![]() ![]() 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. So Mary's owner, Charlie Sparks, decided to execute Mary by hanging in order to appease the crowds. Some towns announced they would turn the circus away if it showed up with the elephant. News of a killer elephant spread via rumors and sensationalist news stories, and calls for Mary's execution began. Mary, an elephant in 'Sparks World Famous Shows' traveling circus, had killed her handler, Walter Eldridge, in nearby Kingsport after the inexperienced trainer allegedly struck Mary on the head with a hook. The mistake was never corrected.Įrwin earned some notoriety in 1916 when the only known public execution of an elephant in Tennessee occurred in the community. A typo made by post office officials caused the name to be recorded as Erwin. Ervin, who had donated 15 acres (61,000 m 2) of land for the county seat. On December 5, 1879, the name of the town was Ervin, in honor of D.J.N. The town of Erwin received its name by a mail mishap. It is part of the Johnson City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City– Kingsport– Bristol, TN- VA Combined Statistical Area – commonly known as the " Tri-Cities" region. ![]() The population was 6,097 at the 2010 census. Erwin is a town in and the county seat of Unicoi County, Tennessee, United States. ![]()
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