Murphy Memorial Drinking Fountain

Last updated
Murphy Memorial Drinking Fountain
Murphy Memorial Drinking Fountain.jpg
ArtistBlakley Granite, Marble and Tile Company, Myra Reynolds Richards,
Year1918 (1918)
Type Bronze, Barre Granite
Location Delphi, Indiana, United States
Coordinates 40°35′09″N86°40′30″W / 40.585903°N 86.675022°W / 40.585903; -86.675022
OwnerCity of Delphi

The Murphy Memorial Drinking Fountain is located in Delphi, Indiana on the southwest corner of the Carroll County Courthouse at Main and Market Streets and owned by the City of Delphi. The fountain was created in 1918 by Indianapolis-based Blakley Granite, Marble and Tile Company in collaboration with the artist Myra Reynolds Richards. Blakley created the architectural elements and Richards created the figural sculpture of the young girl located in the center. Originally there were two drinking fountains contained within the granite chalices on either side while the sculpture had a minor feature that may have bubbled water out of the chalice that the child holds with her right hand.

Contents

Description

The sculptor Myra Reynolds Richards stands in front of the bronze sculpture she made in 1918 for the Murphy Memorial Drinking Fountain in Delphi, Indiana. Myra Richards in front of the Murphy Memorial Fountain in Delphi, Indiana, ca 1920.jpg
The sculptor Myra Reynolds Richards stands in front of the bronze sculpture she made in 1918 for the Murphy Memorial Drinking Fountain in Delphi, Indiana.

The Murphy Memorial Drinking Fountain is a structure made of Barre Granite, [1] the same stone utilized in the Sailors and Soldiers Monument, which was created in 1888 and stands on the southeast corner of the courthouse square in Delphi, Indiana. The precise date that the fountain was finished is not known, but it appears installed and operational in a photo taken by Andrew W. Wolever on Labor Day in 1919. [2]

The sculpture by Reynolds depicts a young girl wearing a short one piece dress. She holds her left hand out before her with a chalice, which currently contains a drinking fountain. Her right hand is stretched behind her.

A bronze tablet is mounted above the sculpture that reads "The Mr. and Mrs. M. M. Murphy Drinking Fountain". The sculpture was donated by Clara G. Murphy, on behalf of her deceased husband, and herself. The couple owned Murphy's Drugstore from 1875 to 1910, which was located across the street from the fountain at 112 West Main Street. [3]

Model for sculpture

Lewis Shaffer McGiffin stated in 1963 that she was the model that the sculptor used to create the little girl. Instead of posing for the sculptor in person, a photograph of McGriffin was used. Because the girl is shoeless, wears a short dress, with unadorned hair, McGriffin stated that she was "terribly afraid my schoolmates may discover my identity and wonder why I was in the town square" dressed in such a way. She only admitted later in life to having been the model. [4]

Historical information

The location for the fountain is based on a long-standing community water source on the southwest corner of the courthouse square.

1960s restoration

In 1963 the sculpture suffered damage and was no longer dispensing water. The left arm of the sculpture was damaged when the plumbing became clogged, however it was not the clog that broke the arm. Repairmen accidentally broke the arm while investigating the leak. With support from the city council and a community fundraising effort, the fountain was repaired. [5]

1990s restoration

By the 1990s the fountain and the sculpture had been altered. A set of concrete steps were added at the front and an oversized bubbler was added on top of the chalice that the child holds. While this bubbler returned the drinking function to the fountain, it significantly altered the appearance. [1]

2010s restoration

In 2012 the City of Delphi was named one of Indiana's Stellar Communities, which comes with a grants that allow for rehabilitation of certain parts of the community. Plans are underway to restore the fountain to its original appearance. [6]

Condition

It was surveyed as part of the Save Outdoor Sculpture! survey in 1993, and was noted as needing conservation treatment. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carroll County, Indiana</span> County in Indiana, United States

Carroll County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 20,306. The county seat is Delphi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delphi, Indiana</span> City in Indiana, United States

Delphi is a city in and the county seat of Carroll County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. Located twenty minutes northeast of Lafayette, it is part of the Lafayette, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,893 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard J. Daley Center</span> Civic center of Chicago, Illinois, US

The Richard J. Daley Center, also known by its open courtyard Daley Plaza and named after longtime mayor Richard J. Daley, is the premier civic center of the City of Chicago in Illinois. The Center's modernist skyscraper primarily houses offices and courtrooms for the Cook County Circuit Courts, Cook County State's Attorney and additional office space for the City and the County. It is adjacent to the City Hall-County Building. The open granite-paved plaza used for gatherings, protests, and events is also the site of the Chicago Picasso, a gift to the city from the artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karl Bitter</span> American sculptor (1867-1915)

Karl Theodore Francis Bitter was an Austrian-born American sculptor best known for his architectural sculpture, memorials and residential work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temperance Fountain (Washington, D.C.)</span> United States historic place

The Temperance Fountain is a fountain and statue located in Washington, D.C., donated to the city in 1882 by Henry D. Cogswell, a dentist from San Francisco, California, who was a crusader in the temperance movement. This fountain was one of a series of temperance fountains he designed and commissioned in a belief that easy access to cool drinking water would keep people from consuming alcoholic beverages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mowbray Park</span>

Mowbray Park is a municipal park in the centre of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England, located a few hundred yards from the busy thoroughfares of Holmeside and Fawcett Street and bordered by Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens to the north, Burdon Road to the west, Toward Road to the east and Park Road to the south. The park was voted best in Britain in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indiana World War Memorial Plaza</span> Historic district in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

The Indiana World War Memorial Plaza is an urban feature and war memorial located in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, originally built to honor the veterans of World War I. It was conceived in 1919 as a location for the national headquarters of the American Legion and a memorial to the state's and nation's veterans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burnside Fountain</span> Drinking fountain with statue in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States

The Burnside Fountain is a non-functioning drinking fountain at the southeast corner of Worcester Common in Worcester, Massachusetts. It consists of two parts, a pink granite basin, and a bronze statue of a young boy riding a sea turtle. The basin was designed by architect Henry Bacon, who later designed the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the figure was created by sculptor Charles Y. Harvey. Harvey died by suicide before finishing the sculpture, and Sherry Fry completed the bronze. The Burnside Fountain was commissioned in 1905 by the city of Worcester after Harriet F. Burnside bequeathed US $5,000 to create a fountain to provide fresh water for people, horses and dogs, in the memory of her father, a prominent lawyer. The fountain was installed in 1912 in Central Square, then moved in 1969 to its current location on Worcester Common. In 1970 the statue was stolen, and was re-installed two years later. An attempted theft occurred in 2004.

<i>Depew Memorial Fountain</i> Fountain in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

Depew Memorial Fountain is a freestanding fountain completed in 1919 and located in University Park in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, within the Indiana World War Memorial Plaza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln Monument (Wabash, Indiana)</span>

The Lincoln Monument of Wabash, Indiana or The Great Emancipator is a public sculpture by Charles Keck, a sculptor who was born in New York City. The cast bronze sculpture was commissioned by Wabash-native Alexander New and donated to the city of Wabash, Indiana, in 1932. It has remained on view at the northeast corner of the Wabash County Courthouse lawn ever since.

<i>Thomas A. Hendricks Monument</i> Public artwork by Richard Henry Park

The Thomas A. Hendricks Monument is a public artwork by American artist Richard Henry Park and is located on the southeast corner of the Indiana Statehouse grounds in Indianapolis, Indiana. The monument is a tribute to Thomas A. Hendricks, the 21st Vice President of the United States. Hendricks was a former U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Indiana. He was the 16th Governor of Indiana and led the campaign to build the Indiana Statehouse.

<i>Christopher Columbus</i> (Vittori) Public artwork by Enrico Vittori

Christopher Columbus is a public artwork by Italian artist Enrico Vittori and located on the grounds of the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The sculpture was installed on the southwest corner of the Indiana Statehouse lawn in 1920 as a gift from Italian immigrant communities in Indiana.

<i>Coal Miner</i> (statue) Statue by John J. Szaton

Coal Miner is a public artwork by Polish American artist John J. Szaton (1907–1966) which is located in two US State capitals; the original, commissioned in 1963 in Springfield, Illinois, as well as a copy on the west lawn of the Indiana State House in Indianapolis The statues commemorate coal miners who had lost their lives in those states' mining industry. The 7-foot (2.1 m) tall statue rests on a 3-foot (0.91 m) square, granite base supported by a cement foundation that is 4–6 inches (100–150 mm) thick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackford County Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The Blackford County Courthouse is a historic building located in Hartford City, Indiana, the county seat of Blackford County. The building stands on a public square in the city's downtown commercial district. Built during the Indiana Gas Boom, most of the construction work was completed in 1894. The current courthouse was preceded by another courthouse building on the same site, which was declared inadequate by a judge in 1893, and was torn down. Following the condemnation of the original courthouse, the county's judicial activities were temporarily located in a building across the street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephenson Grand Army of the Republic Memorial</span> Public artwork by J. Massey Rhind

The Stephenson Grand Army of the Republic Memorial, also known as Dr. Benjamin F. Stephenson, is a public artwork in Washington, D.C. honoring Dr. Benjamin F. Stephenson, founder of the Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal organization for Union veterans. The memorial is sited at Indiana Plaza, located at the intersection of 7th Street, Indiana Avenue, and Pennsylvania Avenue NW in the Penn Quarter neighborhood. The bronze figures were sculpted by J. Massey Rhind, a prominent 20th-century artist. Attendees at the 1909 dedication ceremony included President William Howard Taft, Senator William Warner, and hundreds of Union veterans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myra Reynolds Richards</span> American sculptor and teacher (1882–1934)

Myra Reynolds Richards was an

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darlington Memorial Fountain</span> United States historic place

The Darlington Memorial Fountain, also known as the Joseph Darlington Fountain, Nymph and Fawn, and Darlington Fountain, is a sculpture by C. Paul Jennewein atop a fountain. It is located at Judiciary Park, where 5th Street, D Street, and Indiana Avenue NW intersect in the Judiciary Square neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The fountain is surrounded on three sides by government buildings, including the United States Court of Military Appeals, the H. Carl Moultrie Courthouse, and the former District of Columbia City Hall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carroll County Courthouse (Indiana)</span> United States historic place

The Carroll County Courthouse is a historic courthouse located at 101 W. Main St. in Delphi, Carroll County, Indiana. It was designed by architect Elmer E. Dunlap and built in 1916. It is a three-story Classical Revival style rectangular building of Indiana limestone. It features a three-story projecting pavilion. The Carroll County Courthouse property has two prominent works of public art in its collection: the Murphy Memorial Drinking Fountain (1918) and the Soldiers and Sailors Monument (1888); they are considered contributing objects along with a World War II artillery gun.

<i>Peace Monument</i> (Decatur, Indiana)

Peace Monument is a cenotaph designed by Charles Mulligan. It is located at the Adams County Courthouse in Decatur, Indiana, in the United States. It is a war memorial devoted to peace, active women in the American Civil War and as a general war memorial commemorating the sacrifice of soldiers in war. It is the first monument in the United States specifically devoted to peace.

<i>Soldiers and Sailors Monument</i> (Delphi, Indiana)

The Soldiers and Sailors Monument is a work of public art in Delphi, Indiana in the United States. It is located at the Carroll County Courthouse, and comprises the collection on the National Register of Historic Places listing making up the courthouse and the square.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Murphy Memorial Drinking Fountain, (sculpture)". Save Outdoor Sculpture!. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  2. "Carroll County Courthouse, Labor Day". Carroll County Historical Museum. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  3. "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form" (PDF). State of Indiana. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  4. Shaffer McGiffin, Lewis (7 June 1963). "Author Writes of Murphy Fountain". Delphi Citizen.
  5. "Memorial Fountain Restoration Sought". The Pharos-Tribune and Logansport Press. 30 June 1963. p. Eighteen.
  6. Kass, Dustin (11 May 2012). "Delphi named one of two Stellar Communities". Indiana Economic Digest. Retrieved 12 September 2014.