William Duggan

AKA:
Billy
Birth Name:
William F. Duggan
Birth Date:
January 18, 1899
Birth Place:
Unknown
Death Date:
December 22, 1950
Place of Death:
Hugo, Florida
Age:
51
Cause of Death:
Heart attack
Cemetery Name:
Pleasant Grove Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
Claim to Fame:
The Odd and the Interesting
Even as a young boy, all William "Billy" Duggan ever wanted to do is join the circus. At age 12 he ran away from home to join the Sparks Circus where among his other duties, he was tasked with feeding the elephants. He quickly feel in love with these magnificent beasts and spent nearly 40 years working for one circus after another. In 1934, Mr. Duggan created the Duggan Brothers Circus, which toured for about a year. In 1950, he purchased the Pan American Animal Exhibit and began planning to make it into a three-ring circus that he named the Hagen-Wallace Circus. But of all the animals in his new circus, a young elephant by the name of Nancy was by far his favorite. Unfortunately Billy took ill and never saw the first performance of his new circus when he died suddenly. In his honor, Duggan’s son arranged for this life-size replica of Nancy, Duggan’s beloved baby elephant, to be carved from Tate, Georgia white marble and placed on his father’s grave. The cost of the sculpture was said to be nearly $10,000 (that's $131,000 in today's money).

Fun / Sad Fact

Nancy, the baby elephant, “followed him to the hospital the day he died,” according to a relative.

Many websites claim this is the only grave with an elephant adorning the memorial. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “not everything you read on the internet is true.” In other words, this claim is false.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Pleasant Grove Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery

2354 GA-37

Moultrie, Georgia, 31788

USA

North America

Map:

Map of Pleasant Grove Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery in Moultrie Georgia
Map of Pleasant Grove Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery in Moultrie Georgia

Grave Location:

The Duggan Family Plot

Grave Location Description

Walk behind the Pleasant Grove Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery and look for the big, white elephant. It’s that simple.

Grave Location GPS

31.194973113889073, -83.74550168992705

Photos:

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Read More About William Duggan:

Videos Featuring William Duggan:
Grave of Circus Owner marked by Baby Elephant Tombstone
LOOK OUT! Large Elephant seen in a Southwest Georgia Cemetery! Exploring Moultrie Georgia.
Baby elephant interrupts reporter's piece to camera

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