Annie Abbott (1861-1915)

Known as the "Little Georgia Magnet", Annie Abbott captivated audiences in the U.S. and Europe with her uncanny ability to manipulate weight and motion resistance.
Her act consisted of feats including:

• Challenging male volunteers to lift her off the floor
• Remove a pool cue from her hand.
• 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.

Abbott baffled onlookers as she remained impervious to male strengths, thereby defying the laws of physics.
Physicians examining Abbott were perplexed on how someone so petite in size could exhibit such feats of power. Abbott's act was sought after for many years and overshadowed many of her contemporaries. 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.

Biography

Annie May Abbott was born Dixie Annie Jarratt in 1861 in Baldwin county, Georgia. At the age of seventeen she married Charles N. Haygood.
In 1884 the couple witnessed performer Lulu Hurst's act in Milledgeville.
That same year and also in February 1885, Dixie Haygood performed her version of Hurst's act publicly in early March 1885. She soon adopted the stage name Annie Abbott.
In 1886, Charles Haygood was shot dead in downtown Milledgeville. Abbott, left widowed, had to support herself and her children by expanding her tours to include northern cities.
In 1891 a successful run in New York City led to performances in London, England.
She was enormously successful there, performing at the Alhambra Theatre before packed houses for six weeks. She then toured Europe and Russia for nearly two years. She is reputed to have performed for the Prince of Wales, Queen Victoria, the Czar of Russia, and other royalty of Europe.
She performed from about 1885 until 1906. In 1915, following an illness of four years, Dixie Haygood died at the age of 54.
Her grave remained unmarked until October, 2001, when contributions from family and friends enabled a headstone to be placed on the grave. She was buried at Memory Hill Cemetary, Milledgeville, Georgia.















-Taken from MagicPedia and AllAboutMagicians.com