READING, PA — These WCTU fountains, installed as part of the temperance movement’s campaign to convince men to give up stronger drinks, are still found in some cities and towns around the country. Thus since I was in Reading working on research questions related to how a series of turn-of-the-20th century progressive era social movements converged and developed in small east coast cities, I stopped by the drinking fountain.
The granite monument was placed in the center of the bustling industrial town by the Reading Woman’s Christian Temperance Union chapter in June 1904. This drinking fountain is particularly ornate, and it was dedicated to the national president of the WCTU, Frances Willard. It had been carved by Ernst Epp’s Central Granite Works in Reading.,
For More on WCTU Fountains
For additional photos of the Fountain see this album on Facebook.
For an article on the temperance fountain Salem City, NJ, see this blog post
Here is a WCTU webpage link that has some history of the fountains https://www.wctu.org/wctu-fountains.html.