One of America’s first commercial spokesanimals was Elsie the cow for the Borden Milk company. At the 1939 NY State Fair, Borden needed something to draw crowds to it’s exhibit of a automated milking machine. They arranged public appearances, press dinners in NY, even got her in movies. In 1941 while en route to an appearance in NYC, the 18 wheeler she traveled in was hit from behind by another truck. She suffered spine & neck injuries and was laid to rest “somewhere behind the barn” on the Gordon Walker farm that was her home.
A headstone was placed near the entrance to the farm (not where she was actually buried) where she was proclaimed to have been “the most celebrated employee of the Gordon Walker farms.” Over the past few years the farmland has been sold off, and now has become town houses. Since no one can be sure exactly where the grave itself is, one can only assume that it’s underneath a foundation, sidewalk or road.
To visit the grave marker, go to the Gordon Walker Farms Housing Development. It’s located in Plainsboro right off Plainsboro Rd. You also can visit the Plainsboro Museum where they keep some Elsie memorabilia. It’s located at 641 Plainsboro Rd, but it’s only open on the 1st & 3rd Sundays of the month from 2-430 PM.
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