Iconic Two-Sided Fountain Restored!

Thanks to all of you current and former Lawlerites who contributed to the complete restoration of that fabulous fountain…and just in time to be enjoyed by those who attended Lawler’s Irish Fest I.  This photo (below) was taken by Bonnie Kuehner and the following is a chapter from my book, “Depot Street Memories…The Lawler Stories:”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Lawler’s Two-Sided Fountain

            It was one of the coolest landmarks in Lawler, but that is not how we thought of it. To us, it was simply a great place to get a drink any time of the night or day. Standing proudly on the sidewalk south of the lumberyard was the town’s only public water fountain.

It was without question one of the most unique fountains in the state of Iowa. The concrete structure was built to serve humans from the sidewalk on the north, and horses from the street side on the south.

Only a half block or so from The Park, the fountain was turned on in the early spring and ran continuously through October. Occasionally we called a halt to our football or baseball games and ran over for a cool refreshing drink.

There was a cement block for little kids to stand on in order to reach the fountain. It had a two-foot high barrier between the front (people-side) and back (horse-side).When we were youngsters, it was likely the most proficient germ-spreading device within fifty miles. That is because most of us completely cupped the fountain with our mouths to inhale the delicious cold water. (If you instinctively said, “Gross!”—I couldn’t agree with you more.)

The back side of the fountain had a large bowl beneath a valve that could be turned on to fill up for thirsty horses (or wash our hands if we had eaten something sticky).

As this is written in the summer of 2009, the fountain is still there and, I’m told, is still a functional piece of plumbing. My hope is that it does not go the way of the town bell that was located about one hundred yards to its west. To my regret, the bell has long since been dismantled.

That wonderful two-sided water fountain has stood guard over Main Street for at least eighty years, and needs to be there for future generations of Lawlerites and their horses to enjoy.