The National Humane Alliance fountains are a series of granite drinking fountains distributed by the National Humane Alliance, intended to provide fresh drinking water for horses, dogs, cats, and people. About 125 of the fountains were donated to cities throughout the United States and Mexico between 1902 and 1915. Most of the fountains have been removed from their original sites, usually in the center of busy intersections, but at least 70 of them are still publicly viewable. Two examples are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: one in Des Moines, Iowa (also known as the Southeast Water Trough) and one in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The National Humane Alliance was founded in 1897 by Hermon Lee Ensign, a philanthropist and animal welfare advocate who had amassed a fortune in the advertising business. When he died in 1899, he left much of his wealth to build animal drinking fountains for any city that requested one. The fountains were provided free of charge as long as the city provided an appropriate site, water supply, and maintenance. [1] Between 1904 and 1912, [2] more than 100 cities took advantage of the offer. The fountains were produced in Vinalhaven, Maine by the Bodwell Granite Company, [3] [4] the same company that supplied the stone blocks for the Brooklyn Bridge.
The fountains' original use became obsolete not long after they were installed as motor vehicles replaced horses in urban areas. Mostly located in busy intersections, the fountains became traffic hazards and many of them were removed to parks or other quieter locations. [1] Nevertheless, around 70 of the fountains are still publicly viewable, including several examples that have been restored and are still functional.
The fountains are not all identical, but most share one of two basic designs. The most common version is 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 m) tall, consisting of a large circular bowl with a square pillar rising from its center placed on a square pedestal. The main bowl, intended for horses, is 6 feet (1.8 m) in diameter and is fed by bronze spigots in the shape of lion heads on three sides of the upper pillar. The fourth side contains a bronze plaque listing details of the fountain's construction. The lower pedestal is 18 inches (46 cm) high and has niches on each side with drinking bowls near ground level for dogs, cats, and other small animals. The fountain is assembled from five pieces of granite weighing 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) in total. [1] [3] [5]
The second fountain design has a smaller bowl and a round, rather than square, pedestal. [6] These were intended for smaller cities and other locations where the bigger fountain, which could accommodate eight horses at a time, was considered unnecessarily large. [3] Some of the fountains originally had decorative light standards mounted on top; however, few of these have survived.
More than 100 cities across the United States received the fountains, and at least 70 are still in existence. (A handful were also located in Mexico and Puerto Rico.) Derby, Connecticut has a website dedicated to the fountains that includes an interactive map of the United States with locations and pictures.
A drinking fountain, also called a water fountain or water bubbler, is a fountain designed to provide drinking water. It consists of a basin with either continuously running water or a tap. The drinker bends down to the stream of water and swallows water directly from the stream. Modern indoor drinking fountains may incorporate filters to remove impurities from the water and chillers to lower its temperature. Drinking fountains are usually found in public places, like schools, rest areas, libraries, and grocery stores.
The Tyler Davidson Fountain or The Genius of Water is a statue and fountain located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is regarded as the city's symbol and one of the area's most-visited attractions. It was dedicated in 1871 and is the centerpiece of Fountain Square, a hardscape plaza at the corner of 5th and Vine Streets in the downtown area. It is surrounded by stores, hotels, restaurants and offices. Originally, and for more than 130 years, it was located in the center of 5th Street, immediately west of Walnut Street. In 2006, renovations were undertaken to Fountain Square and the Tyler Davidson Fountain was temporarily removed. When reinstalled it was relocated to a much wider space near the north end of the reconfigured square, closer to the Fifth Third Bank Building and away from street traffic. The fountain is turned off for the winter months and turned on again in time for the first home game of Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds.
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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.
A watering trough is a man-made or natural receptacle intended to provide drinking water to animals, livestock on farms or ranches or wild animals.
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Henry Bergh is a statue by American artist James H. Mahoney located at the Wisconsin Humane Society in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. The bronze statue portrays Henry Bergh, the father of the humane movement in the United States, holding a cane in his proper right hand and petting a dog with a bandaged paw with his proper left hand. It was created in 1891 and stands 9 feet high.
The R. D. Whitehead Monument is a public artwork by Norwegian born American artist Sigvald Asbjornsen located on the south side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. The artwork consists of a bronze-relief plaque depicting a dog and horse, set on a granite pillar, which is in turn part of a fountain.
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The Admission Day Monument is an 1897 sculpture by Douglas Tilden, located at the intersection of Market Street and Montgomery Street in San Francisco, California, United States. It commemorates California Admission Day, the date on which the state became part of the Union, following the Mexican-American war of 1848.
The Thomas Temple Fountain was a cast-iron and granite drinking fountain for "man and beast" in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. It no longer functions as a fountain but remains in place as a work of public art. It is located at the north end of Queen Street, just west of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery. The Temple Fountain was added to Fredericton's Local Historic Places Register in June 2011.
This is a history and list of drinking fountains in the United States. A drinking fountain, also called a water fountain or bubbler, is a fountain designed to provide drinking water. It consists of a basin with either continuously running water or a tap. The drinker bends down to the stream of water and swallows water directly from the stream. Drinking water fountains are most commonly found in heavy usage areas like public amenities, schools, airports, and museums.
The Military Working Dog Teams National Monument is a monument to military working dogs located at Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA)-Lackland in San Antonio, Texas. The monument represents handlers, dogs, and veterinary support, from all military service branches that have made up the Military Working Dog program since World War II. The monument grounds include a 3,000 square feet granite plaza, granite pedestals, granite history wall, granite benches and water fountain. The granite pedestals have large bronze statues of dogs and handlers. The monument was dedicated on October 28, 2013.
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The Southeast Water Trough is an historic structure located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It is one of the last of 15 National Humane Alliance fountains that were placed around the city by the Iowa Humane Alliance. They were also named Ensign fountains after the founder of the National Humane Alliance, Hermon Lee Ensign. This was one of two placed in Des Moines in 1906.
Rondebosch Fountain is an ornamental Victorian drinking trough for horses, standing on a traffic island on the intersection between Belmont Road and Main Road in the centre of Rondebosch in Cape Town, South Africa. It was declared a National Monument on 10 April 1964.
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