Cleveland, OH

It has taken years for us to find a picture and proof of the fountain given to Cleveland, Ohio. However, thanks to Joe Stupp who saw our our posting of Cleveland being our "Missing Monday" fountain on Facebook we now have a picture and much of the story. Joe searched through archives of the Cleveland Plain Dealer to provide us with the following information.

The fountain was given to the city in 1906 and in March President Springborn of the Board of Public Service gave permission to erect the fountain at Payne and Superior Avenues, N.E. as we had previously researched. A June 1 article said that the fountain would be dedicated the following week. The fountain appeared to be a great success as the paper reported on June 21, 1907 that 700 horses a day were using the fountain! Not only that, but the city was now wanted another fountain for the other side of town!

The fountain was still there in 1929 when things started to change dramatically in the neighborhood. Safety Director Edwin D. Barry decided that the fountain had to be removed from the site. The city was installing a safety island in the middle of the busy intersection and would be named Pulaski Square in honor of Casimir Pulaski who would be honored on the island and the Humane Society was asked to co-operate in finding a new location for the fountain.

We are not sure what happened to the fountain as yet, but we'll continue to look. As for Pulaski's monument, that came under attack as the neighborhood began to crumble and Pulaski Square was replaced with new buildings as part of a major urban renewal project. The Polish community rallied to its defense and the city agreed to a new home for it near city hall.

Click here for all the stories from the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Updated June 30, 2024

For more on the National Humane Alliance Fountains click here.


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