Tillie (circa 1870 – 1932) was a female
Asian elephant
The Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''), also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living species of the genus ''Elephas'' and is distributed throughout the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, from India in the west, Nepal in the no ...
that was the mascot of the
John Robinson Circus.
Tillie was acquired by
John Robinson, owner of the circus, in 1872.
[ She was the leader of the elephant pack.][ Tillie was one of four elephants that the Robinsons kept when they sold the Robinson Circus in 1912.][
Tillie's image is shown on the cover Phillip J. Nuxhall's book ''Stories from the Grove'',][ and she can be seen in a poster on page 76 of Dann Woellert's book ''Cincinnati's Northside Neighborhood''.
When the circus performed in the neighborhood of Northside, Cincinnati (formerly Cumminsville, Ohio), Tillie led the procession.][
]
Death
A full page obituary was published in ''The Cincinnati Enquirer
''The Cincinnati Enquirer'' is a morning daily newspaper published by Gannett in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. First published in 1841, the ''Enquirer'' is the last remaining daily newspaper in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, al ...
'' when Tillie died in 1932. An audience of two thousand celebrated her death in Terrace Park at her home on Elm Avenue in Terrace Park, Ohio
Terrace Park is a village in Hamilton County, Ohio, and a wealthy suburb of Greater Cincinnati. The population was 2,251 at the 2010 census.
History
The primary document for the history of Terrace Park is "A Place Called Terrace Park" by Ellis ...
as planes dropped carnations and the remaining three elephants stood by as a cannon was fired.[
Exactly where Tilles is buried is uncertain. Rumors that she was buried in ]Spring Grove Cemetery
Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum () is a nonprofit rural cemetery and arboretum located at 4521 Spring Grove Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the third largest cemetery in the United States, after the Calverton National Cemetery and Abraham ...
have not been substantiated.[ Although there is a tombstone for Tillie on the Robinson's old property in Terrace Park, Lynn Nelson, who was a 30-year resident of Terrace Park, insists Tille is not buried under the tombstone, but is instead buried in a dry well on the same property.][
Nuxhall and Nelson both believe her legs were cut off and made into umbrellas stands.]
See also
* List of individual elephants
*Abul-Abbas, Charlemagne's elephant
* Arjuna, lead elephant of the Mysore Dasara procession and carries the idol of the deity Chamundeshwari on the Golden Howdah
*Balarama, preceded Arjuna (see above); Golden Howdah-carrier between 1999 and 2011 ...
References
Resources
*
* {{Cite web, url=https://tpsurvey.org/address/circus-place/1, title=Entry for Address: 1 Circus Place. Building Name: Robinson Circus House, website=Terrace Park Building Survey, publisher=Terrace Park Woman's Club, access-date=2020-01-05
External links
Tillie's Lounge -- history page
-- The bar is named after Tillie the elephant.
Circus animals
1932 animal deaths
Individual elephants
Individual animals in the United States
Elephants in the United States