Public Fountain

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The Glassboro Fountain was located in Glassboro near the current intersection of Academy and State Streets. It was placed at this location on July 10, 1900. It was a drinking fountain that doubled as a lamp post. On the side of the fountain, the following text was inscribed:  “I was thirsty and He gave me drink.” This quote comes from the Bible verse: Matthew 25:35. The fountain was designed so that horses could drink from the large bowl. A tin cup was also hung on the pole (seen in photo) for townspeople to drink. The fountain was originally just a fountain but later it was equipped to be a lamp post as well.

The fountain was first approved by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and then by the Township Committee. When the fountain was unveiled, there were approximately 1,000 people watching, with some speakers. A quote by historian Edward Walton says, “It’s an ornament to the town and a monument to those who worked on it.”

Since the fountain was placed before the time of automobiles, they didn’t realize the dangers it faced to traffic. It was at this location for 21 years and had been struck by an automobile four times. After the fourth accident, Glassboro officials decided to move the fountain to the front of the Women's Christian Temperance Union building, which was on South Academy Street (the exact location is not known). The fountain was painted and became a flower garden for the W.C.T.U. Several years later the fountain mysteriously disappeared and was never seen again.

An October 14, 1907 article from the Philadelphia Inquirer seems to indicate that the fountain collapsed due to water damage. (See below)

In addition to the fountain, a shoe repair store (to the left), and the Stanger General Store (to the right) can be seen. 

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