1021

Long #: 
41.4-1021-PB
5" x 3.5"
Date: 
1938
Binder: 
General

A man & woman stand next to Cogswell Fountain in Jewell Park. The metal fountain was donated to the city by temperance advocate and San Francisco dentist, Dr. Henry D. Cogswell, who made his fortune in real estate in Gold Rush-era SF and founded Cogswell Polytechnic Institute. He planned to erect water fountain/statues in cities across America in the 1880s. He hoped to build one fountain for every 100 saloons-offering the option for passersby to drink water instead of alcohol. Many of the fountains were topped with a statue of Dr. Cogswell himself, and some were defaced or removed by people who either rejected his message or found the statues unaesthetic. Several more, including the PG fountain, were melted down during WWII metal drives