The Town Fountain

Location: Warwick, Massachusetts, USA

A cast iron drinking fountain fed by springs from nearby Mount Grace and originally located in the center of the road near the Baptist Church was moved in 1979 to the Town Common in front of the Warwick Free Public Library.

Creative Commons License, Erika Nygard. Source: https://eanygard.wixsite.com/capt-ball-fountain

Source: https://www.recorder.com/A1-Warwick-fountain-history-project-31230698

Creative Commons License, Erika Nygard. Source: https://eanygard.wixsite.com/capt-ball-fountain

The fountain was donated to the town in 1900 by Julia Beatrice Thayer who was active and well known in her community as a suffragist, civic leader, and philanthropist. The designer and manufacturer Henry F. Jenks was present to supervise the installation.

Source: https://www.recorder.com/A1-Warwick-fountain-history-project-31230698

Source: https://www.recorder.com/A1-Warwick-fountain-history-project-31230698

According to a map created in 1963 by historian and former town resident Charles Morse, the fountain was once known as Captain Ball’s Fountain, a highly esteemed veteran of the Civil War who took part in Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. I have been unable to find documentation that would confirm the supposed dedication of the fountain which may have derived from the fact that Julia B. Thayer’s maiden name was Ball. However, Julia’s parents were a businessman David Ball from Keene and Fanny Parker Capron.

Henry F. Jenks’ 24 feet high drinking fountain for man and beast was identified as #3 in his foundry catalog. The fountain manufactured in cast iron consists of a solid base with an annular channel for use as a dog trough. The 4ft high fluted pedestal with attic base hosts arched panels for dedication or bas-relief enrichment. A movable panel in one side offers access to plumbing.

A horse trough, 56 inches in diameter, in the form of a basin (at 4 feet 3 inches above ground level it was a comfortable height for horses to drink with ease) had the capacity to hold a barrel of water (42 gallons).

Creative Commons License, Erika Nygard. Source: https://eanygard.wixsite.com/capt-ball-fountain

The centre of the basin contains a jamb from which four dolphin mascarons spouted water. Two drinking cups which were originally attached were removed following a 1910 regulation proclaiming the provision of public drinking cups in any public park, street or way to be unlawful. Waste water was directed to the dog trough at street level. This design prevented contagious distemper.

Creative Commons License, Erika Nygard. Source: https://eanygard.wixsite.com/capt-ball-fountain

In 1979 the fountain was sandblasted and the water pump was fixed at the Rodney Hunt Machine company in Orange, MA. A duplicate of one of the dolphin mascarons was made to replace one which had broken off. The original mascaron was attached to a pipe to be used to fill jugs of water during the winter months. The highly decorated finial with floriated relief and a studded band terminated in an orb with the same detail as the basin.

The fountain was provided with self closing faucets and the pipes within were constructed to resist freezing in cold temperatures. Fountains were supplied both with and without an ice box attachment as desired. An ice box was placed near the sidewalk underground, which was provided with coils of tin lined pipe on which ice was placed to cool the water flowing through the coils to the outlet of the fountain.

The fountain was repaired and painted in 2019.

Glossary:

• Annular; circular, ring shaped
• Attic base, a column base with two rings
• Bas-relief, sculpted material that has been raised from the background to create a slight projection from the surface
• Finial, a sculptured ornament fixed to the top of a peak, arch, gable or similar structure
• Jamb, a projecting vertical post containing sculpture
• Mascaron, a decorative element in the form of a sculpted face or head of a human being or an animal
• Pedestal, an architectural support for a column or statue

Lion’s Head Well

Location: North Queensferry, Fife, Scotland

The North Queensferry Heritage Trail offers several examples of different types of wells which welcomed pilgrims to North Queensferry after their arduous journey across the River Forth. The valued and scarce water source was supplied to the village from the Glensherup Reservoir from springs originating in the Ochil hills.

The cast iron drinking fountain located at the intersection of Ferryhill Road and Main Street is known as the Lion’s Head Well and was installed circa 1883 to “raise the walls and put a lock on the well” according to records of the local Sailor’s Society. A cast iron door inserted into the stone wall behind the fountain may have been access to the original well circa 1822. Two bas-relief vignettes display the struggling figures of a foreign sailor and a local woman attempting to protect the town’s meagre water supply.

The figure of Europa seated on a bull is also presented. Europa who was the granddaughter of Poseidon was abducted into the sea by the god Zeus disguised as a bull. According to Greek Myth, her brother Cadmus undertook the search for Europa, but after consultation with the Oracle of Delphi he was instructed to abandon the search and instead follow a cow and establish a city upon the spot where it lay down. This is the legend of the foundation of the Greek city of Thebes. Cadmus and his companions then brought water for their new settlement from a nearby fountain.

Designed and manufactured by Glenfield & Kennedy Ltd. this late 19th century fountain design was advertised as Kennedy’s patent, self-closing, anti-freezing pillar fountain. It consists of a fluted cast iron cylindrical column with moulded domed cap and small finial resembling a pineapple which is a symbol of hospitality.

Water was drawn from a well by a wind pump and delivered by gravity from a reservoir. The water which was released by turning a decorative knob was located directly above a lion mascaron spout. It was captured in a tin cup suspended on a chain from the domed top. A small demi-lune trough at ground level captured overflow water for the use of dogs. Some models used a lever on the side to release the water and had an integral bucket platform located just above the base of the column.

Source: https://glasgowgallivanter.com/2019/05/27/north-queensferry-dalgety-bay/

Glossary:

• Demi-lune, half moon or crescent shape
• Finial, a sculptured ornament fixed to the top of a peak, arch, gable or similar structure
• Fluted, a long rounded groove
• Mascaron, a decorative element in the form of a sculpted face or head of a human being or an animal