Pittsburgh Curiosities: Jackson the Elephant Statue
Jackson the Elephant is the only living resident of Somerset County with a statue of its own.
PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD
As far as we’re aware, only one living resident of Somerset County has his own statue — and he’s an elephant.
The Jackson the Elephant Statue can be found not far from the Somerset exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, standing — somewhat surprisingly — in the parking lot of an Eat’n Park. (And he dutifully fills one parking space, staying well inside the lines.)
The real Jackson is a longtime resident of the International Conservation Center in nearby Fairhope; the nearly 1,000-acre facility is operated by the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium for research, education and wildlife management. Jackson, an African elephant thought to be about 48 years old, has taken quite the route to Somerset.
THE REAL JACKSON THE ELEPHANT. | PHOTO BY PAUL SELVAGGIO/PITTSBURGH ZOO & AQUARIUM
After stints in a circus and a zoo in Miami, he arrived at the Pittsburgh Zoo in 1994; in 2001, he set off on a three-year vacation to the Animal Kingdom theme park at Disney World. (Two of Jackson’s offspring, Kianga and Nadirah, are still at Animal Kingdom today.)
Jackson returned to the Pittsburgh Zoo in 2004 and retired to the International Conservation Center in 2008. The statue raises awareness of the facility and its role in conservation. It also really livens up the parking lot; this is the only spot in the region where you can truthfully say, “My car is out front, by the elephant.”
Where is the Jackson the Elephant Statue?
The Jackson the Elephant Statue is located at Eat’n Park, 926 N. Center Ave., Somerset PA 15501.
