Hey Bulldog!

File this one under Fort Historical Minutia...

Above is a turn-of-the-century (19th-to-20th) postcard of the 1901 Water Tower on the corner of South High Street and South Fourth Street. Look closely at it. There are three teeny-weeny things to look for in the bottom left corner of this postcard: first of all, we see a lady walking (it looks like Queen Victoria). (What Her Majesty was doing on High Street in 1901 is anybody's guess). Next to the lady is a fire hydrant, and above that is a tiny little black 'object' at the base of a tree trunk. See it? The red circled item. The inset photo to the right is an enlargement of the object to show... well... er... it doesn't show anything really, does it? In fact, it kinda looks like that famous old Bigfoot photo.

So why draw attention to a tiny speck on a hundred year old photograph?

Because, that tiny speck is actually this thing:

Original Valve Control for the 1901 Water Tower

Recognize this? It looks like something off an old carnival ride, but it's actually the original Valve Control for the 1901 Water Tower. This photo was taken around 2010 when the cast iron sculpture had been restored and placed on display in The Hoard Historical Museum. Currently the Valve Control is displayed inside the base of the Water Tower, but for most of the 20th century it stood outdoors on the corner of South High and South Fourth Streets amongst a clump of pine trees.

The Valve as it looked chained up in the 70s

It's interesting to think that such an ornate casting was used in the 1900s for something as ordinary as a water valve. Maybe because it was placed on the public school grounds, they wanted it to have a playground look. I remember it in the 1970s, cemented into the ground near the base of the Water Tower. It wasn't in use then, in fact it was all chained up so kids couldn't turn the crank. I remember that crack along its side and it was rusted and uncared for. At some point, probably as a safety feature, it had been completely painted orange, probably so kids running amok and playing around the Water Tower (which we all did) wouldn't ram into it. It's cast iron, after all. I don't know when they removed The Valve from its original spot, but I think it was still there in 1980 when I attended the High School across the street. Nevertheless, when I attended The High Street Schools, I always thought this sculpture was a Bulldog. But looking at it all painted and restored, it looks more like an ape or a monkey, perhaps an organ grinder's monkey with a bow tie and matching cap. And a monocle. Who knows, before they chained it up, maybe it played music when you cranked the handle? Oh the monkey and the coconut... NAAWW!