Editing Erwin, Tennessee (section)

===Elephant execution===
Erwin earned some notoriety in 1916 when the only known public [[execution]] of an [[elephant]] in Tennessee occurred in the community.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 17, 2017 |title=From the Archive: The Day They Hanged an Elephant in East Tennessee |url=http://blueridgecountry.com/archive/favorites/mary-the-elephant/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140723102500/http://blueridgecountry.com/archive/favorites/mary-the-elephant/ |archive-date=July 23, 2014 |access-date=July 22, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=August 16, 2016 |title=Murderous Mary, the elephant that was hanged for murder, 1916 - Rare Historical Photos |url=http://rarehistoricalphotos.com/murderous-mary-1916/}}</ref> [[Mary (elephant)|Mary]], an elephant in 'Sparks World Famous Shows' [[traveling circus]], had killed her handler, Walter Eldridge, in nearby [[Kingsport, Tennessee|Kingsport]] after the inexperienced trainer allegedly struck Mary on the head with a hook. News of a killer elephant spread via rumors and [[sensationalist]] news stories, and calls for Mary's execution began. Some towns announced they would turn the circus away if it showed up with the elephant. Mary's owner, Charlie Sparks, executed Mary by [[hanging]] in order to appease the crowds. Erwin was a little more than 35 miles south of Kingsport, and as home to the region's largest [[railway yard]] they happened to have a 100-ton [[crane car]] that could lift the five-ton elephant.<ref name="graveyard">{{Cite web |last=Emma Schkloven |date=November 13, 2019 |title=E.C. Glass brings bizarre true story to the stage in 'Elephant's Graveyard' |url=https://www.newsadvance.com/entertainment/arts/e-c-glass-brings-bizarre-true-story-to-the-stage/article_bca22a21-b00a-5c63-b644-bb23f84a163e.html |website=The News & Advance |language=en}}</ref> An estimated 2,500 people turned out at the local railway yard to see Mary hoisted by a crane to meet her demise. [[Playwright]] [[George Brant]] won the 2008 [[Keene Prize for Literature]] for his a one-act play titled “Elephant’s Graveyard”, depicting this story.<ref name="graveyard" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Elephant's Graveyard (full length version) |url=https://www.samuelfrench.com/p/1939/elephants-graveyard-full-length-version/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115171120/https://www.samuelfrench.com/p/1939/elephants-graveyard-full-length-version/ |archive-date=November 15, 2019 |access-date=November 15, 2019 |website=Samuel French |language=en}}</ref>

In 2015 the town implemented a yearly festival and Elephant Art Auction; whereby, artists paint fiberglass elephant sculptures displayed around town that are then auctioned, with all proceeds donated exclusively to [[The Elephant Sanctuary (Hohenwald)|The Elephant Sanctuary]] in [[Hohenwald]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cory Turner & Clare Lombardo |date=May 15, 2019 |title=The Town That Hanged An Elephant Is Now Working To Save Them |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/05/15/722236763/the-town-that-hanged-an-elephant-is-now-working-to-save-them |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191114225425/https://www.npr.org/2019/05/15/722236763/the-town-that-hanged-an-elephant-is-now-working-to-save-them |archive-date=November 14, 2019 |access-date=November 15, 2019 |website=All Things Considered / NPR |language=en |format=Audio with transcript and photos}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Big Mary the Elephant |url=https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2985 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302042713/https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2985 |archive-date=March 2, 2024 |access-date=January 3, 2024 |website=Roadside America |language=en}}</ref>