Lucy the Elephant

Lucy the Elephant

Lucy is a 90 ton, 65 feet long, 38 feet tall, steel and wooden elephant that towers over Margate City.

She was built in 1881 by James Vincent dePaul Lafferty, Jr., a landowner from Philadelphia. The purpose was to enhance the value of his real estate holdings that were then in Southern Atlantic City, but which is now Margate City.

In 1902, Lucy was the summer home of an English physician, and later became a tavern. She almost burned down in 1904 when an oil lamp in the tavern was overturned.

In the 1960s, Lucy fell into disrepair, but a "Save Lucy" effort restored her. She now has become a National Historic Monument.

Based on the shape of her head, Lucy was apparently meant to be an Asian elephant. However, female Asian elephants don't have tusks. Nevertheless, Lucy is considered female.

For her birthday, Lucy had her toes painted.

Going Inside Lucy

Visitors can climb the stairs in one of Lucy's hind legs and stare out through her eyes to view the Atlantic Ocean.

You can also climb out the top of Lucy onto her Howdaw or Riding Carriage. The view is outstanding from there.

Lucy is located at 200 Atlantic Avenue in Margate. She is open for visitation from 10 AM to 8 PM Monday through Saturday and from 10 AM to 5 PM on Sundays. The cost to tour Lucy is $5 for adults and $3 for children. Parking is free.