Denton was one of only six Texas cities to receive a beautiful Hermon Lee Ensign horse fountain from the National Humane Alliance. This fountain was delivered and installed in 1911.
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"A Fountain of History
SEPTEMBER 14, 2016 / DENTON Public Library
Every community has its little bits of history hidden away in plain sight. Have you ever noticed the unassuming monument at the North end of the Emily Fowler Central Library parking lot? It has an odd utilitarian look because it was originally designed to be a drinking fountain for animals. In fact, Denton was one of only six cities in Texas to receive a coveted Ensign Fountain. The plaque mounted to the central column reads: “1911, presented by the National Humane Alliance, Hermon Lee Ensign, Founder.”
The National Humane Alliance was established by Hermon Lee Ensign in 1897. An entry from the 1898 World Almanac Encyclopedia describes the organization; “While the Alliance is not exactly a charity, it is founded on humanitarian ideas. It desires to educate people, particularly the rising generation, to be kind and gentle among themselves and to treat all dumb animals humanely…” Mr. Ensign died in 1899 leaving most of his considerable wealth to the Alliance. After the bequest, the organization shifted its primary focus from education to the distribution of the fountains. Between 1906 and 1912 the National Humane Alliance donated over 125 drinking fountains for animals to different cities across the United States and Mexico.
Denton received its fountain in the summer of 1911. The Denton Record and Chronicle credits Mrs. R.H. Garrison and the Woman’s Shakespeare Club for the “persistent solicitations” which put Denton in the running as a prospective site. This led to a visit by Mr. Louis A. Servier, secretary of the National Humane Alliance, in May 1911. Mr. Servier approved the placement of one of the fountains in Denton, with two conditions. The first condition was that the new fountain be placed on the Southeast corner of the Courthouse Square and be properly maintained. The second was the old horse trough/fountain on the Northwest corner be repaired and kept in good working order.
The granite fountains were constructed by the Bodwell Granite Company in Vinalhaven, Maine and transported to the various cities by ship, then railroad. The Bodwell Company produced two styles of the fountains – a larger version with a square central column and a smaller fountain with a round column. Denton received the latter type. The fountain in Seneca Kansas (shown in the slideshow above) is the same as the one placed in Denton. Denton’s also had a light fixture for the top. The Denton Record and Chronicle reported that it arrived in November 1911, but I am unsure if it was ever installed.
The fountains weighed over 5 tons and were 4 to 5 feet high. The trough for horses was about 3’ in diameter, fed by spigots each decorated as a lion head. The base of the fountain had small bowls intended for dogs and cats to drink out of. An article from the June 8, 1911 edition of the Denton Record and Chronicle valued the fountains worth to be between 750 and 1200 dollars.
I found an article stating that the Ensign fountain was installed on August 23, 1911. Unfortunately we do not have a newspaper from that day so I was not able to discover what pomp and circumstance was planned for the unveiling. I have also yet to find when and why it was moved from the Square to the City Park. My speculation is that it was probably during the 1920s when the automobile replaced the horse as the primary means of transportation. By 1949 it had been moved.
The booklet Fifty Years of the Woman’s Shakespeare Club: 1899-1949 gives a brief mention of the fountain and its history stating that it “now stands in the City Park.” Before the 1981 expansion of the Emily Fowler Central Library, the fountain was just to the east of the library building in the park. When the library was enlarged, the fountain was moved to its present location. In 1984 the fountain was restored by the City Federation of Women’s Clubs and the Denton Historical Commission.
When I was a child we used to visit the fountain on our trips to the library. The odd shape intrigued me and I always wondered why it was designed that way. To my child’s eyes the fountain looked like a very big bird bath. It was a pleasant surprise to discover its true history is much more vivid.
Laura Douglas
Senior Librarian – Special Collections
Emily Fowler Central Library"