. The partner protested, but Bailey shrugged: “I’m only aiming at my half.”

Needless to say, the partner produced the hidden profits.

Several legends persist about Old Bet, although it can be hard to know if they are true. For instance, it’s said that someone once paid to see Old Bet with a jug of rum—or was it whiskey? Either way, Old Bet watched her handlers drink from the jug and knew exactly what to do.

“The elephant had followed the example of her keeper,” The Cleveland Leader reported in 1895, “and was fighting drunk. She had drained the jug. Bailey and his men had an all night job trying to get her sober.”

Old Bet was wildly popular, and the term going “to see the elephant” inserted itself into the American lexicon for a time. It generally meant that someone was going on an exciting adventure.

Unfortunately, Old Bet was killed on or around July 24. Some say that a farmer shot her because he was mad that people were spending money on such exhibitions—or perhaps he had a religious objection. Others say he was testing to see if her hide was bulletproof. A less likely theory is that she panicked, scaring a crowd.

Either way, Alfred, Maine, takes credit as the location for the unfortunate incident, and they’ve placed a marker noting the presumed spot.

Old Bet was preserved, and her hide was sent on tour. Later, Elephant Hotel opened in Bailey’s hometown of Somers, New York.  A statue in front of the hotel memorializes Old Bet, and the small town is proud of its status as the “Cradle of the American Circus.”

Nevertheless, citizens of Delavan, Wisconsin, disagree. They believe Delavan is the “Cradle of the American Circus.”  Naturally, that is a story for another day.

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Primary Sources:

• . . . And Somers Residents Have Proof (Reporter Dispatch; Dec. 31, 1965) (p. 9)

• An Honored Elephant (Kansas City Star; Feb. 28, 1897) (p. 9)

• George Washington and Entertainment (Mount Vernon website)

• History of the Elephant Hotel (Elephant Hotel website)

• Jane McMahon, Hachaliah’s Beast (Suburbia Today [White Plains; NY]; Aug. 26, 1984) (p. 16)

• John Sutherland, Jumbo: The Unauthorised Biography of a Victorian Sensation (2014)

• Joseph Ditta, Elephants in the (Reading) Room (New York Historical Society)

• Julie O’Connor, Seeing the Elephant – Old Bet in Early 1800s Albany (Friends of Albany History; June 6, 2019)

• Les Harding, Elephant Story: Jumbo and P.T. Barnum Under the Big Top (2000)

• “Old Bet”: The First Elephant That Came to America (Cleveland Leader; Dec. 25, 1895) (p. 8)

• Rob Ryser, Elephant Hotel Granted Status as Landmark (Journal News; May 18, 2005) (p. 2A)

• Tracy Garrity, Hachaliah’s Hamlet: Cradle of the Circus (Ann Arbor News; Feb. 25, 1979) (p. F-4)