The Erskine Memorial Fountain

“Let it be sacredly guarded and cared for by those charged with the responsibility of municipal government,” said Atlanta Mayor Porter King, when the city received the Erskine Memorial Fountain in early May of 1896. If you’re not aware, it is now falling apart. So WTF?

That WTF is directed at all of the City of Atlanta governments, both past and present, with a few exceptions, and not just at the regime of Mayor Kasim Reed. It’s a problem his office inherited, stretching into the past more than a century, when the Erskine Memorial Fountain was first abandoned by our municipal authorities right after it was entrusted to them.

Once an intricate bronze fountain with several arching sprays of water hugged by a carved bench of Georgia marble, both fountain and bench are now disappointing shadows of their former glory.

Stop! Before you read more about the history of the Erskine Fountain (which is below) learn about efforts, fundraisers and other events or donate to save this Atlanta landmark:

UPDATE: Erskine Foundation Fund Mixer – Biscuits and Martinis
6- 9 PM Saturday April 18th, 2015
Admission- $40 a ticket and can be purchased at the door All proceeds will be matched by an Anonymous Donor.

Donate to the Erskine Fountain Fund:

The Erskine Fountain Fund (EFF) is sanctioned and supported by the Grant Park Conservancy with the assistance and any donations will be exclusive to the restoration of this beautiful, historic work of public art. All work will be completed in compliance with the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City of Atlanta and the Grant Park Conservancy. The EFF was formed by civic-minded individuals and organizations like the Atlanta Preservation Center, M.H. Mitchell Inc., Grant Park Conservancy and History Atlanta who have taken it upon themselves to organize and manage the restoration.

This project seeks to restore the Erskine Memorial Fountain by replacing missing pieces of the metal fountain and restoring it to working state. Further, it will improve the surrounding elements including the marble bench, granite entryway walls, the historic Grant Park overlook, and the surrounding surface areas.

Back to the history behind the fountain:

City councils, park superintendents, Mayors and everyone in-between have been terrible stewards, reminding us that without the public constantly reminding them, elected officials will screw up anything, from complicated subjects such as the Atlanta Cyclorama Civil War Museum, to something as simple as a cup of coffee.

When they turned their backs on this memorial to an appointed Federal judge, they broke the above promise to his daughter who donated it in 1895. Where are the bench and fountain located? They currently reside on the western edge of Grant Park, where Ormond Street meets Cherokee Avenue. Go find the pair and I promise you will be disappointed too.

The fountain is now falling apart, the bronze bowl filled with rotting leaves and accumulated rainwater that drips out of cracks of its flaking facade. Pieces of it have been stolen or lost. Letters from the “Glorious Water” that ring the top are missing. It is a cruel joke that represents how our city officials treat historic structures, landmarks and objects. How did this happen?

It was not always in Grant Park. The Erskine Memorial Fountain was dedicated on May 2nd, 1896, unveiled in a ceremony that included 1,500 highbrow Atlanta residents mesmerized (or bored) by a long-winded speech by Mayor of Atlanta Porter King quoted at the beginning of this article. The dedication occurred at what is now Hardy Ivy Park, an illustrious location at the time, where West Peachtree intersected into Peachtree on the north side of downtown.

It greeted visitors to Atlanta coming in along Peachtree. Today people zoom past this park without a thought or care.

The fountain and bench replaced a marble statue of Benjamin H. Hill, a Georgia politician who was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as both a United States and Confederate States Senator. Hill’s statue, which had resided in the park since 1886, was moved to the Georgia capitol before the dedication ceremony of the Erskine Memorial Fountain in 1896.

The bench and fountain were a gift from Ruby Ward, a tribute to her father Judge John Erskine. She traveled from her home in New York City for the dedication ceremony.

The Erskine Memorial Fountain and the accompanying bench were designed by John Massey Rhind. Rhind’s works can be found almost everywhere east of the Mississippi including Gettysburg, Detroit, Nova Scotia, Indianapolis, Memphis and more.

While today he is remembered for his additions to the National Statuary Hall Collection in Washington D.C., during his lifetime he was known as the artist that designed the three doors dedicated to John Jacob Astor III that were placed on Trinity Church in New York City. It was this job that created the buzz that turned Rhind into a sought-after memorial sculptor.

His design offers an ocean theme, with fishes, seahorses, crabs and other sea life in bronze and marble. Of the two, the bench is the better off when it comes to deterioration, with each sign of the Zodiac clearly visible along with an inscription that reads “This Fountain Is Erected in Memory of Judge John Erskine by His Daughter”, carved into the backrest.

The maritime subjects were dear to John Erskine’s heart; he always wanted to be a sailor. And he lived a life of relatively smoothness interrupted by rough and turbulent times, much like the waters of the Pacific, Atlantic or other great body of water.

John Erskine was born on September 13th, 1813, in Strabane, a town in west County Tyrone, Ireland. Today this town resides in Northern Ireland, and was until the 1990’s a focus of IRA resistance during the Troubles.

Anyways, as a youth and young man Erskine spent most of his time going back and forth from the Emerald Isle and the New World. He first came to America in 1821, but returned to Ireland in 1828 to attend school.

Erskine came back to the United States in 1832. He loved reading Shakespeare and wanted to be sailor, travelling not only around the young Republic, but travelling the seas, working on British ships.

But by 1838 it was clear his health would not allow him to be at sea for long periods of time. By the late part of that year he was in Florida and lower Georgia as a teacher. Instead of diving into salty waters he dived into the salty profession of law, and by 1846 he was admitted to the Bar of Florida.

Erskine married in 1851 while in Florida. She was the daughter of a general. The pair moved to north Georgia in 1855, first to Newnan and then to Atlanta. He quickly became a leading lawyer in the city.

When the Civil War came Erskine was opposed to secession, but he remained in Atlanta, despite his opposition to the Confederacy. This stance would pay off after the war. He moved to New York at the end of the conflict, but President Andrew Johnson appointed him to the Federal Court for the District of Georgia in 1865, sending him back South.

It was a complex time for a Federal judge in the recently defeated South. During his tenure Erskine would repeatedly back the property rights of white landowners, a stance that would earn him praise and support. Many historical sources indicate Erskine was fair and full of integrity.

His rulings in regards to race were more complicated. While I did come across a source that implied he opened the court system to the inclusion of African American jurors, I couldn’t determine how and to what extent that occurred. Erskine did rule in favor of carriers to provide separate accommodations to each race (thus supporting racial segregation) and he also ruled against marriages between the races, citing a State statute that prohibited such marriages.

Erskine officially retired on December 1st, 1883 after serving nineteen years. In June of 1884 the Bar of Georgia donated two portraits of the retired Judge. One was hung in the Northern District Court of Georgia, the other was placed in the Southern District Court.

He maintained a presence in Atlanta society after his retirement. He dreamed of donating a fountain to the city; there were no public fountains in Atlanta at the time. But before he could do this he died on January 27th, 1895. John Erskine is buried in Oakland Cemetery.

His daughter Ruby decided to fulfill her father’s dream. She put up $15,000 and hired one the best memorial designers in the country. A huge crowd showed up for its dedication. The mayor made an appearance and gave a great speech. So what happened to the Erskine Memorial Fountain?

It was almost immediately abandoned. The city, entrusted with its upkeep, passed along maintenance authority to the park board, which ignored it. An Atlanta Constitution story on October 2nd, 1904 stated through “indifference of city authorities” the Erskine Memorial Fountain had suffered “eight years of neglect”.

Bad boys in the area (it was still at the intersection of the two Peachtrees) would write dirty words and sayings in pencil and chalk all over the bench. And clogged pipes and uneven streams would cause water to spill over the sides of the fountain, drenching the surrounding sidewalk. People in the neighborhood complained, but the city did nothing. Sound familiar?

That would change in 1912 with the slip up of one public official. See, they regraded the two Peachtrees in that year, leaving the memorial four feet above the sidewalk.

The Atlanta Constitution interviewed city officials about what would happen to the fountain. The acting Chief of Construction W.A. Hansell let it slip that the memorial would be “lowered or removed entirely and permanently disposed of”.

A public controversy erupted over his remarks. While an eyesore, abandoned by municipal authorities, it was the only public fountain in the city. Many leading lawyers and concerned citizens stood up to the save the fountain, including Forrest Adair.

They succeeded in saving the memorial. First it was supposed to be moved to Piedmont Park; then they decided to move it to its current location at the Ormond Street entrance to Grant Park. This was done by late 1912.

For a short period of time it was cared for and greeted visitors to the park. An overlook sat behind the fountain and bench, granting citizens a view of a lake. The overlook has now been fenced off by Zoo Atlanta.

But for the majority of the past hundred years the Erskine Memorial Fountain has been treated like it was in its first eight years: neglected and ignored by the city of Atlanta. Where are the city officials that should be guarding this memorial? I’m also curious why the Atlanta legal community has abandoned interest.

Are you curious about how you can help the Erskine Memorial Fountain? Several entities are currently focused on gathering not only funds, but experts with certain skills.

Architects, artists, ceramists and others interested in helping should contact the Grant Park Conservancy (click the link or give them a call at 404-521-0938), M.H. Mitchell, Inc. or the Atlanta Preservation Center. Let’s get this memorial, once Atlanta’s only public fountain, restored to its former glory. It would be an enormous triumph for the neighborhood of Grant Park and the City of Atlanta.Special thanks to David Yoakley Mitchell of M.H. Mitchell, Inc. and Destiny Carnes for contributing to this article.

UPDATE: Erskine Foundation Fund Mixer – Biscuits and Martinis
6- 9 PM Saturday April 18th, 2015
Admission- $40 a ticket and can be purchased at the door All proceeds will be matched by an Anonymous Donor.

The Erskine Fountain Fund (EFF) is sanctioned and supported by the Grant Park Conservancy with the assistance and any donations will be exclusive to the restoration of this beautiful, historic work of public art. All work will be completed in compliance with the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City of Atlanta and the Grant Park Conservancy. The EFF was formed by civic-minded individuals and organizations like the Atlanta Preservation Center, M.H. Mitchell Inc., Grant Park Conservancy and History Atlanta who have taken it upon themselves to organize and manage the restoration.

This project seeks to restore the Erskine Memorial Fountain by replacing missing pieces of the metal fountain and restoring it to a working state. Further, it will improve the surrounding elements including the marble bench, granite entryway walls, the historic Grant Park overlook, and the surrounding surface areas.

Donate to the Erskine Fountain Fund: