Lucy was modeled after P.T. Barnum's circus elephant, Jumbo. She is made of wood, concrete and sheet metal. It is not known how Lucy got her name. Technically speaking, she is not anatomically correct since only male elephants have tusks.

In 1887, Lafferty ran into financial trouble and sold Lucy. The new owners purchased the minaret-topped Turkish Pavilion from the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia and reconstructed it behind Lucy. That building was converted into the "Elephant Hotel". Later, the owners began using Lucy as a tavern. Lucy was badly damaged by a flood in 1962 and became so dilapidated that she was condemned. She was donated to the City of Margate. When the property on which she was located was sold to developers, Lucy was nearly demolished. She was moved two blocks away to this location in 1970 and restored. There is a museum inside the structure with maritime artifacts and items pertaining to Lucy's history. Lucy is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2021, Lucy's skin was being replaced with new siding and scaffolding was erected. It is expected to be completed in 2022. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. [map]

Another elephant, the Light of Asia, was built in Cape May, NJ in 1884. This 40-foot-tall elephant was modeled after Lucy by another real estate developer. It was not maintained and demolished in 1900.

In 1884, Lafferty began building the Colossal Elephant in Coney Island, NY. Lafferty went heavily into debt during its construction and sold Lucy to stay afloat. The Coney Island elephant cost $250,000 to build and stood 125 feet tall. The structure had 31 hotel rooms. One of her legs housed a cigar store, another had a diorama, and the two others contained circular staircases. The elephant offered visitors views of the ocean through slits in the elephant's eyes. At night, searchlights flashed from her eyes. This elephant was advertised as the 8th Wonder of the World. However, it was destroyed by fire in 1896.

The French liked Lafferty's elephants so much that they built their own enormous elephant pavilion at the Universal Exhibition of 1889. It was later moved to the Moulin Rouge where you could see belly dancers inside. This elephant was torn down when the Moulin Rouge was rebuilt in 1906.