Murderous Mary: One Small Town and One Big Elephant

Creator: Gentry, Shelley

: Griffith, Charles

: Rose, Larry

In this project, Shelley Gentry interviewed Charles Griffith, and Larry Rose to learn more about the town of Erwin, Tennessee. The town is known for two unrelated events, the hanging of a circus elephant named Big Mary, and the killing of Georgia Lee Collins. These two topics as well as other information about the town were discussed in the interviews, as well as the town’s history of poor race relations. This interview is among projects created by students enrolled in English 446 (initially English 452), “Appalachian Folklore,” 1981-2019, and in graduate level counterparts English 548 and 648 “Appalachian Folk Culture(s)” offered 17 fall semesters between 1987 and 2009. Minimally contain collector’s introduction and analysis, transcribed informant interviews, and excerpted and labeled examples of oral, customary, and/or material folklore/folklife collected primarily within the Appalachian region. Most include also tables of contents, informant information, indexes (outlines) of interviews, photographs, miscellaneous paper items, and indexes of informants, genres, and geographic locations. Accompanying audio recordings (several minutes to 2+ hours). Transferred to McConnell Library Archives & Special Collections from Appalachian Regional and Rural Studies Center, Fall 2013.