The tombstone of Elsie the Cow is located a few miles northeast of Princeton. Exit US Hwy 1 (north or south) at Scudder's Mill Rd, then turn right at the first light. This turns into Plainsboro Rd. After going over a small bridge, take the first right into the Walker-Gordon housing development. Take the first two rights and park at the end of the dead end. The headstone is to the right next to the little gazebo, down by the pond. Heron Court, Plainsboro, NJ.
"You'll Do Lobelia" was the first Elsie, the one whose friendliness and big brown eyes had won many hearts. Elsie was an original and although a few followed after her death, Elsie was the true spokesanimal for Borden Milk.
Borden used Elsie "You'll Do Lobelia" for every quart of PR she could deliver. She was the guest of honor at press dinners in fancy New York clubs. She starred in an RKO feature, "Little Men," in 1940. She made a series of cross-country appearances in her custom 18-wheeler, which was later named the "Cowdillac". On April 16, 1941, while on her way to Shubert Alley in the Theater District of New York City, her truck was hit from behind by another truck while stopped at a traffic light on Route 25 in Rahway, NJ. She suffered neck and spine injuries and was returned to her home at the Walker-Gordon Farm in Plainsboro, NJ.
The Veterinarians determined she could not be saved so she was "put to sleep" and buried on the farm. A headstone was erected at the farm's entrance, praising her as "one of the great Elsie's of our time." Borden quietly selected a new "Elsie" and moved forward, unaffected.
Many years passed and the Walker-Gordon Dairy Farm went out of business, and in June 1999 Elsie's headstone was moved further west on Plainsboro Rd. A little gazebo was built next to it. A plaque was added to the site, praising Elsie as "a celebrated advertising trademark" and claiming that this was her burial site. It isn't. Her original burial site is lost somewhere under houses and condo developments.
"You'll Do Lobelia" was the first Elsie, the one whose friendliness and big brown eyes had won many hearts. Elsie was an original and although a few followed after her death, Elsie was the true spokesanimal for Borden Milk.
Borden used Elsie "You'll Do Lobelia" for every quart of PR she could deliver. She was the guest of honor at press dinners in fancy New York clubs. She starred in an RKO feature, "Little Men," in 1940. She made a series of cross-country appearances in her custom 18-wheeler, which was later named the "Cowdillac". On April 16, 1941, while on her way to Shubert Alley in the Theater District of New York City, her truck was hit from behind by another truck while stopped at a traffic light on Route 25 in Rahway, NJ. She suffered neck and spine injuries and was returned to her home at the Walker-Gordon Farm in Plainsboro, NJ.
The Veterinarians determined she could not be saved so she was "put to sleep" and buried on the farm. A headstone was erected at the farm's entrance, praising her as "one of the great Elsie's of our time." Borden quietly selected a new "Elsie" and moved forward, unaffected.
Many years passed and the Walker-Gordon Dairy Farm went out of business, and in June 1999 Elsie's headstone was moved further west on Plainsboro Rd. A little gazebo was built next to it. A plaque was added to the site, praising Elsie as "a celebrated advertising trademark" and claiming that this was her burial site. It isn't. Her original burial site is lost somewhere under houses and condo developments.
