The Temperance Fountain

Monument to a movement gone by

You can walk the streets of Washington for years and miss some of the niche markers, statutes, and other landmarks that dot the landscape. Either that or they pass through your consciousness without stopping to register the who, what, when, where, and why.

In this category, I would place the Temperance Fountain located at the corner of 7th Street and Indiana Avenue, NW. You surely know about Prohibition, the period from 1920 to 1933, during which the 18th amendment to the U.S. Constitution banned the manufacture, sale, and distribution of alcoholic beverages nationwide. But you may be less aware of the social movement that led to its passage (as well as similar efforts in other parts of the world) that brought together those motivated by religious belief, intolerance of immigrants, and protection of women and children. It was certainly a case of strange bedfellows.

Among those preaching the gospel of temperance was San Francisco dentist Henry D. Cogswell who donated the fountain to the city of Washington in 1882. Similar fountains remain standing in San Francisco, New York City, and Rockville, Connecticut (random, right?) while others that were placed in Buffalo; Boston; Fall River, Massachusetts; and Pacific Grove, California have disappeared. The point was to offer a source of refreshing ice water as an alternative to the demon drink. As to the significance of the heron and the dolphins, who knows? I suppose both are related to water.

Per Wikipedia, there originally was a brass cup that passersby could use to drink from the fresh cool water flowing from the dolphins’ snouts with the overflow collected in a trough for horses. But the system such as it was required continual replenishment of ice in a reservoir beneath the base, a burden on city officials who eventually just disconnected the supply pipes.

So, today if you are parched, you’ll have to look elsewhere. Your best bets for a free drink of ice water at that location are two nearby public buildings: the National Archives and the U.S. Navy Memorial Visitors Center. Personally, I am partial to the margaritas on offer at Jose Andres’ Mexican restaurant Oyamel which is just a block north up 7th Street. I don’t think Dr. Cogswell would approve. Cheers.