Welcome to the New Jersey History and Historic Preservation Conference

  • Lucy the Elephant

    Lucy the Elephant

    Lucy is the world’s largest elephant. She stands six stories tall, weighs 90 tons, contains 22 windows, and is covered with 12,000 square feet of sheet tin. Lucy was built in 1881 by James V. Lafferty to promote the sale of lots along the Jersey shore in what was then called South Atlantic City. Potential buyers were guided up the staircase in Lucy’s left leg and treated to a 360-degree view from Lucy’s howdah at a time when the area was only scrub pine, dune grass, bayberry bushes and a few wooden fishing shacks. Her eye-catching appearance and serendipity appeals to visitors of all ages.