You may have seen the news recently about an elephant statue in Birmingham called Miss Fancy. There was also an article on the same news site, including my contribution to the Encyclopedia of Alabama. Prior to these, there was an Alabama Heritage article written by the fabulous Jim Baggett, and now there is a book about the elephant by Irene Latham. Y’all, Miss Fancy is popular!

If you don’t want to read all this but want to know the story, I’ll break it down in quick fashion. In Avondale (suburb of Birmingham), there was a little zoo. People in the area wanted to grow the zoo to include an elephant. With support from various organizations, including a kid’s penny drive, their dreams became reality with the addition of Miss Fancy the elephant. While in Avondale, she delighted young and old with her escapades. She often went to the playground to let kids ride her and in return they’d share their lunches. Miss Fancy also liked to wander around Avondale, surprising people by looking in their windows. She had a handler, yes, but believe it or not, Miss Fancy liked to slip away. Due to Miss Fancy’s stomach ailments, it was suggested she ingest liquor as treatment. Her handler also helped himself to the alcohol, so there were times both Miss Fancy and her handler were, as we say in the South, drunk as a skunk. If you’d like to know more about Miss Fancy and what happened next, click on one of the articles above.

When I was trying to find a quilt to represent Jefferson County for my book, I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, but I knew that when I saw it I’d know. And that’s exactly what happened when I saw Art and Ruth Ann Abb’s work called “Miss Fancy.”