Gorham Fountain

1907 - 1957
Fifty Years
of
 Mt. Kisco's Icon

1907 The Fountain Presented by D. F. Gorham

"God's Only Beverage For Man and Beast"

Detail from above card

View Two

Presented To The village of Mt. Kisco By D. F. Gorham

"Mt.Kisco, Aug 25,08
Set a card to you yesterday
but received yours last
 night. Shall be glad to see
you both Labor Day many
time consi????
lovingly
E.E. Gorham"

View Three

South Moger Avenue, Mount Kisco New York

This view places the fountain squarely in the intersection of Main and Moger.  The globes are missing but the bulbs remain. The road remains unpaved in their view. Only horse drawn vehicles are visible in what appears to be a morning shot during the summer or fall. What year is a matter of conjecture. The tripod base and basin appear as they have in previous views. This view is unusual in that it is a rare view of the rear of the figure. The card was made by Herman Post Card Company Chicago, no indication of card or negative number is present on this printed divided back card.

View Four

Gorham Fountain, Mt. Kisco , N.Y.
 (1910 postmark)

Note building in left side seems to be a different size from building on left in 1907 photograph
Also, the power lines evident in 1907 photo have gone away, although the utility poles have not. The obvious gouge in the outside of the basin as shown in the view below is masked by the presence the second child from the left.

View Five

Main Street Fountain, Mt. Kisco, N.Y.

Here the fountain is clearly in the middle of the road, has water pouring from the founts and the light globes are in place. To the right of the view there is a curb, sidewalk and hedge. I place this view as being more recent than the previous view based solely on the appearance of the curved tree to the left side of the view. Even though it may only be the difference between mid-April and late September of the same year, I feel this is a more recent view. The problem with this sort of dating is if one looks at the same tree in the 1907 view it appears to be unchanged, except for the foliage. The card is a divided back Newvochrome, No. D 5006 Published by Benedicts Bros, Jewelers and Opticians, Mt. Kisco, N.Y. Postmarked Bedford Hills July 14, 1910.

View Six

East Main St, Mount Kisco, N.Y.

This card  has a divided back with a one cent domestic rate, two cent foreign rate block. The Gorham Fountain is present to the right of the utility pole. My guess is that this card is pre-1911. There is no evidence of St. Mark's Episcopal Church, erected in 1911.  Is the tree on the right that curved one that has been on the left all this time?  It now appears taller than the utility poles, previously it was shorter. A trick of perspective or did someone move the fountain? The fountain no longer appears to be in the middle of the intersection. This image is from Artino series by B.E. Banks 87982 and was printed in Germany.

View Seven

East Main Street, Mt. Kisco, N.Y.

Here we see the horse of John Sarles, Grocer watering at the Gorham Fountain. There appears to be a wall where the hedge was formerly. This scene, apparently shot between November and April, shows the Gorham Fountain at the Main and Moger intersection. It is difficult to tell from the image if the street is paved or not. There is no doubt that there is curbing and a wide sidewalk. The curbing appears in the earliest photos, the sidewalk appears to be narrow in the earliest cards above. This card has no date, no publisher indicated. It is un-postmarked, divided back with no rate information provided. The National Bank Building, which would appear behind the Sarles wagon is not present, making this, at latest, a 1913 scene, even if it is a later postcard. From this angle the fountain appears to be further down Moger than it was in Views Two and Three. Another trick of perspective?

View Eight

1934 Postmarked Card of Gorham Fountain

Street has acquired brick paving, trees are mature, power lines still MIA. Utility pole should be about where the rear of the auto is if we assume that the fountain has remained in one position. The electric lights appear to be functional, there is no sign of water flowing from the fount but in this view there is the first clear shot of a pipe coming up from the ground since before 1910. It is apparently the same pipe as seen in the View Two, the round curbing around the pipe appears to be the same as well. I would assume that although there is no sign of it, water service might still be intact, even if not used nor needed.

View Nine

"The Kisco Indian Mt. Kisco, N.Y.

1957 postmarked view of the Gorham Fountain at the Jeff Fiegel Square location. Previous views were at the Moger Avenue location. Note that the lighting globes are now gone, the attendant hardware is missing as well. The figure has aged accordingly, with black hair in 1934, he now sports white hair in 1957.

I imagine his arm is tired of holding that bow as well.

The carving of the basin apparent in the original photos appears to have returned with the loss of the tripod base. Where in previous views the basin is quite angular here it appears to be more rounded and without any sharp planes, the gouge beginning in View Two is present.  Here it sits on an octagonal concrete base.

What Damage Has The Fountain suffered?

The globes are missing from View Three and View Seven. Aside from this is difficult to say what might have happened to the Fountain over the fifty years. There is a narrow vertical gouge in the basin at the center as seen in View Nine that does not appear in any other view. The figure appears to be holding an arrow in his left hand in View One and View Two but it is gone by View Three.

In What Locations Has The Fountain Been?

It appears that there have been two placements of the fountain. The original in in the intersection of Moger and Main. The second is to the side of the intersection of Jeff Fiegel and Main. The various views sometimes give the appearance that the fountain was moved within the intersection of Moger and Main but I believe that this is a result of seeing different perspectives.

One Basin or Two?

It is pretty clear that the basin in View Two and View Nine are the same. The rounded lip of the basin seems to be a constant. What is puzzling is that the basin in the intervening views does not appear to be the basin in View Nine. Tricks of light? Vagary of image sharpness? A different basin? It's hard to tell from the views.  The basin appears to have well defined panels in View Seven, yet in View Nine it is apparently a rounded basin. View Eight also shows panels. Still, the well rounded lip of the basin seems to be a constant feature. This one will require additional views.

Water Service and Electric Function

It appears that the functioning of the Fountain as a water source ended about the time the road was paved. It lost the electrical function by the time it was moved to the Main Street and Jeff Fiegel Square intersection. Additional views are required to place a more precise time frame on this.

Number of Bases?

Certainly two bases were used over the years. The octagonal base shown in View Nine and the tripod base shown in View Two through View Eight are given. Did it rest upon a different base in View One? I suspect not. There is a very small amount of time between View One and View Three. All three views might be from different parts of the same year. There seems to be no change in the orientation of the figure. Until some compelling evidence arises, such as a new view showing a third pedestal, I'll have to say only two bases were used in the first half century.