Memorial Fountain and Statue
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Why it's listed
Memorial Fountain and Statue stand in the middle of Memorial Square in Chambersburg, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, where Main Street meets Lincoln Way. Installed in 1878, the fountain is cast iron, about 26 feet tall, with five petal-shaped tiers rising from a ground basin about 30 feet across. Dolphins, swans, cherubs and lion heads decorate the shaft, and a soldier statue about 6 feet high, rifle grounded, stands nearby. The memorial honors local soldiers who died in the Civil War. A women's group and veterans' association raised the money through festivals and concerts, and the town was dedicated in July 1878. The fountain bears the label of J.W. Fiske of New York, and a York foundry is credited with assembling or casting it. Chambersburg had been invaded three times and its center burned in 1864, which helps explain the prominent placement. The fountain has long anchored the town's central business streetscape.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the fountain and statue are excellent examples of late nineteenth-century ornamental cast-iron work and a prominent focal point of the central business district streetscape. They were erected to honor local soldiers who died in the Civil War, in a town that was invaded three times and partly burned during the war.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 78002400, listed May 19, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Memorial Sq., Chambersburg |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | May 19, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78002400 |
| Resource type | Object |
| Period of significance | 1878 |
| Architect / builder | J.W. Fiske |
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Politics/Government |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The fountain's water system is not turned on very often; the lion heads were removed in the late 1960s after a shaft repair, and a statue arm was broken off in recent months. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Within district | Chambersburg Historic District |
| Coordinates | 39.93756, -77.66165 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 78002400.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6815407
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.