The full story of the history of Jordan's beloved fountain is literally enchanting! Let's become enchanted together, as we learn more below about the fascinating history of this exquisitely beautiful former centerpiece of our village, which provided fresh spring water to horses, humans, and dogs, for nearly four decades—from 1890 to 1929.
ABOVE PHOTO: Looking southwest. Extremely early photograph of the fountain which was formerly located at the main intersection in the village of Jordan, on the southwest corner of Clinton Street and South Main Street. A young boy is serving himself some water from the medium-sized basin on the west side of the fountain, which was the basin intended to be used as a source of water for humans. It has been reported that a tin cup on a chain was attached to the fountain for people to use when serving themselves. The large basin on the east side was for horses, and the two small basins on the north and south sides were for dogs. The sign above the main entrance to the 3-story brick hotel building at far right says "Richard Niles," which is the name of the proprietor of the hotel at that time. The 1812 White Mill located on the southeast corner of Elbridge Street and South Main Street is visible in the background at left. Note the tall water tower in the background on Hill Street. This was a reserve to be used for emergencies, such as a fire.
ABOVE PHOTO: Close-up from previous photo. The Cole & Brace Hardware Store has not yet been built on the southwest corner of Lawrence Street and South Main Street, so this photograph must have been taken sometime after 1890 (the year that the fountain was erected), but before 1894 (the year that the Cole & Brace Hardware Store was built).
ABOVE PHOTO: Close-up from previous photo. In this close-up, the name of the fountain is clearly visible on the plaque which was mounted on the north side of the fountain base: "The Smith Wood Fountain, 1890."
Samuel Newell Wood donated the fountain to Jordan in 1890, in memory of his father, Smith Wood
ABOVE PHOTO: Samuel N. Wood, with his signature. Samuel Newell Wood (aka Newell Samuel Wood, 1844-1920, age 75), who grew up on a farm near Jordan, donated the fountain to the Village of Jordan in 1890, in memory of his father, the late Smith N. Wood, a local farmer. Image source: FindAGrave.com.
After growing up on the Wood family farm located northeast of the village of Jordan (near the northeast corner of what are today known as Cooper Road and Stevens Road, see map below), Samuel Wood made his way out west, and acquired a small fortune as a banker during the "gold rush" days in what are today known as the cities of Denver, Colorado, and Deadwood, South Dakota. But although he became very wealthy, Samuel Wood never forgot the people of his hometown (see below for more details).
ABOVE PHOTO: "Deadwood in 1876. General view of the Dakota Territory gold rush town from a hillside above," by S. J. Morrow. Note the large sign reading: "Tin Shop." Photo credit: U.S. National Archives at College Park, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
ABOVE PHOTO: Stebbins, Wood & Post Bank on Main Street in Deadwood, 1877. This was the bank owned by Samuel Newell Wood and his two partners. From Wikipedia: "In the spring of 1877, the bank of Stebbins, Wood and Post was started by William R. Stebbins, Samuel N. Wood and M.E. Post. In 1878, these 3 men assisted in the organization of the First National Bank of Deadwood, Dakota Territory." Photo credit: public domain.
ABOVE IMAGE: Samuel Newell Wood's signature appears in the lower left-hand corner of this bank note from his second bank in Deadwood—the First National Bank of Deadwood. (Compare this signature with his signature above under his photo.) Inscription on bank note reads: "National Currency. This note is secured by bonds of United States, deposited with the U.S. Treasurer at Washington. First National Bank of Deadwood will pay the bearer on demand Five Dollars. Territory of Dakota, Deadwood, Aug. 15th, 1878." Image source (Wikipedia): "Series 1875 $5 Territorial bank note with pen signatures of S.N. Wood, Cashier and L.R. Graves, President."
ABOVE IMAGE: 1850 U.S. Census record, Town of Elbridge. The members of the Smith Wood family listed here are: 37-year-old father Smith N. Wood (1812-1879, age 67), 35-year-old mother (Frances) Rhoda Wood (1815-1879, age 64), 9-year-old daughter Frances ("Franc") Wood Otis (1840-1912, age 71), and 6-year-old son Newell Samuel Wood (aka Samuel Newell Wood, 1844-1920, age 75). (Frances, a female, is mistakenly listed as a male.) It is quite likely that Smith Wood and his family are related to the other Wood family listed just above them on the same page. Perhaps Samuel Wood was Smith Wood's father, and if so, Samuel Newell Wood may possibly have been named after his grandfather.
ABOVE IMAGE: 1860 Sweet's Atlas of Onondaga County, Town of Elbridge. Note the farm in Great Lot #33, near the northeast corner of what are today known as Cooper Road and Stevens Road, labelled "S. Wood." This would have been Smith Wood's farm.
ABOVE IMAGE: 1860 Sweet's Atlas of Onondaga County, Town of Elbridge. Note the farm in Great Lot #33, near the northeast corner of what are today known as Cooper Road and Stevens Road. This farm now belongs to "A. Howland."
Samuel Newell Wood's only sibling, his older sister Franc, married Isaac Coonley Otis (1832-1912, age 79). Isaac lived his entire life in a house which was originally built in 1832 by Isaac's father, Herod Otis, the same year that Isaac Coonley Otis was born. This house is one of the earliest homes in the village of Jordan which is still standing, and it is located at what is today 20 North Main Street (just south of St. Patrick's Church). After moving out west, Samuel Newell Wood would periodically return to Jordan to visit family members, including his sister, Franc. Isaac Coonley Otis is a name well known to many present-day Jordan residents who are familiar with the story of the Lincoln Cannonball, because it was he who, according to his own account, gave permission to members of the "third New York Artillery [who] were home on furlough" to shoot the cannonball at the giant elm street which once stood on the east side of Skaneateles Creek, as a tribute to former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, whose funeral train rode past Jordan on April 27, 1865. To everyone's surprise, the cannonball was later discovered still embedded inside the tree's trunk, when the tree was cut down 70 years later, in 1935. The Lincoln Cannonball is now on display in the museum of the Jordan Historical Society. Isaac Coonley Otis's large farm, which straddled both side of the Skaneateles Creek, included all of what is today the Jordan-Elbridge Middle School grounds, all the way east to Beaver Street. Isaac and Franc had only one child, their son Harry Otis, who had moved from Jordan to Denver to work for his Uncle Samuel Newell Wood. Sadly, however, Harry had passed away due to an illness in 1895 at age 29. Thus, when Samuel's sister, Franc(es) Wood Otis, and her husband, Isaac Coonley Otis, both passed away in the Spring of 1912, within 5 weeks of each other, Franc's brother, Samuel, inherited the former Otis house at 20 North Main Street. Because Samuel owned a mansion and had a successful business in Denver, he had no need for this house, so he sold the house on April 18, 1913—with the entire contents included—to 3 Jordan women, Edith Lewis Craner, her mother, Gertrude Lewis, and her grandmother, Betsey Auyer.
ABOVE PHOTO: Looking northwest. The 3-story brick building at left was then known as the "Hotel Clinton." (The tip of the sign is visible at far left.) The 3-story wood frame Nicholas Craner tailor shop (which is no longer standing today), and the 2-story brick Hendricks Block (which still exists today), are visible in the background at right on the north side of Clinton Street. The former Erie Canal was located behind these 2 buildings.
ABOVE PHOTO: Close-up from previous photo. A closer view of the female figure atop the fountain. Who is she?
ABOVE PHOTO: Close-up from previous photo. Identical plaques mounted on the east and west sides of the fountain base read: "Justice, Humanity, Compassion." (This motto or slogan, which was in common usage at that time, has erroneously been reported to be the "name" of this fountain, however, as mentioned above, the actual name of Jordan's fountain was "The Smith Wood Fountain," or alternatively, "The Smith Wood Memorial Fountain.")
ABOVE PHOTO: Looking west. "Howe's Store" at left (see caption), and the Hotel Clinton and Smith Wood Memorial Fountain at right.
ABOVE PHOTO: Close-up from previous photo. The largest basin on the east side of the fountain base was the perfect height for thirsty horses.
ABOVE PHOTO: Close-up from previous photo. Water flowed from the mouths of 4 lion's heads, which were mounted above each of the 4 basins.
The female figure atop the Smith Wood Memorial Fountain: Egeria, the Water Nymph
The female figure atop our Jordan fountain is a representation of Egeria, a water nymph. Egeria is known as the "Roman Goddess of Springs." She is also known as the "Roman Goddess of Laws and Rituals." She is also associated with childbirth and midwifery. Egeria (aka Aegeria) is usually considered to be a fresh-water nymph (rather than an ocean nymph). In the original sculpture on which the Jordan Egeria is based, she is represented with a cluster of cattails surrounding her bare feet, and a garland of cattails wrapped around her head. (Jordan's sculpture excludes the cattails at her feet.) She wears a necklace made of scallop shells, and a classical Grecian-style gown, with one sleeve loosely draped off of her left shoulder. Her right knee is slightly bent, and she is looking downward as she pours water from a vase-shaped vessel.
According to the Wikipedia entry for "Egeria (mythology)," the Goddess Egeria was the "divine consort and counselor of Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome, to whom she imparted laws and rituals pertaining to ancient Roman religion." According to legend, after King Numa passed away, Egeria cried so many tears in mourning that she turned into a spring.
It may come as quite a surprise that, unbeknownst to most people in Jordan, the female figure atop our fountain was not unique. This design was not exactly mass produced, however, as it turns out, there are a number of other versions of this statue which have been created over the years for use as fountains, all of which are based on the same original 1862 sculpture by French sculptor Louis Sauvageau. His sculpture was used as a model or pattern, to create a mold which was then used to reproduce the original form in foundries where metal was melted at extremely high temperatures, so that it could be poured into the mold. During the time period that the Jordan fountain was manufactured, the common practice for this type of statuary was to create a number of molds for different components of the statue, and to then solder the components together. Our Egeria figure in Jordan was most likely made out of zinc, or possibly cast iron. The fully assembled statue was then given a bronze coating. Periodically, Jordan residents reapplied the bronze coating.
Below are several examples of Egeria fountains which are based on the same model which was used to create the former Egeria fountain in Jordan. How familiar she looks to those of us who are already familiar with the early photos of the Smith Wood Memorial Fountain which once stood as the beloved centerpiece of the village of Jordan!
ABOVE PHOTO: The Source, Lake Frei Leandro, Amazon Region of the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, Brazil. This fountain still exists today. Photo credit: Halley Pacheco de Oliveira, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
This next image includes a side-by-side comparison of Jordan's Egeria fountain, on the left, and another Egeria fountain, on the right, which still exists today in the Halifax Public Gardens, in Nova Scotia, Canada. The Halifax fountain was erected in June 1897 in honor of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee (i.e., her 60th anniversary as Queen). This was just 7 years after Jordan's Egeria fountain was erected.
ABOVE IMAGE: Jordan's Egeria fountain, on the left, and the Halifax Egeria fountain, on the right. Color photo credit: Peter Khoury.
This early postcard shows a full view of the elaborate, multi-tiered Diamond Jubilee Fountain located in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
INSCRIPTION ON ABOVE POSTCARD: Jubilee Fountain in Public Gardens, Halifax, Nova Scotia (erected in 1897). This fountain still exists today (see additional photos below).
The first Egeria fountains based on this model were produced in Europe. This postcard shows an example of an Egeria fountain which was once located in a suburb of Paris.
INSCRIPTION ON ABOVE POSTCARD: 50. SAINT-DENIS—La Place aux Gueldres.—J. F. This fountain no longer exists, but it was at one time located in a park—La Place aux Gueldres—which was located in the suburb of Saint-Denis, just north of the city of Paris, France.
Other examples of known Egeria fountains—based on the same model as the Jordan Egeria fountain—are listed near the end of this blog post, along with a number of additional photos. Some of these fountains still exist today.
Why do some people refer to the Jordan fountain as the "Diane Fountain"?
For unknown reasons, sometime after the Smith Wood Memorial Fountain was first erected in 1890, perhaps years or even decades later, some local historians in Jordan began mistakenly referring to the fountain as the "Diane Fountain." It is unknown when the erroneous use of this name began. At least one known reference may have appeared sometime as early as the 1970's.
Hopefully, the information in this blog post will help to clear up this misconception.
Diane is a variant of Diana, who is known as the Roman Goddess of the Hunt, or "Diana the Huntress." Here is an excerpt from the Wikipedia entry for "Diana (mythology)":
Diana is a goddess in Roman and Hellenistic religion, primarily considered a patroness of the countryside and nature, hunters, wildlife, childbirth, crossroads, the night, and the Moon. She is equated with the Greek goddess Artemis.... Diana is considered a virgin goddess and protector of childbirth. Historically, Diana made up a triad with two other Roman deities: Egeria the water nymph, her servant and assistant midwife; and Virbius, the woodland god.
Note that the above Wikipedia excerpt mentions that the Roman goddesses Diana and Egeria were closely associated with each other, as part of a triad which also included the (male) Roman god Virbius (known as Hippolytus in Greek mythology). In addition to "Diana the Huntress," there are also historic references to Diana Nemorensis (or "Diana of Nemi"), also known as "Diana of the Wood" or "Diana the Healer."
As mentioned above, according to legend, Egeria cried so many tears after the death of King Numa that she turned into a spring. There are various versions of this legend, some of which credit Diana with facilitating this transition of Egeria into a spring—either out of sympathy, or in some versions, in order to silence Egeria's ongoing crying.
In Greek mythology, there were two categories of water nymphs: 1) the sea nymphs (which includes two different types, approximately 3,000 oceanids and 50 neriads); and 2) the fresh water nymphs (the naiads). It is interesting to note that the word "Diana" is an anagram of the word "naiad."
The two images below are examples which illustrate some of the iconography commonly associated with the Roman goddess Diana, Goddess of the Hunt, and Goddess of the Moon. These symbols include: a bow, a quiver of arrows, a hunting dog or hound, a stag, sandals on her feet, and an upturned crescent moon on her forehead:
ABOVE IMAGE: Diana Resting, circa 1542–45, etching/print by Léon Davent, after Francesco Primaticcio. Image credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
ABOVE IMAGE: Diana, Plate XIX (19) from Museum Florentinum (Statuae antiquae dorum et virorum illustrium), 1734, engraving/etching, by Genaro Gutiérrez, intermediary draftsman Giovanni Domenico Campiglia. Image credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
None of the above-mentioned symbols which are commonly associated with Diana, the Roman Goddess of the Hunt, were included with the female figure atop Jordan's fountain. Thus, past references to the fountain as the "Diane Fountain" are likely an historical error.
Early newspaper clippings help to uncover the long-forgotten history of Jordan's Smith Wood Memorial Fountain
This June 1890 newspaper clipping is one of the earliest known mentions of the soon-to-be erected Smith Wood Memorial Fountain:
ABOVE IMAGE: The Syracuse Journal, June 14, 1890. "S. W. [N.] Wood of Denver, Col., has presented to this village a very beautiful drinking fountain, as a memorial of his father, Smith Wood."
This next clipping, from mid-July 1890, mentions that the Smith Wood Memorial Fountain has arrived at the "freight house" (located just north of the New York Central Railroad tracks, along the northern boundary of the village of Jordan), which implies that the components of the fountain were most likely shipped to Jordan by train, after which the fountain would have been assembled on site:
ABOVE IMAGE: The Syracuse Standard, July 24, 1890. "The liberty pole which has stood on this corner near the Clinton House since 1867 was taken down Saturday and in its place will be erected the Smith Wood fountain, which has arrived at the freight house."
This September 1890 clipping confirms that the Smith Wood Memorial Fountain has now been erected. It also mentions that the value of the fountain was considered to be approximately $2,000:
ABOVE IMAGE: The Syracuse Standard, September 6, 1890. "The Smith Wood fountain has been erected near the site of the old liberty pole. The fountain is a beautiful piece of work and adds much to the attractiveness of the village.—S. N. Wood who is on his way from Europe to his home in Denver, Col., spent the Sunday in town with his sister, Mrs. Isaac C. Otis. It is through Mr. Wood's munificence that the village received the fountain which is a memorial to his father, the late Smith Wood. The value of the fountain is said to be about $2,000."
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During his lifetime, Samuel Newell Wood had become a prominent person in his adopted home state of Colorado. In the mid-1800's, when he first moved to what was then known as Denver City, the city was still part of a territory. However, on August 1, 1876, Colorado became the 38th state in the United States. The following is a biographical sketch of Samuel Newell Wood, which was written and published in 1911, when he was approximately 67 years old. The sketch mentions that by then, Samuel Newell Wood had become a millionaire, and that he was "reputed the largest individual owner of real estate in the city of Denver, his holdings including some of the most valuable business locations in the city." When he first married in 1903, he was 56 years old. He and his wife apparently never had children.
Sketches of Colorado (1911), pages 160-161:
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The following article, written by Jordan newspaper editor C.H. Williams just 3 months before the death of Samuel Newell Wood, describes a harrowing "Wild, Wild West" style hold-up which occurred in one of the Denver banks with which Samuel Newell Wood was associated. The article also relates an amusing story of how Samuel Newell Wood came to acquire the Denver mansion in which he lived.
(full transcription below)
Full transcription of above article:
JORDAN'S MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN
In Memory of Smith Wood, Presented By His Son, S. N. Wood.
Some Experiences of The Latter Written By a "Contemporary."
The Marcellus Observer
Wednesday, October 1, 1919
(Contributed by C. H. Williams)
C. E. Morley has given the Smith Wood Memorial fountain, that stands on Jordan's busy corner, a dressing of bronze.
The fountain's water supply comes from the cold, pure spring that finds the surface on the Hovey place in the hillside of upper Main Street, and is piped direct to the fountain.
That beautiful fount arrests the attention of strangers who come within our gates and comments are varied as to how we came to possess such a valuable, artistic and altogether attractive monument.
In 1890 Samuel Newell Wood of Denver, Colorado presented to the village this fountain as a memorial to his father, Smith Wood.
Fifty years ago the Wood family owned and resided on the farm over in the New Guinea settlement, near the Rickards, the Coopers, the Arnolds, the Stevens, Mahwinneys [Mawhinneys], Sands, Bates, Jones and others of the older families, and beside Smith Wood and his wife, there was Newell the son and Franc the daughter. Later on the farm was sold to Albert Howland and the family moved into a village home on Main street.
About the close of the civil war, in 1864 Newell Wood was connected with the White Mill for a short time and later on entered the Milton S. Price store in Syracuse, which was managed by William Stitt, another Jordan young man. Afterward he went into the Wilkinson Brothers' bank, where he acquired his fundamental understanding of financial business. Then followed a year or two in Oneida. But the lure of the west called him and his first Western experience was centered in Madison, Wisconsin. Then the gold fields of the west beckoned him on and he eventually drifted into Denver, then as now the great center of Colorado's mining interests.
John Moffett [David Halliday Moffat, 1839-1911, age 73] was one of the big men in the mining crowd. He owned mines, built railroads. He built the Moffet road that begins at Denver and ends somewhere away off in the south west as far as you can think. He owned a bank, The First National, and Newell Wood found employment there, and by his strong personality, strict application to business and aptitude to do things, soon won the confidence of the banker, was promoted from one important post to others until he came into his own dividend paying interests.
When the Black hills gold country was opened, when lawlessness swayed the great cosmopolitan mining camps, he was one of the first bankers to go into that great maelstrom of seething conditions and open business. In those days, every man was his own protector, he carried his life in his hand and a gun on his hip, and in case of emergency the man who could draw quickest was the best man. Sam Wood passed through this epoch, had his little troubles, feared no man and came back unscathed.
We called him Newell here—they call him Sam out there. I learned this a good many years ago when I met a Denver man on a transcontinental train. In course of conversation, I mentioned that "my home town was represented in Denver by Newell Wood". He said he did not know a man by that name, and when I said "He is connected with the Moffet bank" he said, "Oh, hell yes, you mean Sam Wood, course I know him, I borrow money of him, and he's helped me over a good many business bumps. I'd went broke a dozen times if I hadn't flagged Sam Wood."
It was twenty-five or thirty years ago that a man met John Moffet in his railroad office and told him there was a plot afloat to hold up his bank—that if he's give audience, he would divulge the details. Mr. Moffet told the man to come up to the bank about noon and he would listen. Between times, the banker told Sam Wood of the incident and wanted him to listen in. But Mr. Wood said "No Sir, not for me, I think too much of my lunch to miss it for any fool notions that this man may have to offer". But the banker stayed. There were only two or three men in the cages, Harry Otis [Samuel's nephew from Jordan, only child of Isaac Coonley and Franc Wood Otis] being one of them. When the stranger came in, he went into the banker's office. He had a light overcoat thrown carelessly over his arm. Inside the office he threw over a fold of the coat and held a gun on the banker with the remark "Moffet, I am a desperate man. Beside this gun I have this," and he drew from his hip pocket a bottle of nitro glycerine, enough to blow the bank out of business. "Don't touch a button or start a buzzer. I want twenty thousand dollars in paper money and a thousand dollars in gold." The parley ended by the two men passing out into the main office and with the knowledge that the man had a gun trained upon him under the concealment of the coat, the banker instructed the teller to give him currency in bills of large denomination and gold, totaling the $20,000. The robber concealed it and walked over to the door and passed out [of the building]. An alarm was immediately given, and sleuths searched the building where the man was seen to enter, but he was never apprehended.
A dozen years ago one of the Copper Guggenheimers built a palace in the exclusive residential section of Denver. He furnished it as a rich man does such things. His family were dyed-in-the-wool New Yorkers and when they came on to view the western home, they refused to consider living in the west and as a consequence there was an expensive piece of Denver realty on the market. Meeting Sam Wood at their Club one day, the copper man said "I want you to go out with me and see my place". And to accommodate a whim, he went. There was the perfect exterior, beautiful grounds, cut stone enclosures. Inside were priceless rugs, regardless of cost, tapestries in which millionaires trifle.
"Some place" said Sam Wood.
"What'll you offer for it?" said the Copper King.
"Nothing—Don't want it" said Sam Wood.
"Be a sport and make a bid" said the King.
To end the argument, Sam Wood named a price that might cover the furnishings should a conservative assessor price them.
"Sold—You've bought the cottage" said the copper man.
"But" said Sam Wood.
"No buts, you can't back out. I'll have the conveyance over to you tomorrow." And that explains why Sam Wood lives in one of the handsomest homes in Denver with the wife he married late in life.
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Samuel Newell Wood passed away on January 9, 1920, at age 75. The following obituary was published in the local newspaper in Denver.
Samuel Newell Wood's Obituary:
Denver Rocky Mountain News
Sunday, January 11, 1920
Denver capitalist and banker, prominent for years in the financial life of the city, died yesterday noon of heart disease in his home at 1198 Grant Street. Mr. Wood was found unconscious on the floor of his bedroom Friday after he had collapsed while dressing. Medical aid was summoned immediately and Mr. Wood regained consciousness, remaining so until his death, but he did not rally. He had been in ill health for several years, but his condition had never been considered serious until Friday.
Born near Jordan, a village of western New York, in 1844, Mr. Wood moved to Syracuse when he was a mere youth and engaged in the mercantile business there. Later he went to Madison, Wis., where he secured employment in a bank. He came to Colorado in 1870 and established connections with the Colorado National Bank, where he became assistant cashier when he was only 26 years old. In 1877, he went to Deadwood, S.D. and organized and promoted several large banking firms. In the early eighties, Mr. Wood returned to Denver and with Henry R. Wolcott, Col. D.C. Dodge and others founded the merchants National Bank, which merged with the First National Bank, a year later. He was made cashier of the institution succeeding George W. Kassler. He owned the controlling interest in the bank until late in the nineties when he sold his holdings to David H. Moffat, his intimate friend, and devoted his time solely to his personal interest.
During his life Mr. Wood amassed a large fortune. Early in his career he realized that Denver would grow and thru wise financial investments placed for the most part in banks and financial concerns, he became a millionaire within a few years. During the administration of Gov. Alva Adams, Mr. Wood was a member of the Denver board of public works. He was a member of the Denver Club, the Denver Country Club and the Denver Athletic Club and also held a membership in the Union League Clubs of New York and of Chicago.
Mr. Wood is survived by his wife, Mrs. Luella Frizell Wood, formally of Butler, MO., to who he was married in 1903. No other immediate relatives survive. Funeral arrangements have not been made.
Source: FindAGrave.com
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In 1922, as many communities in the U.S. had discovered by this time, the costs associated with a decorative Victorian-era fountain included not only the initial outlay for the fountain itself, but the ongoing expenses for upkeep, maintenance, and repairs. Costs due to weathering over time, and deterioration of various components of the fountain, including its base, could sometimes become too burdensome for the local communities in which these fountains were erected, especially in smalls towns and villages such as Jordan. In addition, as the use of automobiles became more and more widespread during the early 1900's, there was less of a need for public watering troughs for horses, which in part contributed to the eventual permanent removal of Jordan's beloved fountain.
(full transcription below)
Full transcription of above article:
BETTERMENT OF JORDAN
The Marcellus Observer
Wednesday, March 15, 1922
The repair and removal of the Wood Memorial fountain is a problem that confronts the Village Board. The present location was ideal before the trolley line was built. But now there is a popular opinion that the fountain is too near the tracks. A man on the corner the other day suggested that our village might follow Newark and make a small public square on either side of Main street at the canal placing the back walls 40 feet from the side walks and locating the fountain on one side of the street and a band stand on the opposite side.
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The next article below, written in May 1929 just after the Smith Wood Memorial Fountain had been permanently removed, provides more details regarding the history of Jordan's former beloved fountain. This article was most likely authored by local newspaper editor C.H. Williams, also mentioned above, who frequently researched and wrote lengthy articles such as this. His numerous articles are invaluable to historians and researchers, since these articles often captured historically significant and interesting details not recorded anywhere else.
Among other things, this article states that the former fountain, or its components, were "placed in the village storehouse." With the exception of the largest basin and one of the lion's heads (both of which were preserved and ultimately ended up in the possession of the Jordan Historical Society), what happened to the other components of the former Jordan fountain after that—including the lovely Egeria statue—remains an unsolved mystery, but this question is still the object of much curiosity and speculation!
(full transcription below)
Full transcription of above article:
The Smith Wood Memorial Fountain
The Marcellus Observer
Wednesday, May 15, 1929
The horse has been pulled off the road, and the fountain that stood sentinel in front of the old hotel in Jordan nearly forty years, had lost its usefulness. So recently it was taken down and placed in the village storehouse.
No village in the state had a finer piece of bronze statuary than Jordan, and passengers through often stopped to admire it.
Sixty years ago Smith Wood owned the farm afterward known as the Howland Farm, over on the New Guinea road [known today as Cooper Road]—and incidentally one of the finest farms in Elbridge Township. It is now owned by W. B. Tousey. Smith Wood was a thoroughgoing man, a man who farmed when there was no question about the business of tilling the soil being good. To use a homely expression, he "made his pile," sold the farm to Albert and George Howland, and bought a village home in Jordan—the home now owned by Mary Mills.
There were two children in the Wood family, Newell S. Wood [or "Samuel Newell Wood"], the son, and Frances ["Franc"] Wood, the daughter. Frances married Isaac C. [Coonley] Otis, and spent her life in Jordan [in the home at 20 North Main Street]. Newell went to Syracuse, learned banking with the Wilkinsons, about the time that Edwin H. Westcott, wrote David Harum, was going down to Homer to work in the Hannum bank. After two or three years he felt the call of the wild—the Wild West—and so he went out to Denver, came in contact with John Moffatt [David Halliday Moffat, 1839-1911, age 73], banker, railroad builder and mine owner, and it wasn't long before he was cashier in the Moffatt Bank. And he, representing Moffatt interests, opened the first bank in the Deadwood [South Dakota] gold field. Those were money making times, and Newell Wood—they called him Sam Wood out there—made much money, several times a million for himself, while he was piling up millions for others.
He came back when his mother died [(Frances) Rhoda Wood; d. December 21, 1879, age 64], and stayed the few weeks [days] that elapsed before the death of his father [Smith N. Wood; d. December 28, 1879, age 67]. Before returning west, he made arrangements to have this fountain cast and erected to the memory of his father. And there it has stood, an imposing, dignified monument for Smith Wood, the farmer, who blazed the trail that his son followed up to the pinnacle of success.
It is not the present intent of the Board to relegate this fine old piece of statuary to the garret, but it was necessary to take some action, because the base was beginning to split, and spread at the corners, and it was necessary on account of safety to dismantle and put it away until such time as it can be repaired, reassembled, and located in a suitable place. For it is out of the question to scrap this valuable relic, because of the sentiments of the elder inhabitants who personally knew Smith Wood, Newell his son, and Frances his daughter. It was a menace where it stood, as its trough intruded the roadway a foot beyond the curb.
The little park-like plot facing the trolley station, would be an ideal place to locate it. For it must have some abiding place, notwithstanding the attitude of some practical, unimaginative minds who have no sympathy with the men who were pillars in Jordan in those other days whom so few of us remember.
Some modern Jordan minds would do the same to this old landmark that they did to the old covered bridge down at Jacks Reefs. It would be worse than cutting down one of the fine old shade trees over in front of the Meech place [on the northwest corner of Lawrence Street and South Main Street, 6 South Main Street today], because there would yet remain other trees—but there is but one fountain in Jordan—and some of us want it reestablished.
____________________________________________
As mentioned in the above article, after retiring from farming, Smith Wood "bought a village home in Jordan." On March 6, 1871—just 5 days after his 59th birthday—Smith Wood purchased the house at what is today 33 North Main Street, from Joseph Newell and his wife, Minerva Newell. It is believed that Joseph Newell, the Jordan carriage maker (with his brother, Asa Newell), had originally built this house, and if so, Smith Wood would have been only the second owner. Joseph Newell had become very wealthy from his successful carriage-making business, and as a result, he decided to build a mansion in Syracuse in 1872, half of which is still standing today at 457 James Street (between North Townsend Street and North State Street). This elegant mansion is still referred to as the Joseph Newell House, and it is presently home to a tattoo parlor. (Historic photos of the mansion may be viewed on the website of the James Street Parlour.) Eight years after moving into the village of Jordan, both Smith Wood and his wife, Rhoda, passed away within only 7 days of each other, in December 1879.
ABOVE IMAGE: 1874 Sweet's Atlas of Onondaga County, Village of Jordan. Note the Smith Wood home (labelled "S. Wood") on the west side of North Main Street, at what is today 33 North Main Street.
The source of water for Jordan's Egeria fountain: a fresh water spring near the White Mill head race
As mentioned in the above 1919 newspaper article written by C.H. Williams, entitled "Jordan's Memorial Fountain," the water supply for the Egeria fountain was a spring located on the Hovey farm. The Hovey's house was located on the southwest side of South Main Street, near the top of the hill at what is today 37 South Main Street. The Hovey farm also included a significant number of acres running down this hill to the east, including lands near the former Mill Pond, Mill Dam, and head race for the White Mill.
In September 1891, the following instrument was signed by Franklin S. Hovey and Lewis J. Rockwell, granting the Trustees of the Village of Jordan the use of "a portion of the water flowing from a certain spring on the west side of the race way leading to the Jordan White Mills" for a period of 99 years (i.e., until the year 1990), subject to several conditions. One of the conditions stated that the agreement would be voided if the Village Trustees were to "omit or neglect to maintain said pipes and a suitable fountain or receptacle connected therewith in a fit and proper condition for public use as a drinking spout for man and beast for the space of twelve consecutive months." As we know, the fountain was permanently removed in the year 1929, thus voiding the agreement 12 months from the date on which the fountain was removed. Franklin S. Hovey was one of the village harness makers, who owned a shop on the east side of South Main Street (see below). Lewis J. Rockwell was the owner of the White Mill in 1891, the year that this agreement was signed. He was also the brother of Franklin S. Hovey's son-in-law, Stephen L. Rockwell, who was married to Franklin's daughter, Catherine Hovey Rockwell.
(full transcription below)
Full transcription of above document:
F.S. Hovey & another
To
Trustees of the Village of Jordan
This Indenture made this 18th day of September 1891, between Franklin S. Hovey and Lewis J. Rockwell of the Village of Jordan, of the first part, and the Trustees of the Village of Jordan of the second part, Witnesseth that in consideration of certain duties which the party of the second part hereby agree to perform as hereinafter stated, the said parties of the first part hereby grant unto the parties of the second part the right to use a portion of the water flowing from a certain spring on the west side of the race way leading to the Jordan White Mills for the period of Ninety Nine years, subject to the following conditions, viz:
- The said Board of Trustees and their successors in office shall maintain the pipe now running from said Spring to a fountain in front of the Clinton House in said Village or any other pipe hereafter laid instead of the same for the purpose of conveying water from the said Spring.
- If at any time during the term of this grant the parties of the first part, their heirs, administrators, executors or assigns shall deserve to convey the surplus waters of said Spring for either public or private use, They shall be allowed to use any pipes belonging to the parties of the second part that may be connected with the aforesaid Spring, for the purpose of conducting said surplus water throughout the entire length thereof without paying for the use of said pipes.
- The said parties of the second part shall have the right to enter upon the premises of the parties of the first part along the aforesaid pipe line for the purpose of making necessary repairs to pipes or apparatus or for renewing the same provided always that they shall exercise due care, and in no way injure or destroy any structure that may be upon the premises aforesaid or endanger the stability of the same.
- If the said party of the second part shall omit or neglect to maintain said pipes and a suitable fountain or receptacle connected therewith in a fit and proper condition for public use as a drinking spout for man and beast for the space of twelve consecutive months, then this grant shall become void and the said party of the second part shall forfeit all its rights and interest in the use of the waters of said Spring and its title to any pipes or apparatus used for conducting the same as aforesaid to the parties of the first part, their heirs, administrators, executors or assigns.
- The portion of water, the use of which is hereby granted for a public drinking fountain, shall be considered a first prior or right and all the waters flowing from said Spring over and above 1-1/2 gallons per minute shall be considered surplus water as intended in this grant.
If through any technicality because of the wording of this grant the rights of either party hereto may be endangered, The following statement may explain its intention and help to settle any dispute that may arise. The party of the first part, having been to great expense in developing and improving the aforesaid Spring of water, wishes first of all to give to the public sufficient pure and wholesome water for drinking purposes at a public drinking fountain, and asks no recompense for the same beyond the use of pipes and apparatus belonging to the party of the second part, but requires the party of the second part to keep in good repair and clean condition all pipes, apparatus and a fountain, so that all may enjoy the free use of acceptable water at the fountain, and if at any time the party of the second part shall neglect or refuse so to do for one year at any one time, then it shall forfeit all rights heretofore granted together with all pipes and apparatus that belongs to them in connection therewith to the party of the first part.
F. S. Hovey [L.S.] Lewis J. Rockwell [L.S.] State of New York, County of Onondaga S.S. On this 1 day of April in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety two before me the subscriber personally appeared F. S. Hovey and Lewis J. Rockwell to me known to be the same persons described in and who executed the within instrument, and severally acknowledged that they executed the same.
John Y. Andrews, Police Justice, Village of Jordan, Onon. Co. N.Y., Recorded April 4, 1892 at 1:10 P.M. DeForest Settle, Clerk.
Is this the site of the Hovey spring?
There appears to still be a natural spring located on the former Franklin S. Hovey property, as can be seen in this recent photograph above (March 2024). The bright green foliage (perhaps watercress?) seems to imply a continuous supply of fresh, flowing water.
If this is indeed a spring, could this be the same spring which used to supply water to the Smith Wood Memorial Fountain?
This photo is looking south, with the site of the former mill pond visible at the far left (i.e., the area with lighter colored dead grass). The site of the former Mill Dam and White Mill head race were also once located to the left of this photo, just off camera.
Here is a map which provides some more clues:
ABOVE IMAGE: 1874 Sweet's Atlas of Onondaga County, Village of Jordan. The Franklin S. Hovey property is visible near the bottom center of this map detail. According to early deeds, the spring which supplied water to the Smith Wood Memorial Fountain was located on Hovey's property, just west of the head race leading north from the Mill Pond to the White Mill (here labelled "Grist Mill")—a red triangle gives the approximate location of the spring, just west of the Mill Dam. The dam is shown here by a straight line extending across the narrower head race (at left) and the wider Skaneateles Creek (at right). The Mill Pond was just south of the dam. The red triangle west of the head race is at approximately the same location as the bright green foliage in the above photo. A second red triangle near the top of this map detail shows the former location of the Jordan fountain.
More photographs of the Smith Wood Memorial Fountain
The photographs below are grouped together by the angle from which the photographs were taken (looking south, west, north, east, etc.). Within each of these groupings, the photos are roughly in chronological order. Where relevant, close-ups of the fountain are shown. This blog post is the first time that such a large collection of photographs of Jordan's former fountain have been shared together all at one time, and in one place. A great deal of historic detail can be discerned by comparing these early photographs side-by-side—especially when comparing photographs taken from roughly the same angle or taken around the same time period—and also by closely examining the numerous close-up images which are included below.
ABOVE PHOTO: Looking east. The back of the Smith Wood Memorial Fountain is visible at right in this photo. There are very few photos of the fountain from this angle. The RS&E Trolley line ran through Jordan circa 1909-1931. In this photo, we can see a trolley car, and behind it is the Jordan trolley station. Sometime after the trolley line was discontinued, the former trolley station building was moved to the west, and the building today is known as J&T Car Care. At left is the 3-story brick Rodger Block on the northeast corner of Mechanic Street and North Main Street. In 1968, the top two stories of this building were removed, and the remaining first floor was converted into what is today the Lyons National Bank building. The corner of the old Jordan Hotel building is visible at far right. The steeple of the former Methodist Church, once located on the corner of Mechanic Street and Chappell Street, is visible in the background behind the trolley station.
ABOVE PHOTO: Close-up from previous photo. The plaque on the north face of the fountain base (visible at left) reads: "The Smith Wood Fountain, 1890." The plaque on the west face of the fountain base (visible at right, and duplicated on the east face) reads: "Justice, Humanity, Compassion." The medium-sized basin which provided water to humans was also located on the west side of the fountain base, along with a tin cup for people to serve themselves.
ABOVE PHOTO: Looking southeast. The 3-story brick Higgs Block at left, formerly located on the southeast corner of Mechanic Street and South Main Street, was destroyed by fire on November 6, 1902, which means that this photo was taken before that date. Just to the right of the Higgs Block is a narrow two-story, wood-frame building which was the former shop of Jordan harness maker, Franklin S. Hovey, who supplied the water for the fountain from a spring on his property (see details above). This wooden building came down sometime after the Higgs Block, however, the remaining buildings to the right are all still standing today.
ABOVE PHOTO: Looking south. The contiguous 3-story brick Davis Block (6 windows wide, at far left), Cole Block (3 windows wide), and Rodger Block (7 windows wide) at left have a continuous permanent wooden awning which extends along the entire length of the block. The 3-story Davis Block at far left was destroyed by fire on February 6, 1912. The sign between the 2nd and 3rd stories reads: Jordan Times, Job Printing. (The Jordan Times was a locally published newspaper). The 3-story brick Higgs Block visible at center, formerly located on the southeast corner of Mechanic Street and South Main Street, was destroyed by fire on November 6, 1902, which means that this photo was taken before that date. The White Mill is visible in the background at center.
ABOVE PHOTO: Close-up from previous photo. The fountain is partially covered by a light layer of snow.
ABOVE PHOTO: Looking south. The 3-story brick Higgs Block visible at left, formerly located on the southeast corner of Mechanic Street and South Main Street, was destroyed by fire on November 6, 1902, which means that this photo was taken before that date. The White Mill is visible in the background at center. Signs visible on the 2-story brick Hendricks Block at right include: Fred C. Allen Cash Store, Boots & Shoes Made & Repaired, Peck's Market (on awning).
ABOVE PHOTO: Close-up from previous photo.
ABOVE PHOTO: Looking south. The 3-story brick Higgs Block visible at left, formerly located on the southeast corner of Mechanic Street and South Main Street, was destroyed by fire on November 6, 1902, which means that this photo was taken before that date. The White Mill is visible in the background at center.
ABOVE PHOTO: Looking southwest. Taken on same day as next photo. A parade of children walk by the fountain. At that time, the 3-story brick building on the southwest corner of Clinton Street and South Main Street was known as the Hotel Clinton, which included a livery stable behind the main building, where horses could be temporarily boarded. The Hotel Clinton later became known as the Jordan Hotel.
ABOVE PHOTO: Close-up from previous photo. The 2-story wood frame building visible behind the fountain in this photo, which is no longer standing, was home to various businesses over the years including Howe's Store (which sold ice cream), Peck's Candy Shop (which also sold ice cream and soda), E. R. Bates Coal Office, a lunch room, and a barber shop.
ABOVE PHOTO: Looking southwest. Taken on same day as previous photo. A parade of men in military uniforms walk by the fountain.
ABOVE PHOTO: Close-up from previous photo.
ABOVE PHOTO: Looking south. The 3-story brick Davis Block, destroyed by fire on February 6, 1912, has now been replaced by the 2-story brick Orser Block, at far left. The striped awning reads: Orser & Co. To the right of the awning is the sign for the Hippodrome movie theatre. To the right of theatre, on the first floor of the Cole Block, was the post office. Hanging above the entrance to the post office is a 2-piece painted wooden sign which reads: Post Office, Jordan N.Y. This familiar sign still exists today, and is on display in the Jordan Historical Society's museum.
ABOVE PHOTO: Close-up from previous photo. The 2-story brick Brace Hardware Store building (today's Jackie's Kitchen and Bath Design), located on the southwest corner of Lawrence Street and South Main Street, is visible in the background at center.
ABOVE PHOTO: Looking west. A stunningly beautiful photo of the front of the fountain and the 3-story brick Hotel Clinton. Note sign on corner of building which reads: Ice Cream. This building is still standing today, and houses Towpath Pizza (south side) and Burly's Pub (north side).
ABOVE PHOTO: Close-up from previous photo. A plaque mounted on the fountain base reads: Justice, Humanity, Compassion. It was on this front side of the fountain, the east side, that the largest basin was located. This large basin was for use by horses. The two smaller basins, visible near ground level on the north and south sides of the fountain base, provided fresh water to dogs. The large basin is the only piece of the original fountain which is still known to exist. It is part of the collections of the museum of the Jordan Historical Society, and is currently being stored inside the pole barn located behind the museum.
ABOVE PHOTO: Looking west. The Hotel Clinton and the steeple of the Presbyterian Church are visible behind the fountain. The Presbyterian Church, which once stood on the south side of Clinton Street behind the hotel, was demolished in 1933. The back of the 3-story brick Rodger Block (the first floor of which is today's Lyon's National Bank) and the 2-story, wood frame Craner Coal & Insurance building, are visible at right.
ABOVE PHOTO: Looking west. The Hotel Clinton and the steeple of the Presbyterian Church are visible behind the fountain. At right are Nicholas Craner's 3-story wood frame tailor shop (which is no longer standing) and the 2-story brick Hendricks Block (which is still standing).
ABOVE PHOTO: Looking northwest. Nicholas Craner's 3-story wood frame tailor shop, at left (which is no longer standing), and the 2-story brick Hendricks Block, at right (which is still standing) are visible in the background of this photo. The entrance doorway to today's coffee shop—Peace, Love, Coffee—is visible just to the right of the fountain.
ABOVE PHOTO: Looking northwest. Visible at right is the 3-story brick Higgs Block, located on the southeast corner of Mechanic Street and South Main Street, was destroyed by fire on November 6, 1902, which means that this photo was taken before that date. Just to the right of the Higgs Block is a narrow two-story, wood-frame building which was the former shop of Jordan harness maker, Franklin S. Hovey. To the right of the harness maker's shop is a sign for Crofut's Meat Market, which was once located inside the building which still stands today at 9 South Main Street.
ABOVE PHOTO: Looking north. Visible at right is the 3-story brick Higgs Block, located on the southeast corner of Mechanic Street and South Main Street, was destroyed by fire on November 6, 1902, which means that this photo was taken before that date. The North Main Street bridge over the Erie Canal is visible at center.
ABOVE PHOTO: Close-up from previous photo. The building on the left is the 3-story brick Hendricks Block, which is still standing today. The former 3-story brick Case Block, on the north side of the canal, is visible at right. The Case Block was demolished in 1987. In the background at far right is the steeple of Christ Episcopal Church, which still stands today on the southeast corner of Delhi Street and North Main Street.
ABOVE PHOTO: Looking northeast. The North Main Street bridge over the Erie Canal is visible at behind the fountain. To the right of the fountain is the former 3-story Masonic Temple building, which was originally built as a hotel (Union Hall, owned by Isaac Otis, and later the Abrams House, owned by Harvey Abrams). The Masonic Temple building was destroyed by fire in 1976, and was replaced with the 1-story Masonic Lodge which sits at this location today. The contiguous 3-story brick Davis Block (6 windows wide, at far left), Cole Block (3 windows wide), and Rodger Block (7 windows wide) at left have a continuous permanent wooden awning which extends along the entire block.
ABOVE PHOTO: Looking north. This photo is interesting in that it illustrates four different transportation modes: horse and carriage, automobile, bicycle (at far right), and the Erie Canal (North Main Street bridge visible at center). The juxtaposition of the horse and carriage with the automobile is particularly symbolic, in the sense that with the advent of the automobile, there would become less of a need for public watering troughs for horses, which in part contributed to the eventual removal of Jordan's beloved fountain. Note that this photo was taken before the RS&E Trolley tracks were laid through this intersection. (As mentioned above, the trolley line ran through Jordan circa 1909-1931.)
ABOVE PHOTO: Close-up from previous photo.
ABOVE PHOTO: Looking north. This photo was taken sometime after the 3-story brick Higgs Block, formerly located on the southeast corner of Mechanic Street and South Main Street, was destroyed by fire on November 6, 1902. It appears that some of the pavement at this intersection has been broken up, most likely in preparation for laying the trolley tracks. The RS&E Trolley line ran through Jordan circa 1909-1931, so this photo was likely taken sometime between 1902 and 1909.
ABOVE PHOTO: Close-up from previous photo.
ABOVE PHOTO: Looking northwest. Jordan Hook & Ladder Company. Where is the Egeria statue? And the east plaque is also missing. As mentioned previously, the fountain was first erected in 1890, and removed in 1929. The trolley line through Jordan began in 1909, so because the trolley tracks are visible in this photo, we know that the photo was not taken when the fountain was first erected in 1890. The use of the Erie Canal First Enlargement through the village of Jordan ended in 1917, so because the North Main Street bridge over the Erie Canal is visible in this photo, we know that the photo was not taken when the fountain was being removed in 1929. Early newspaper articles refer to the fountain being given a new coat of bronze in several different years, so perhaps this photo was taken during one of the periodic instances during which a new coat of bronze was being applied. It is quite likely that this process required the temporary removal of the Egeria statue from its base.
ABOVE PHOTO: Close-up from previous photo.
Egeria fountains advertised in the catalogues of the Ducel and Val d'Osne Foundries in France (circa 1870's-1880's)
In 1810, the Ducel Foundry began producing objects out of cast iron. The business grew over the years, and was managed by Ducel family members over three generations, including Jean-Jacques Ducel (1801-1877). In 1878, soon after J.J. Ducel's death, the Ducel foundry—along with its designs, patterns, models, and catalogues—was acquired by the Val d'Osne Foundry, which had been founded in 1836 by Jean-Pierre-Victor André. Both foundries produced decorative bronze and cast-iron products, including statues, fountains, urns, benches, and other garden ornaments. Their attractive products were sold throughout Europe and beyond, and received awards at prestigious 19th-century international expositions and exhibitions. Some of the catalogue plates below originated under the Ducel company, and were later incorporated into the Val d'Osne catalogues. Others were likely created by Val d'Osne artists.
All of the below catalogue images of various versions of the Egeria fountain—all of which are modelled after French sculptor Louis Sauvageau's original 1862 Egeria sculpture, entitled La Source (The Source)—will no doubt look familiar, in many ways, to those of us who are already familiar with the early photos of Jordan's former Smith Wood Memorial Fountain, many of which are featured in this blog post.
More info:
Ducel Foundry
Ducel Catalogue (75-page PDF document)
Val d'Osne Foundry
Source of below Catalogue Images
ABOVE IMAGE: Egeria atop a base with two winged lions. Note the large basin in front, which is very similar in appearance to the largest basin which was part of the Egeria fountain in Jordan.
ABOVE IMAGE: Close-up from previous image. In this model, based on the original 1862 sculpture by Louis Sauvageau, Egeria is represented with a cluster of cattails surrounding her bare feet, and a garland of cattails wrapped around her head. (Jordan's sculpture excludes the cattails at her feet.) She wears a necklace made of scallop shells, and a classical Grecian-style gown, with one sleeve loosely draped off of her left shoulder. Her right knee is slightly bent, and she is looking downward as she pours water from a vase-shaped vessel.
ABOVE IMAGE: Egeria atop a base with winged lions.
ABOVE IMAGE: Close-up from previous image.
ABOVE IMAGE: Egeria atop a base with two mermaids. Note the water flowing out of the mouths of 3 lions' heads a the base of the fountain, which is very similar to the Egeria fountain in Jordan.
ABOVE IMAGE: Close-up from previous image.
ABOVE IMAGE: Egeria atop a base with two young children riding on dolphins. The child on the right holding a trident may represent Neptune as a young boy. Note that there are two levels to this fountain.
ABOVE IMAGE: Close-up from previous image.
ABOVE IMAGE: Similar to the previous image above, this is another illustration of Egeria atop a base with two young children riding on dolphins. The one on the right with the trident may represent Neptune as a boy. Note that, in contrast to the previous image with two levels, this fountain has only one level.
ABOVE IMAGE: Close-up from previous image.
Where was Jordan's Egeria fountain manufactured and by whom?
The Egeria fountain in Jordan was most likely purchased through J.W. Fiske & Company, one of the leading U.S. vendors for ornamental fountains in 1890, the year in which the Jordan fountain was first erected. According to Wikipedia, "J.W. Fiske & Company of New York City was the most prominent American manufacturer of decorative cast iron and cast zinc in the second half of the nineteenth century. In addition to their wide range of garden fountains, statues, urns, and cast-iron garden furniture, they provided many of the cast-zinc Civil War memorials of small towns throughout the northern states following the American Civil War. These were commonly painted to imitate bronze."
Another prominent vendor at that time, and a competitor to J.W. Fiske & Company, was the J.L. Mott Iron Works, which was also based in New York City.
The St. Albans Fountain, located in St. Albans City, Vermont, was first erected in 1887, just 3 years before Jordan's fountain. According to an account on the website of the Rotary Club of St. Albans, who spearheaded a 2014 restoration fundraising campaign, their fountain is known to have been purchased through J.W. Fiske.
The Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Fountain, located in the Halifax Public Gardens, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, was first erected in 1897, just 7 years after Jordan's fountain. According to an account on the website of the Halifax Public Gardens, the Halifax fountain, which underwent a major restoration in 2012, is said to have been purchased through J.W. Fiske. In addition, at the base of the figure of Egeria atop this fountain, the manufacturer's stamp is clearly visible: "J.W. Fiske, Manuf., New York."
The statues of Egeria atop the St. Albans City, Halifax, and Jordan fountains are nearly identical. It is therefore very likely that Samuel Newell Wood also purchased the Jordan fountain through this same vendor—J.W. Fiske.
Below is a cover image from an 1875 illustrated catalogue for J.W. Fiske, which gives an indication of the incredible variety of ornamental metal items which were available for purchase through this New York City-based company.
ABOVE IMAGE: J.W. Fiske Ornamental Iron Works, cover of 1875 Illustrated Catalogue and Price List, New York, 1875. Note the mention of "Fountains, vases, statuary, &c., &c." included among the types of products offered. Image credit: public domain. (Full 60-page 1875 catalogue. Full 72-page 1936 catalogue.)
More about J.W. Fiske & Company
The actual manufacture of many of J.W. Fiske's products was actually subcontracted out to a foundry located in York, Pennsylvania, known as Variety Iron Works, and it is therefore quite likely that the components for Jordan's Egeria fountain were originally produced in this foundry. Variety Iron Works was owned for many years by Edward G. Smyser, along with his 3 sons. Thus, the business was sometimes known as E.G. Smyser, among a number of other similar names.
ABOVE IMAGE: Variety Iron Works, Atlas of York County, Pennsylvania, Beach Nichols, 1876. Image credit: public domain.
More about E.G. Smyser/ Variety Iron Works
As mentioned above, the components of our Egeria fountain in Jordan were most likely made out of zinc, or possibly cast iron. These individual components would have been soldered together. The fully assembled statue was then given a bronze coating, which was periodically reapplied by Jordan residents.
Additional examples of Egeria fountains using the same model which was used for Jordan's Egeria fountain
There are numerous versions of the Egeria fountain—based on Louis Sauvageau's original 1862 sculpture, La Source—which have been created during the 19th century, the 20th century, and even the 21st century. Some of the known public examples are listed below. Some of these fountains still exist today, but some no longer exist. Some have been refurbished, restored, and/or repaired over the years, and some have even been recreated as replicas to replace a previous version. The figure of Egeria, the Water Nymph, in each of these fountains is (or was) identical to the female figure atop the Smith Wood Memorial Fountain which once stood as the beloved centerpiece of the Village of Jordan.
IN THE UNITED STATES:
- Mills Memorial Fountain (aka Helen at the Well), Thorntown Public Library, Thorntown, Indiana
- Fountain, Central Park, Henderson, Kentucky
- Foster Fountain, Central Park, Clinton, Massachusetts
- Rice Memorial Fountain (Nymphe, Reverie on the Seashore, Meditation), Town Green, West Brookfield, Massachusetts
- Fountain, Church Square Park, Hoboken, New Jersey
- Lancaster Fountain (aka Lady Lisa Fountain, City Fountain), Zane Park, Lancaster, Ohio
- The Source (aka Grecian Lady, Reinhold Opitz Fountain), Walbridge Park, Toledo Zoo & Aquarium, Toledo, Ohio
- Washington Cemetery Memorial Fountain, Washington Cemetery, Washington Court House, Ohio
- Albert Gallatin Egbert Memorial Fountain, Fountain Park, Franklin, Pennsylvania
- Lady Fountain (aka Veterans Memorial Fountain), Edisto Memorial Gardens, Orangeburg, South Carolina
- St. Albans Fountain (aka Ladies of St. Albans Fountain, Rebekah, Taylor Park Fountain), Taylor Park, St. Albans City, Vermont
- Birge Fountain, Flat Iron Park, Whitewater, Wisconsin
OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES:
- Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Fountain (aka Water Nymph Combination Fountain), Halifax Public Gardens, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- The Source, Botanical Garden, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- The Source, Clermont-L'Hérault, France
- Fountain of the Place aux Gueldres, Place aux Gueldres, Saint-Denis, France
- The Source, Parc des Thermes, Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, France
- Aguadora (aka Aiguadora), Joan Maragall Gardens, Barcelona, Spain
- The Source, Parque Rodo, Montevideo, Uruguay
Source of information included in the above list: French Sculpture Census: French Sculpture 1500-1960 in North American Public Collections, Artist: Louis Sauvageau.
Below are photographs and postcards depicting several different Egeria fountains (from the above list), all of which still exist today. (Three are noted as replicas of the originals.) How familiar she looks to those of us who are already familiar with the early photos of the former Smith Wood Memorial Fountain in Jordan!
ABOVE PHOTO: Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Fountain, Halifax Public Gardens, Halifax, Nova Scotia, erected in 1897. Photo credit: Peter Khoury.
ABOVE PHOTO: Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Fountain, Halifax Public Gardens, Halifax, Nova Scotia, erected in 1897. Photo credit: Peter Khoury.
ABOVE PHOTO: Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Fountain, Halifax Public Gardens, Halifax, Nova Scotia, erected in 1897. Photo credit: Peter Khoury.
ABOVE PHOTO: Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Fountain, Halifax Public Gardens, Halifax, Nova Scotia, erected in 1897. This close-up shows the manufacturer's stamp: "J.W. Fiske, Manuf., New York." Photo credit: Peter Khoury.
ABOVE PHOTO: Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Fountain, Halifax Public Gardens, Halifax, Nova Scotia, erected in 1897. Photo credit: Daryl Mitchell, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
ABOVE PHOTO: Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Fountain, Halifax Public Gardens, Halifax, Nova Scotia, erected in 1897. Water pours from the vessel, and also squirts out from the tops of the cattails. Photo credit: Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
ABOVE PHOTO: Birge Fountain, Flat Iron Park, Whitewater, Wisconsin, first erected in 1903, renovated and rededicated in 2003. Photo credit: Hrab0001 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
ABOVE PHOTO: St. Albans Fountain (aka Ladies of St. Albans Fountain, Taylor Park Fountain), Taylor Park, St. Albans City, Vermont, first erected in 1887, figures recast in aluminum in 2014. Photo credit: Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress.
ABOVE PHOTO: Foster Fountain, Central Park, Clinton, Massachusetts, erected in 1890, destroyed by hurricane in 1938, replica erected in 2000. Photo credit: Tim Pierce, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
INSCRIPTION ON ABOVE POSTCARD: "Egbert Memorial Fountain, Franklin City Park, Franklin, Pa." First erected in 1896, restored in 1979, and then replaced in the late 1990's with an aluminum replica. Image credit: "Tichnor Quality Views," Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. Made Only by Tichnor Bros., Inc., Boston, Mass., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
INSCRIPTION ON ABOVE POSTCARD: "Opitz Fountain and Conservatory, Walbridge Park, Toledo, Ohio." First erected in 1905, moved to present location in 1940, restored in 1990. Image credit: Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
ABOVE PHOTO: Washington Cemetery Memorial Fountain, Washington Cemetery, located in the city of Washington Court House, Ohio. Photo credit: Aesopposea, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Additional examples of artistic representations of Egeria, the Water Nymph
Below are a few examples of other artistic representations of Egeria, the Water Nymph—going back to as early as the 17th century—including sculpture, paintings, and engravings.
ABOVE PHOTO: Egeria Fountain, Schönbrunn Castle, Vienna, Austria; "The name of Schönbrunn was given to it by Emperor Matthias who, during a hunting trip in this area, discovered a source of crystal clear water that he called schön(er) Brunn, or "beautiful spring", hence the name, and it is around this spring, according to tradition, that the entire castle would later be built." Note the large seashell into which the fountain water flows, which is very similar in appearance to the largest basin on Jordan's Egeria fountain. Also note the cattails which adorn the walls on either side of the fountain. Photo credit: PictureObelix, CC BY-SA 3.0 AT, via Wikimedia Commons.
ABOVE IMAGE: Numa Pompilius Receives the Laws of Rome from the Nymph Egeria, by Felice Giani. Painting located in the Legislators Hall, Palace of the Spanish Embassy, Rome, Italy. Note the large seashell design used on the back of Egeria's chair. Image credit: Felice Giani, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
ABOVE IMAGE: Numa Consulting the Nymph Egeria, attributed to Jean-Claude Naigeon. Painting located in the Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, England. Image credit: Jean-Claude Naigeon, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
ABOVE IMAGE: Numa and Egeria, from The Rose: or, Affection's Gift for 1846. Image credit: anonymous engraving, 1845, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
ABOVE IMAGE: Sculpture of the Nymph Aegeria, Sculptures from Antiquity, 17th century Italian etching. Image credit: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
ABOVE IMAGE: Detail from above etching (rotated). Note coincidental similarity with the Friends of the Jordan Historical Society logo: