William T. Cogswell - Vernon, CT
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 41° 52.046 W 072° 26.886
18T E 711788 N 4638206
The William T. Cogswell Memorial Fountain was erected by Dr. Henry D. Cogswell in honor of is cousin William, a local builder and author of the town history. It is located on the Town Green at Park Place in the Rockville section of Vernon, CT.
Waymark Code: WM11DYF
Location: Connecticut, United States
Date Posted: 10/05/2019
Views: 4
A temperance drinking fountain honors the memory of William T. Cogswell.and an accompanying plaque honors the memory of William T. Cogswell. The zinc fountain originally had a statue of the donor Dr. Henry D. Cogswell but the zinc statue was vandalized and eventually melted for scrap during WWII. In 2015 Rosetta Pitkat, a 102-year-old lifelong resident of Vernon commissioned a replacement statue of Dr. Henry D. Cogswell to restore the fountain to its original appearance.
William T. Cogswell, a local builder and author of History of Rockville, from 1823 to 1871: Including Also a Brief Sketch of Facts Which Ante-Date the Incorporation of Vernon, and Bring Dates Up to the Time When This History Begins. Dr. Henry Cogswell was a wealthy dentist and philanthropist. He was active in the temperance movement. His dream was to erect a temperance water fountain for every 100 saloons across the country. Many of these fountains were destroyed; but fountains still exist in Washington, D.C., New York City, San Francisco, CA, Pawtucket, RI, as well as Vernon CT.
The statue depicts Dr. Henry D. Cogwell standing wearing a business suit. He is holding a glass of water in his right hand and a copy of the Temperance Pledge in his left hand.
The east side of the fountain is inscribed:
PRESENTED TO THE TOWN OF
VERNON
AND VILLAGE OF
ROCKVILLE
IN HONOR OF
WM. T. COGSWELL,
BY
DR. HENRY D.
COGSWELL
A CITIZEN OF
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.
WELCOME
The west side of the fountain is inscribed:
THE RECORDS OF
A.D. 1883
DEPOSITED WITHIN
WILL
REJOICE ANTIQUARIANS.
MAN AND
THE FAITHFUL
DOG WILL FIND HERE
REFRESHING
WELCOME
The plaque is inscribed:
COGSWELL MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN
Through the generosity of Rosetta Pitkat, a life-long resident of Rockville,
This statue of Dr. Henry D. Cogswell was commissioned by the Rockville
Downtown Association. The Statue, originally cast of zinc alloy in 1883, was
replicated by LeFevre Studios in New York City, using existing written and
photographic archives. Funds to restore the fountain base were obtained
through a State of Connecticut Small Cities Grant.
Erected by Dr. Henry D. Cogswell in honor of William T. Cogswell, his
cousin. A staunch supporter of Prohibition, the sculpture of Dr. Cogswell
has him holding a Temperance pledge in one hand and a glass of water in
the other. On July 4, 1885 the figure was stolen and dumped into Snipsic
Lake. It was recovered, only to disappear shortly afterwards. The statue
reappeared on July 4, 1908 during the Town Centennial Celebration. It was
finally melted for scrap during WWII.
The fountain base is one of over a dozen similar Temperance-themed
fountains that Cogswell had commissioned in notable cities such as San
Francisco, Washington DC and Philadelphia. The Rockville fountain is on
the Smithsonian Inventory of American Paintings and Sculpture.