Manistee County Courthouse Fountain

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Manistee County Courthouse Fountain
Manistee Courthouse Fountain.jpg
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LocationOnekama Village Park, Onekama, Michigan
Coordinates 44°21′48″N86°12′23″W / 44.36333°N 86.20639°W / 44.36333; -86.20639 Coordinates: 44°21′48″N86°12′23″W / 44.36333°N 86.20639°W / 44.36333; -86.20639
Arealess than one acre
Built1887 (1887)
Architectural styleLate Victorian
NRHP reference # 88000065 [1]
Added to NRHPFebruary 8, 1988

The Manistee County Courthouse Fountain, also known as the Memorial Fountain, is a decorative fountain located in the Onekama Village Park in Onekama, Michigan. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. [1]

Fountain piece of architecture which ejects water

A fountain is a piece of architecture which pours water into a basin or jets it into the air to supply drinking water and/or for a decorative or dramatic effect.

Onekama, Michigan Village in Michigan, United States

Onekama is a village in Manistee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 411 at the 2010 census. The village is located on the shores of Portage Lake and is surrounded by Onekama Township. The town's name is derived from "Ona-ga-maa," an Anishinaabe word which means "singing water." Some local business people have produced sweatshirts, T-shirts, and bumper stickers with the symbols "1,", a common mispronunciation.

National Register of Historic Places federal list of historic sites in the United States

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred preserving the property.

Contents

History

In 1878, a Victorian Gothic county courthouse was constructed on Third Street in Manistee, Michigan. In 1887 two fountains were placed on the courthouse grounds, to each side and slightly in front of the courthouse itself. These fountains remained in place until 1950, when the courthouse was destroyed by fire. At that time, the Portage Lake Garden Club, a civic improvement club located in Onekama, accepted one of the fountains to be placed in the Onekama Village Park. It is possible that this fountain was actually constructed from pieces of the two, as only a few fragments of the "other" fountain exist. [2]

Manistee, Michigan City in Michigan, United States

Manistee is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 6,226 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Manistee County. The name "Manistee" is from an Ojibwe word first applied to the principal river of the county. The derivation is not certain, but it may be from ministigweyaa, "river with islands at its mouth". Other sources claim that it was an Ojibwe term meaning "spirit of the woods".

The fountain was installed in Onekama in July 1950, and landscaping added around it. It was dedicated in August 1951. In 1974, as a result of damage to the fountain, it was removed, repaired, and reinstalled. [2]

Description

The Memorial Fountain is an ornamental fountain made of cast iron, standing on a concrete base and topped with a lead statue of a merman riding a dolphin and blowing a horn. The entire fountain is 77 inches high and 88 inches wide. It is constructed in three tiers, with a wide lower basin at the bottom, a pedestal supporting a central basin in the middle, and a second pedestal supporting the upper basin an merman statue at the top. An inscription, "Patented April 11, 1871" appears on the surface of the fountain. The basins are decorated with designs featuring storks, cat-o'-nine tails, lilly leaves, and flowers, as well as acanthus, flute, and scallop designs. [2]

Cast iron iron or a ferrous alloy which has been liquefied then poured into a mould to solidify

Cast iron is a group of iron-carbon alloys with a carbon content greater than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its colour when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impurities which allow cracks to pass straight through, grey cast iron has graphite flakes which deflect a passing crack and initiate countless new cracks as the material breaks, and ductile cast iron has spherical graphite "nodules" which stop the crack from further progressing.

Lead Chemical element with atomic number 82

Lead is a chemical element with symbol Pb and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cut, lead is silvery with a hint of blue; it tarnishes to a dull gray color when exposed to air. Lead has the highest atomic number of any stable element and three of its isotopes are endpoints of major nuclear decay chains of heavier elements.

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References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 3 Tom E. Gerhardt (November 1987), National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Manistee County Courthouse Fountain