The Freeman Memorial Fountain

The Freeman Memorial Fountain. . , To celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria's reign on June 22, 1897, the school children of Stratford raised money to erect a fountain to the memory of W.J. Freeland, their beloved music teacher. Freeland was the first full-time music teacher in Stratford schools and was well known for his choirs and his work with children in the eight years he was in Stratford before his untimely death, December 31, 1894. His funeral procession, organized by the school board, was led by the Select Choir and the Public School pupils. His legacy was carried on by others, but Freeland's contribution was remembered for many years., The Bands of Mercy, through which the school children raised the money for the fountain, were formed in each school under the auspices of the Perth County Humane Society for the protection of animals and children. In 1910 the Society was divided into two organizations - the Perth County Children's Aid (for the protection of children) and the continuing Perth County Humane Society (for the protection of animals). The concern of the society was reflected in the design of a fountain for dogs, horses and people., The fountain is of cut stone, with drinking troughs for dogs, for horses, and for men, women and children. Two metal cups hanging on chains helped the latter to drink. The whole was originally surmounted by a metal figure bearing a bronze globe and representing the "Goddess of Liberty". Metal piping flowing from the lion's mouths was originally connected to the city water system to provide a source of fresh water., The memorial was placed in front of the first City Hall building at the corner of Wellington and Downie Streets, and unveiled as the first of a number of events celebrating Queen Victoria's Jubilee. The four inscriptions on the memorial's base identify the purposes for which the fountain was erected: , 1. "Queen's Jubilee, June 22, 1897." , 2. "In affectionate remembrance of W J. Freeland. Erected by the Bands of Mercy in the Stratford Public Schools." , 3. "Be kind to all living creatures." , 4. "Blessed are the merciful.", Within six months, the monument began an eventful career of shifting locations and even neglect in storage. In November 1897, the old City Hall burned to the ground although the fountain remained unscathed. It remained in front of the new City Hall when it opened in 1900, but was soon pushed out by the need for paved streets., After a short stay on the Downie Street side of City Hall, the fountain was moved to the Firehall where, in 1907, it was installed (with running water) along the west side of Waterloo Street half way between Albert and Brunswick Streets. This was at the rear of the firehall and near the new market building and weigh scales, where it continued to be of benefit to the three groups of users., With the replacement of horses by motorized vehicles at the firehall (and generally in society), the city decided in 1931 to move the fountain (now dry) to the island in Lakeside Drive where it meets Waterloo Street. A special rededication ceremony was held as part of the city's centennial celebrations in 1932, involving many of the people who as children had been involved in the original unveiling and the raising of the funds to erect it., Here the memorial was to become the victim of inexperienced and likely inebriated drivers, especially of the male persuasion, who on occasion seem to have been distracted by the "topless" figure of the goddess. The fateful moment arrived in 1944, when vandals dislodged the goddess and her globe, leaving them irretrievably damaged. One of the subsequent accidents also destroyed the lowest trough (for dogs)., The base remained at this corner for another thirteen years until it was moved in 1957, because it constituted a danger to the increased automobile and pedestrian traffic along Lakeside Drive. Apparently, people were in the habit of standing on the roadway in order to read the inscriptions on the memorial. It was placed in storage under the pavilion in Upper Queen's Park (Victoria Park). Ironically, the pavilion had been dedicated on the same day in 1897 as the Freeland Memorial., The memorial spent the next twelve years in abject neglect being rescued twice by T.J. Dolan - once, when it was being used to support a stove at the pavilion, and again, when he found it buried under a huge pile of snow in the public works yard in 1969. For a short period, it had also been locked away in the old firehall until that building was torn down in 1967., After rescuing it the second time and moving it to the new Firehall on Erie Street, T.J. Dolan of the Parks Board, along with Fire Chief James Gillespie, Alderman Peter Case and Mayor J.V. Killer, investigated options for the rededication of the monument. By the fall of 1969, the Freeland Memorial (a little battered and minus the statue) was set up in Queen's Park near the Centennial Park bridge. A bronze plaque explaining the significance of the monument was added beside it by the Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (LACAC) in 1995 for the 100th anniversary of the Perth County Children's Aid., In 1973, because it had not been feasible to replace the original bronze statue, a small monk-like figure possibly an imitation of the "Infant Jesus of Prague". was donated by J.L. Blackwell, to be placed on top of the base. A special devotion of the Roman Catholic church exists for the Prague icon, and many replicas exist in churches around the world. The statue was seriously deteriorated and damaged by 1986 and was replaced by a new replica. With the moving and restoration of the Freeland Memorial in 2002, a new home is being sought for this statue., On September 15, 2002, the restored Freeland Memorial (without a statue) was unveiled at its new location in the Memorial Park at Ontario, Downie and Eric Streets. The fountain is again connected to the water system and provides drinking water for the public. It is hoped that a new bronze statue of the "Goddess of Liberty", complete with globe, can be added in the future to restore the monument to its original appearance and purpose., The restoration was a millennium project of the Stratford and District Horticultural Society, with funding provided by a provincial millennium grant and generous donations from community organizations and individuals.