Students Help the Elephant Hotel Celebrate its 200th Birthday

Heartfelt messages and hand-drawn replicas celebrate the historic Elephant Hotel in Somers, NY.

Meghan Gioffe’s fourth-grade art students were invited to design and create cards for the Elephant Hotel to celebrate its 200^th birthday. Students are familiar with the iconic building that is just down the street from their school. They referenced pictures and their own experiences to inspire the drawings on the front of their cards.

“I’ve never been inside the Elephant Hotel, but I drive past it every day,” said Grace Sautner.

“We read a little history about the hotel and the students have pictures to work from,” added Gioffe. “It’s such an icon for our town.”

The Elephant Hotel was constructed between 1820 and 1825 and was once the home to Hachaliah Bailey. It is rumored that Bailey acquired an Asian elephant named Old Bet and is credited with being one of the first “traveling menageries” in the United States, known as Bailey Circus. In 1827, a likeness of Old Bet was erected in front of the hotel, and an elephant statue remains there today.

The Elephant Hotel was purchased by the town of Somers in 1927 and became a National Historic Landmark in 2005. It is currently home to Somers Town Hall and The Somers Historical Society, the latter occupying the third floor of the building and operating the Museum of the Early American Circus.

Inside the birthday cards, students wrote heartfelt messages of kindness and appreciation for the building and the historic impact it has had on the community. As a local landmark, this activity helped the students to connect with their local community in a new way.

“It’s been here for 200 years,” said Eleanore Newman. “It’s an important building, and it makes our town proud.”

The cards created by the students will be displayed at the Elephant Hotel to help commemorate its 200^th birthday.