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Weird Island

12: ELEPHANT BRIDGE: Wonder, Cruelty, and the First Elephants in America

In 1826, one of the earliest elephants brought to America, named Betty, the Fabulous Learned Elephant (or Little Bett), made a fateful visit to Chepachet. To Visit: 1169 Main Street, Glocester, RI 02814 | Plaque on the bridge where route 44 crosses the Chepachet River, just south of the Old Post Office Antiques, 1178 Putnam Pike
Broadcast on:
04 May 2021

Episode Source Material: 

(Research for this episode turned up a lot of inconsistent dates and references to elephants by different names, ages, heights, weights, etc.--there doesn’t seem to be a consensus on where the Crowninshield elephant ended up or if Old Bet was the first or second elephant in America. I did my best to reference only the most apparently legitimate sources in my storytelling, but recognize that opinions differ on some details.)

In 1826, one of the earliest elephants brought to America, named Betty, the Fabulous Learned Elephant (or Little Bett), made a fateful visit to Chepachet. To Visit: 1169 Main Street, Glocester, RI 02814 | Plaque on the bridge where route 44 crosses the Chepachet River, just south of the Old Post Office Antiques, 1178 Putnam Pike