As I travel about the small towns of New Hampshire, I constantly observe relics and remnants from the past. In some towns, there are many old items scattered along the roads, most commonly at the old business centers. My recent encounters have involved an abundance of old water fountains and horse troughs, some long neglected, some rejuvenated by an ambitious preservationist and others repurposed for another use.
The old water fountains were installed over a century ago and cast iron tended to be a common material for many of them. The old water fountains were most usually connected to a natural supply of water such as a spring or aqueduct with the purpose of providing cool clean water for residents to quench their thirst on a hot summer afternoon or allow them to wash the road dust off of their hands. Through the end of the 1800s, the natural flowing gravity fed water supply was the primary approach when installing a water fountain.
The water fountains were also installed for ornate and decorative reasons. Many people were honored and memorialized with an inscription on a water fountain in a prominent location. Here in Concord, there was a gravity fed water fountain at the main entrance to the Blossom Hill Cemetery. The fountain flowed each summer and was winterized late each fall to avoid damage. This particular cemetery fountain was manufactured with cast iron material, most likely molded in cast iron at the Ford Foundry on Warren Street in Concord. It remained at the entrance to the cemetery prominently displayed for decades until maintenance and damage deemed an unfortunate fate and the fountain was no more.
Another widely visited fountain was located on the grounds of the State House. It was practical alongside Main Street and provided refreshing water to the people that visited. It was intricate and detailed, a work of art by any standard. Our New Hampshire legislatures supported the placement of the State House fountain and it was diligently cared for by the state maintenance workers. That is until one fateful day when some young boys decided it would be interesting to see the public water fountain in a somewhat humorous manner.
The boys visited the fountain after midnight one summer eve and added a thick concoction of liquid soap to the water. The State House water flowed freely this fateful evening with the sudsy mixture. As businesses opened along Main Street the next morning and the doors to the State House opened, the people were initially appalled to see a large portion of the State House yard piled several feet high with nothing but soap suds. Many visited the fountain that summer day and were quite amused. Unfortunately, lawmakers did not share that amusement and ordered the immediate removal of the ornate water fountain from the yard.
I once again ventured to the little town of Hopkinton this week to view one of the remaining water fountains still featured in their town park. I am pleased to still find the old red water fountain that I remembered as a child located in the same location. This particular water fountain is a memorial fountain. The iron plate attached tells over a century old story to the reader. The inscription tells us “In Memory of Hon. Horace Chase who organized the Hopkinton Village Aqueduct Association A. D. 1841 whereby this village has ever since been supplied with pure water.” It is quite apparent the citizens deeply appreciated Horace Chase and his contributions to Hopkinton.
Another age-old evolution was the placement of watering troughs for the horses that traveled the streets of our quaint New England towns. These watering troughs were typically installed in towns at busy intersections. Many an animal-loving philanthropist donated their money to manufacture and place these troughs for horses and other animals in need of water. Prior to the multiple horse troughs being placed throughout the 1800s, the need for water was strong but otherwise a natural source in the form of a spring, pond or lake would have to be found to water the horses. There were hundreds of these cast iron or granite watering troughs located around New England and they were considered a very important feature in every town.
With the invention of the automobile, the horse troughs were falling out of use. Mass production coupled with affordability meant more Americans were able to purchase a family automobile. With fewer horses on the road, many towns failed to maintain the horse watering troughs and repurposed them by filling them with soil and planting flowers in the summer. Towns such as Concord had concerns in the 1940s with their new trucks featuring snow plows. The plows were hitting the ornamental granite troughs alongside the roads and many granite troughs were removed to allow for plowing.
The water fountains suffered a similar fate as the 1900s progressed. The war effort required recycled scrap metal and many of our beautiful and ornate water fountains ended up in the scrap metal piles for the war. We also lost many Victorian Era wrought iron fences as well as horse hitching posts in the 1940s in the form of scrap metal.
We are fortunate today to view the surviving fountains and watering troughs. We pass them each day along the roads we travel, hidden in plain view. They are treasured now — unlike the period when they were not used or deemed functional.
When I see the old watering troughs and the fountains, I am reminded of an old house that sheltered a family through generations. The house is now empty, but it is the fond memories that have survived. The empty house, much like the old relics we see along the roads today, instill a deep sadness within. As the poet Joyce Kilmer wrote in 1914 in a deeply melancholy way, “But a house that has done what a house should do, a house that has sheltered life … Is the saddest sight, when it’s left alone, that ever your eyes could meet.”
Enjoy our remaining fountains and watering troughs. A sad demise to a time when they were once needed, fortunately some have survived the years.