Old State House Fountain - Little Rock, Arkansas
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 34° 44.922 W 092° 16.354
15S E 566582 N 3845416
Fountain in front of the Old State House in Little Rock, Arkansas was originally from the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.
Waymark Code: WMAYMV
Location: Arkansas, United States
Date Posted: 03/13/2011
Views: 4
From information signs:
Old State House Fountain
Serving as the centerpiece in the Arkansas's exhibit at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, this fountain was cast by an Alabama foundry that forged cannons for the Confederacy during the Civil War. The fountain traveled to Little Rock by train after the Exposition and was eventually placed on the State House front lawn in late 1878, remaining dry until the installation of city water in 1880.
This fountain honors Arkansas's most distinguished soldier of World War I. On October 10, 1918, an American platoon came under fire from a German unit near Verdun, France, Private Herman Davis of Mississippi County attacked the machine gun single-handedly, silencing four enemy gunners. Awarded the United States Distinguished Service Cross, French Medaille Militaire and French Croix de Guerre, Private Davis was sited for extraordinary heroism by American General John J. Pershing. In 1954, the Herman Davis Memorial Association, using gifts from many schoolchildren, restored the Old State House Fountain to working order, though not to its original condition.
In 1992, Bill Clinton chose the Old State House Museum as the site of his Presidential victory celebration. Special scaffolding was erected around the fountain to protect it. Clinton returned in 1996 for his re-election victory party, but this time the fountain had been disassembled for restoration. The stage was extended forward, enabling President Clinton to speak from a platform above the second tier.
Although the fountain was-refurbished in 1954, it was not restored to its original 3-tier form, instead, it featured two tiers on a black concrete base. In 1999, with a generous contribution from Stella Boyle Smith Charitable Trust, the Museum restored the fountain's 1876 appearance using replicas of the original molds.