Shelbyville, Tennessee - Grave of Beautiful Jim Key, the Educated Horse

This horse was one of the most famous celebrities, animal or human, in the late 1890s and early 1900s. This horse was trained by Dr. William Key a former slave and drug peddler who trained his horse to count and read letters. These two became the toast of two World's Fairs and even had their own pavilion at the St. Louis fair. [Cherry Ralston, 06/25/2004]

[RA: Beautiful Jim Key, the Educated Horse, could spell his name using alphabet blocks and solve math problems using numbered blocks. He died in 1912. The horse is buried alone, with his dog pal Monk nearby. Don V sent a correction noting that Jim's owner is not buried here: Dr. William Key, his owner and trainer, who died on October 18, 1909, was buried in Willow Mount Cemetery. Mr. Albert Rogers, Beautiful Jim Key's promoter, died in 1946 and is buried in New Jersey.]