The Turnpike Road Drinking Fountain

I have scanned hundreds of photos for the New Ipswich Historical Society. One prominent feature that appears in some of the prints is a drinking fountain located in the middle of Turnpike Road (Route 124) at the intersection with Main Street. The photo below was scanned from a glass plate negative probably taken in the early 1900s.

This is a view of Turnpike Road facing Southwards. On the right is the Clark Hotel (the building with the balcony). To the right of the hotel was a barn that used for dances. The the left of the hotel was a general store, post office and telegraph office. 

The fountain was fitted with a street lamp and what appears to be a water bubbler for people. Primarily the fountain provided drinking water for horses.  This made sense because Turnpike Road proceeded Northwards up a steep hill toward Jaffrey (180 degrees from this view).

The fountain was a given to the town of New Ipswich in 1893 by Captain John Hubbard of Concord, NH. When the town finally decided to dispose of it, William Thompson purchased it by sealed bid. Presumably it remained for many years at the Thompson house on Main Street, but it doesn’t appear in any photos of that property.

Back to the Beginning

The Clark Hotel changed ownership over the years. It became the Willowbrook Tavern, the 1808 Inn, the 1808 Restaurant. The barn and corner store are gone, but the 1808 Restaurant was purchased and renovated as a Re-Max Real Estate office building. When the owners needed a focal point for the front of their office, what could be more appropriate than an antique fountain.

Henry W. Clapp Co. & the Concord Foundry Co.

The name Clapp is clearly visible on the base of the fountain. A quick Google search revealed that these fountains were produced by the Henry W, Clapp Co. & the Concord Foundry Co.  

For the Accommodation of Man & Beast: The Horse Troughs & Drinking Fountains of the Henry W. Clapp Co. & the Concord Foundry Co.

For more information refer to the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance website.

It is fitting that the fountain has returned to a spot only a few feet and a hundred plus years from its original location.