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Cogswell Monument, Lincoln Park
This all-but-forgotten monument to the Ladies' Seamans Friend Society (huh?) in Lincoln Park was erected by Dr. Henry Cogswell, a Connecticut dentist who came to San Francisco and made his fortune in Gold Rush real estate and mining stock. The good doctor was also a crusader in the temperance movement and a self-professed designer of monuments. He designed and built dozens of granite drinking fountains to encourage the drinking of water over spirits. His hopes were to have one fountain built for every 100 saloons across America.
Unfortunately the fountains were not well received, the Dubuque, Iowa fountain was pulled down by vandals, another in Rockville, Connecticut was thrown into a lake, and one in San Francisco was torn down by "a lynch party of self-professed art lovers." Some survived however and Cogswell's fountains can still be found in Washington, D.C., New York City, Buffalo, Rochester, and Boston. Not content to stop at fountains, Cogswell designed his own tomb, a 400-ton granite tower, complete with fountains and statues, that houses his body in a Mountain View cemetery in Oakland.
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6 Comments:
How interesting...
I'll have to stop by Lincoln Park and see if I can find this monument... Great treatment...
I've got a buddy in Buffalo -- I'll have to ask him to search out the Dr. Cogswell's drinking fountain in his town.
Actually, I think only the one in Washington, D.C., remains, but I'm always happy to stand corrected. Here's a picture of the D.C. Cogswell Temperance Fountain to go with your photo!
http://wdc-confidential.blogspot.com/2007/09/temperance.html
Thanks D.C.
My only reference to the remaining fountains came from a bio about Dr. Cogswell which claimed, "fountains can be found in Washington, D.C., New York City, Buffalo, Rochester, Boston, and San Francisco."
Perhaps it is including partial fountains. Because San Francisco almost certainly doesn't still have an intact fountain.
Hm. Well, now I'm all curious again about Cogswell's fountains. It's too bad more of these fountains aren't still around. They're kind of fun! Thanks for the great information.
Cogswell's final resting place and giantmonument to himself is actually in Oakland, in *Mountain View Cemetery*. Worth a visit, IMO.
Gem,
Mountain View in Oakland, not Mountain View - I've corrected the post. Thanks, I appreciate the help.
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