''The Catholic Total Abstinence Union Fountain'' (1874–1877) – also known as ''The Catholic Total Abstinence Centennial Fountain'' or ''The Centennial Fountain'' – is a now-defunct ornamental fountain and drinking fountain located in West

Fairmount Park Fairmount Park is the largest municipal park in Philadelphia and the historic name for a group of parks located throughout the city. Fairmount Park consists of two park sections named East Park and West Park, divided by the Schuylkill River, w ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. Created as an attraction for the

1876 Centennial Exposition The Centennial International Exhibition, officially the International Exhibition of Arts, Manufactures, and Products of the Soil and Mine, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876. It was the first official wo ...

, it was commissioned by the Catholic Total Abstinence Union of America, a religious organization that advocated for total abstinence from alcohol.

Creation

The fountain was intended to symbolize "the power of religion, the virtues of temperance, and the Irish Catholic love of patriotism and liberty." It was designed by German-born-and-trained Philadelphia sculptor Herman Kirn (1847/48 - 1920). Kirn came to the U.S. at age six, then returned to

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...

as a young adult to study under

Carl Johann Steinhäuser Carl Johann Steinhäuser (3 July 1813 – 9 December 1879) was a noted German sculptor in the classical style. Steinhäuser was born in Bremen, the eldest son of a wood carver and sculptor. There he studied in the School of Drawing under pai ...

for six years. Steinhäuser provided letters of recommendation for this commission. Kirn's other work in the park includes the 1883 Willian Penn statue atop

Mom Rinker's Rock Mom Rinker's Rock is a scenic outlook in Wissahickon Valley Park along the Wissahickon Creek in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on a ridge on the eastern side of the park just a little north of the Walnut Lane Br ...

, titled ''Toleration'', and his '' Orestes and Pylades''

drinking fountain A drinking fountain, also called a water fountain or water bubbler, is a fountain designed to provide drinking water. It consists of a basin with either continuously running water or a tap. The drinker bends down to the stream of water and s ...

of 1884, cast in bronze from a Steinhäuser original design. During the erection of this last piece, Kirn lost the use of his right arm to a falling piece of stone. Thereafter the Park employed him. Kirn exhibited a 12-foot diameter

plaster of Paris Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of buildings, while "re ...

model of the Catholic fountain as early as February 1874 at the city's Academy of Music. Fundraising for the project was slow, and it was the following autumn that Kirn formally received the commission. Tyrolean marble was chosen for the statues, and Kirn moved to southern Austria to carve them at a quarry in Laas.

Description

The fountain's 100-foot-wide stepped base is of granite and in the shape of a

Maltese cross The Maltese cross is a cross symbol, consisting of four " V" or arrowhead shaped concave quadrilaterals converging at a central vertex at right angles, two tips pointing outward symmetrically. It is a heraldic cross variant which develope ...

. At the center is a 40-foot diameter basin featuring a 15-foot statue of

Moses In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...

, who clutches the

Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (), or the Decalogue (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , ), are religious and ethical directives, structured as a covenant document, that, according to the Hebrew Bible, were given by YHWH to Moses. The text of the Ten ...

with his left arm, holds his staff (now missing) in his left hand, and points skyward with his

shofar A shofar ( ; from , ) is an ancient musical horn, typically a ram's horn, used for Jewish ritual purposes. Like the modern bugle, the shofar lacks pitch-altering devices, with all pitch control done by varying the player's embouchure. The ...

or horn (now missing) in his right hand. He stands upon a beehive-shaped mound of marble that signifies the Rock of Horeb, which God instructed Moses to strike with his staff to provide water for the Israelites. The fountain was fed by a reservoir atop nearby George's Hill, and small waterfalls flowed from the rock mound. The basin's marble outer wall features six portrait medallions of prominent

Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

who fought in the Revolutionary War – including

George Meade George Gordon Meade (December 31, 1815 – November 6, 1872) was an American military officer who served in the United States Army and the Union army as Major General in command of the Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War from 1 ...

, Count Casimir Pulaski and the

Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, Marquis de La Fayette (; 6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (), was a French military officer and politician who volunteered to join the Conti ...

– and the seal of the Total Abstinence Union. Outside the basin, on the arms of the cross, are four larger-than-life subsidiary statues of prominent American Catholics – Archbishop John Carroll,

Charles Carroll of Carrollton Charles Carroll (September 19, 1737 – November 14, 1832), known as Charles Carroll of Carrollton or Charles Carroll III, was an American politician, planter, and signatory of the Declaration of Independence. He was the only Catholic signatory ...

, Father Theobald Mathew, and

Commodore John Barry John Barry (March 25, 1745 – September 13, 1803) was an Irish-born American naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War and in the United States Navy during the Quasi-War. He has been credited by some ...

. Each statue's granite pedestal featured four lion-head spouts from which water flowed, for a total of sixteen drinking fountains.

Dedication

The fountain was dedicated on July 4, 1876, following a mass at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul; and a parade of more than 5,000 north on Broad Street, west on Girard Avenue, and over the Girard Avenue Bridge to the Centennial fairgrounds. Composer Edward Mack wrote the "Centennial Fountain Grand March" for the occasion. Speeches were made by prominent Catholic clergy and individuals, culminating in a final blessing by Father James O'Reilly:

Oh God, by whose word all things are made holy, give Thy blessing to this Fountain, and grant that whosoever will make use with thanksgiving, according to Thy will and Thy law, may, through the invocation of Thy most holy name, receive from Thee health of body and spiritual protection, through Christ our Lord, Amen.

The fountain itself was operational for the dedication, including the sixteen pedestal drinking fountains, but only the statue of ''Commodore Barry'' was in place. The other four were still in Austria, and in various states of completion. It remained in this condition through the November 1876 closing of the exposition, and beyond. The ''Father Mathew'', ''Archbishop Carroll'', and ''Charles Carroll of Carrollton'' statues were dedicated on March 17, 1877 (

Saint Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (), is a religious and cultural holiday held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Chris ...

); and the central ''Moses Striking the Rock of Horeb'' statue was dedicated on July 4, 1877.

Later history

The statue of ''Father Mathew'' was damaged by lightning on June 18, 1910. Sculptor Kirn, who had modeled it 35 years earlier, repaired it."H. Kirn repairing the statue of Fr. Mathew,"
from Philadelphia Archdiocese Historical Research Center.

Gallery

File:Moses Tea Fountain Philly.jpg, ''Moses Striking the Rock of Horeb''. File:Rev J Carroll Catholic abs.JPG, ''Archbishop Carroll''. File:Charles Carroll Catholic abs.jpg, ''Charles Carroll of Carrollton''. File:Father Mat Catholic abs.JPG, ''Father Mathew'' File:Com Barry Catholic abs.JPG, ''Commodore Barry''. File:Herman Kirn w. J. Carroll.jpg, Herman Kirn w. J. Carroll ca. 1875 File:CTAU Fountina Moses model.jpg, Herman Kirn clay model for Moses, Catholic Total Abstinence Union Fountain. File:Catholic Total Abstinence Union Fountain SB5, p. 353.jpg, Photo of Fountain w. water running.

References

Sources

* Daniel J. Gallagher, ''The Catholic Centennial Fountain Illustrated: A Tribute of the Catholics of America to the Centennial of the Nation's Birth'' (Philadelphia: Daniel J. Gallagher, 1877). * Daria A. Gasparini
''A Celebration of Moral Force: The Catholic Total Abstinence Union of America Centennial Fountain''
masters thesis, University of Pennsylvania, 2002.

External links

Aerial Video
by Serge Maslennikov from YouTube.
Catholic Total Abstinence Union Fountain
from

SIRIS Siris may refer to: Mythology *Siris (goddess), the Mesopotamian goddess of beer *Siris (mythology), a figure in Greek mythology; also known as Sinis Places *Siris, Magna Graecia, an ancient city in southern Italy *Siris, Sardinia, an Italian comm ...

.
Catholic Total Abstinence Union Fountain
from Philadelphia Archdiocese Historical Research Center.
Catholic Total Abstinence Fountain
from Getty Images. {{Ten Commandments Fountains in Pennsylvania Outdoor sculptures in Philadelphia 1876 sculptures Centennial Exposition West Fairmount Park Sculptures of Moses Irish-American culture in Philadelphia Christian temperance movement Catholicism in Pennsylvania Ten Commandments in art