Browse Exhibits (4 total)

Local Sources: WCTU Drinking Fountains

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Fresh Drinking Water for Human and Beast

At the first meeting of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, in Cleveland, Ohio, November 18-20, 1874, ideas flowed like water. Among the points on the First Plan of Work was this item:

“We urge our unions everywhere to signalize the coming hundredth birthday [1876] of America  by erecting in every village and town and city, fountains of water, inscribed with such mottoes as shall show what sort of drink the women of America believe in, and as shall be a sermon in their persuasiveness to our fathers, brothers, and sons.”

Long after the centenary of the US had passed—and well into the 20th century-- the women of the WCTU continued their campaign to provide free, accessible drinking water to thirsty townspeople—and often to their horses and dogs. With the goal of supplying an alternative to the alcoholic beverages offered in saloons, WCTU members also fulfilled another of their missions: the welfare of animals, especially the horses which were still the means of transport for people and goods. Many fountains had spouts for humans, plus troughs at two lower levels for horses and dogs.

As historian Carol Mattingly has written, “More significant than the availability of clean water however, may be the fountains’ public tribute to the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and its members….They symbolized the power and importance of the WCTU,” since they were placed in very public areas such as parks, squares, and major intersections. Local newspapers often described the dedication ceremonies. The fountains also demonstrated the WCTU’s civic influence, even before women could vote, since the fountain installations (paid for by the WCTU) required the cooperation of the local governments which supplied the water.

As you can see from the images in this exhibit, the WCTU fountains ranged in size and form; some were classical in style, some more rustic; some had receptacles for ice storage to keep drinking water cold; some had faucets while others sprayed jets of water.  Despite the many stylistic differences, the fountains could almost always be identified as WCTU structures by the inscriptions: the letters “WCTU” or the full title “Woman’s Christian Temperance Union,” and an inscribed motto or Bible verse; many also included the town name, the name of the specific WCTU union that funded the fountains, or the name of a local or national WCTU leader.

How many WCTU drinking fountains were installed? Did the WCTU get close to putting a fountain in every town and city? It’s hard to say, since many fountains have either disappeared or their history and origin have been forgotten. We know that WCTUs were installing fountains as late as 1939. We have documented over 90 fountains in this exhibit—and we know there are many more, past and present, still to be identified from old photographs and newspaper articles, or by sharp-eyed local historians who are curious about unusual monuments in their towns.

Over the years, the public nature of the WCTU fountains was part of the reason for their disappearance—they were blocking traffic on newly widened streets, or were in the way of redevelopment, or their use as horse troughs made them obsolete. In some cases, fountains were moved to obscure corners of parks; some were vandalized or damaged beyond repair.  However, many fountains have been restored and still exist as local historical monuments, though fewer still function as water sources for thirsty humans and dogs.

Viewing and searching this exhibit

This exhibit includes images and details about existing fountains as well as fountains that have been removed. Fountains are organized alphabetically by state (or country) and town/city name. 

Location(s) of WCTU fountains are marked in red on the page for each state. [Not all maps have been marked yet]

Unless otherwise noted, images were contributed by WCTU members. See the Notes and Bibliography page for additional citation and source information.

Is--or was--there a temperance fountain near you? Check the list to find out! As more fountains are discovered, they will be added to the exhibit. You can help! See the About page for our contact information.

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"Womanly Liberty" or "Home Protection": Frances Willard and Woman Suffrage

Frances Willard’s conviction that women should vote engaged her from her youth and throughout her life.  Her work for suffrage spanned the local and national scenes. Although she believed in suffrage as a right, she taught reluctant followers in the WCTU that it was a duty, establishing the idea of the ballot as a necessary tool for the advancement of the organization’s mission.

Meanwhile, Willard also took a leadership role in national women’s movements (such as the National Council of Women) where she could more freely express her beliefs about woman’s right to vote. During her lifetime, Willard bridged the temperance and the suffrage movements, and is recognized today for her influence in both areas of reform.

After Willard's death in 1898, the WCTU continued to work vigorously for suffrage, and in 1920 celebrated two victories with the passage of the 18th and 19th amendments.

This exhibit uses materials from the WCTU Archives to illustrate the development of Willard's thought on women's duties--and rights--and how the WCTU joined the fight for the vote.

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From "Teaching the Children" to "Just Say No": The WCTU and Scientific Temperance Instruction

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Scientific Temperance Instruction (STI)—the concept of incorporating education about the negative effects of alcohol into public school curricula—introduced a new phase in temperance work. Educating young people had been part of the WCTU’s mission from the beginning, when the first Plan of Work in 1874 prioritized “teaching the children … the ethics, chemistry, and hygiene of total abstinence.” Sunday School lessons and Loyal Temperance Legion activities offered temperance education to limited audiences and focused on the moral and spiritual issues of temperance. Scientific Temperance Instruction, on the other hand, was intended to reach all children in public schools, as a state-mandated program of health education emphasizing the physiological consequences of alcohol consumption.

This exhibit features a small sampling from the wide range of research materials in the Willard Memorial Library and Archives—documents, publications, photographs, and artifacts—that tell the story of Scientific Temperance Instruction and the WCTU women who spearheaded the movement, from its introduction in the 1870s to its implementation, changes over time, and continuing influence on health education.

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Influences of a Self-Made Woman: The Early Journals of Frances Willard

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                    Frances Willard's journals, Frances Willard House.

The history and memory of Frances Willard celebrates the legacy of a proclaimed “self-made woman.”  Historians of Willard cite her devotion to the women’s suffrage movement, social activism, and political determination as the pillars of her life’s work, which she built as a feminist leader.  Despite Willard’s groundbreaking work remembered throughout the middle and end of her life, much is yet to be analyzed about her early influences.  Willard’s legacy is preserved in the journals that she wrote from 1855-1896, but much of the analysis of her life examines the latter journals where she writes about her national and global projects.  Fortunately researchers have access to a glimpse of her early life through the now digitized journals that Willard kept.

To view the digitized journals, visit Frances Willard Digital Journals.

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