Fountain, (sculpture).

Fountain, (sculpture).

J. W. Fiske Iron Works, founder.

Smyser, George, contractor.

Art Research & Technology, founder.

E. G. Smyser & Company, contractor.

Variety Iron Works, founder.

Fountain, (sculpture).

1878. Dedicated July 17, 1878. Rededicated July 22, 1994.

Digital Reference:

Fountain: stainless steel; Basin: concrete.

Fountain: approx. H. 26 ft. x Diam. 11 ft.; Basin: approx. H. 1 ft. x Diam. 30 ft.

(On plaque:) ERECTED IN MEMORY/OF THE/SOLDIERS OF FRANKLIN COUNTY WHO/FOUGHT FOR THE UNION IN THE/WAR BETWEEN THE STATES 1861-1865/DEDICATED JULY 17TH, 1878 (Other plaques placed at intervals around the basin honor veterans of other wars from the French & Indian Wars to the Vietnam War) unsigned

Five-tiered fountain stands in an octagonal basin. The tiers of the fountain are scalloped bowls. The bottom stem has four cherubs who are riding on dolphins. Each cherub holds an object in his upraised proper left hand and water spouts from the mouths of the dolphins. A pair of swans swims in the bowl above. The remaining tiers are graduated in size with ornate stems. The top tier contains a vertical spout which cascades water to all the tiers below.

History -- United States -- Civil War

History -- United States -- Military history

Religion -- Angel

Animal -- Bird -- Swan

Outdoor Sculpture -- Pennsylvania -- Chambersburg

Administered by Franklin County Heritage, Inc., P. O. Box 78, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania 17201

Located Intersection of Routes 11 & 30, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania

The fountain and a companion soldier (see IAS PA001547) were erected by citizens of Chambersburg, who had seen their city burned in 1864, during the Civil War. The fountain was erected as a symbol of healing and purification, refreshment and peace. It was erected by the Ladies and Soldiers Monument Association in honor of Franklin County residents who fought in the Civil War. The entire memorial (the fountain and companion soldier) cost $1,700. Contemporary newspaper accounts state that the memorial was erected under the supervision of George Smyser, but differ as the whether Mr. Smyser was employed by E. G. Smyser and Company or Variety Iron Works. The addition of the soldier was part of a compromise reached by Association members who had different opinions on what form the memorial should take.

When originally erected, the fountain was surrounded by a chain fence with pipe railing and cannon-shaped iron posts and bronze shields designed by Thaddeus M. Mahon, only portions of which now remain. The chains were removed, possible as early as 1883, and replaced with wire mesh fencing, which was removed around 1994. Bronze tablets honoring Franklin County citizens who fought in the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War,, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, and World War I, were later additions, as was a tablet added in memory of a Franklin County resident who dies on the Battle ship Maine in Havana harbor in Feb. 1898 (made of metal recovered from the ship). Also added a later date is a bronze tablet that commemorates the famous meeting in the Diamond of Generals Lee and Hill en route to Gettysburg in 1863. Various types of cannon have been placed around the fountain over the years.

The current fountain (or portions of it) may be a replacement for the original Fiske piece, which was reportedly a cast iron fountain, painted bronze. In 1994, the fountain was restored by Art Research & Technology (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) and is now reported to be stainless steel. The fountain basin, originally brick, has been replaced by a concrete basin. The fountain and its companion solider are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. IAS files contain rededication booklet, entitled "Beyond the Years: the Fountain in the Square."

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Pennsylvania survey, 1995.

"Beyond the Years: The Fountain in the Square," Chambersburg, PA: Franklin County Heritage, Inc., 1978.

Companion to: PA001547.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

Control Number:

Horizon Information Portal 3.25_9382

Powered by SirsiDynix

About | © 2020 Smithsonian | Terms of Use | Privacy | Contact

SIRIS - Smithsonian Institution Research Information System