A wall-mounted cast iron fountain located on John Street Upper is one of many that were installed throughout the town by Mayor John Greene to provide clean drinking water.
This ground level three sided drinking fountain has a spigot on each side and a dedication plaque in the centre face with the inscription: Erected/ By John Greene / J.P. / Mayor / 1854. (Note: re-painting of the structure has mistakenly reduced its age by a decade). It terminates in an ogee style cupola. The spigots are reminiscent of pump type taps. The manufacturer is unknown.
Known as the ‘Cock’ it was historically acknowledged as a dividing line which determined social status: you either came from above or below the Cock o’ John Street.
On 6 July 2005 the structure was added as an item of Special Interest to the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
Glossary:
Cupola, a small, domed structure on top of a roof.
Following an apprenticeship with Hope Iron Works in Pawtucket, Henry F. Jenks started manufacturing fountains of his own design in 1871. Through his efforts modern drinking fountains were placed in convenient places about the city.
A drinking fountain for man and beast was installed at Exchange Street in Pawtucket. The same model was also located at Point Street in Providence outside the Fire Station.
Exchange Street, Pawtucket
A modification of the fountain with a lamp post was erected in Prospect Street, Pawtucket and in 1891 the town of Pascoag decided to purchase a similar fountain and placed it in Pascoag Square which would later become known as Fountain Square. It proved to be very popular as four horses could drink from it at the same time.
The same model with lantern stood outside the Farwell worsted mill on Pine Street in Central Falls.
Henry F. Jenks’ drinking fountain for man and beast was manufactured in cast iron with a fluted circular moulding creating a trough at ground level for the use of dogs. Arched panels contained the image in bas-relief of a woman dressed in classical robes raising a cup/bowl in her right hand and a pitcher in her left hand. The manufacturer’s name, Henry F. Jenks / Pawtucket, R.I. was inlaid on the pedestal and one movable panel offered access to plumbing. A horse trough, 56 inches in diameter, in the form of a basin was 4 feet 3 inches above ground level (a comfortable height for horses to drink with ease) and had the capacity to hold a barrel of water (42 gallons).
The centre of the basin contained a jamb from which four dolphin mascarons spouted water into the basin with the overflow falling to the dog trough below. This design prevented contagious distemper. Drinking cups were attached by chains for the use of humans.
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 highly decorated finial, with floriated relief and a studded band, terminated in an orb. The structure was also offered with a gas lantern extension.
The years 1914 and 1915 saw an epidemic of glanders in several sections of the Atlantic coast states, and many cities closed their existing horse drinking fountains, as it was believed that the disease was spread by the common use of bowls or troughs. Instead, drivers were asked, or required by ordinance, to carry with each horse-drawn vehicle a pail for watering horses. It remained to provide facilities for filling these pails, and this was done in different ways. In Boston, New Bedford and some other cities, fountains of the horse bowl type known as the H. F. Jenks pattern were adapted as follows: The bowls were removed and replaced with new castings containing three or more self-closing faucets, designed with a special view to being non-freezable. This appears to have given entire satisfaction.
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
Capital, the top of a column that supports the load bearing down on it
Finial, a sculptured ornament fixed to the top of a peak, arch, gable or similar structure
Fluted Shaft, a long rounded groove decorating the shaft of a column
Fret, running or repeated ornament
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
Plinth, flat base usually projecting, upon which a pedestal, wall or column rests.
Memorial Drinking Fountains 