Annie May Abbott

Annie May Abbott (ca. 1861 - November, 21 1915), born Dixie Annie Jarratt Haygood in the United States, developed an act with feats of weight and motion resistance. She billed herself as the "Little Georgia Magnet" and became a star of the vaudeville stage, performing from 1885 to 1908.

Biography

She apparently witnessed a performance of Lulu Hurst in Milledgeville, Georgia in 1884 and by early March 1885, Annie was performing her version of Hurst's act publicly. Her success was partly due to her own new creations, including the ability to resist being lifted from the floor by men (hence her nickname, the "Georgia Magnet").

She appeared before the crown heads of Europe where she demonstrated her supernatural powers.

Her act consisted of other feats including:

• Lifting 4 men on a chair by simply touching the chair.
• Resisting the combined efforts of four men to move her while standing upon one foot.
• Lifting men into mid-air by placing her open hands upon their heads.

She was imitated by many women, both during her life and after. Some even used her stage name, thus clouding the history of the Annie Abbott name.

She was buried at Memory Hill Cemetary, Milledgeville, Georgia.

References

• http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2906
• http://www.illusiongenius.com/11-2002.html
• http://www.illusiongenius.com/11-2002-02.html
• http://www.friendsofcems.org/memoryhill/default1.htm?SQLSelect2.asp?key=WF018002&2
• Susan J. and Hugh T. Harrington, "How the Annie Abbott Act Was Performed," The Linking Ring Vol. 83, No. 6, June 2003.