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The Curious Tale of the Elephant Under the Church
For many years a story has circulated regarding a circus elephant that is supposed
to be buried under the church, and, in that the story is a part of the history of Trinity
Church, this tale is included in this document. As with many legends, stories and
various other “tall tales”, the plot, while basically remaining the same, will have slight
changes depending upon the teller. The story outlined below is based on what is
supposed to be the most reliable version.
At the time of the excavation for the foundation of the new Church, around 1854, a
traveling circus visited Shepherdstown. As with all visiting circuses, there was a fine
parade of circus animals through the town. Among the animals in the parade was a
mother elephant accompanied by her baby. As the elephants passed by the excavation
for the foundation, for reasons not entirely clear, one of the elephants dropped dead.
Here the story becomes murky. Some say the mother elephant died, while others
maintain the baby was the one called by the Grim Reaper. Either way, there was one
dead elephant, which was one major problem. Where does one find a hole big enough
to entomb an elephant? The answer soon became obvious – put the carcass in the
hole excavated for the church foundation. The elephant, either the mother or baby, was
put to rest, the hole covered and the foundation completed. Problem solved!
According to the legend, exactly one year later, the same circus, again, visited
Shepherdstown, and, again, the circus elephants paraded past the church property. As
the parade passed the building site, an elephant stopped, and (depending who is
relating this fascinating tale) an elephant, either the mother or the now adult baby,
trumpeted mightily as a tribute to the mother, or baby, buried under the church.
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