CARBONDALE, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A more than a century-old piece of Carbondale history is finally coming back home! A granite fountain, once a fixture in the city in the early 1900s, is making its return thanks to a remarkable story of postcards, connections, and community pride.
It all started with a postcard from California. A man’s “happiness project” of an old 1907 postcard of Carbondale mailed to city hall. That small act of kindness set off a chain of events from other Carbondale residents that led to something much bigger.
"Well, you know typical Carbondale style, so and so knows somebody who knows so and so, who knows somebody else, that this is on their property now. Finally got to the owner of the, of the fountain, and found out that her great uncle was a former jeweler, jeweler here in town," explained Carbondale Mayor Michele Bannon.
Joan Esherick is the owner. Her great-great-uncle, Edgar Ely, bought the fountain from the city in the 1920s, and placed it on his summer property in Kingsley. After hearing from the mayor, Esherick knew what to do.
"We know Carbondale is, is pretty passionate about its history, and we just think that's where it belongs. It's the right thing to do, and we think Uncle Ed would be pleased," said Esherick.
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"We're thrilled to have it because it fits right into our plans of respecting your past, but moving forward to the future," said Mayor Bannon.
The city plans to make the fountain the centerpiece of a soon-to-be Pocket Park on River Street, where the Hotel Chellino once stood.
"I want it to be fully functioning. We have a great DPW. They can do it, make anything work," explained Mayor Bannon.
The multi-tiered fountain once provided water for horses on top and dogs below. While the city may skip the human drinking part this time around, it's ready to give this piece of history a second life.
"It's certainly worthwhile to see, you know, because it does. It gives us a window into a time that's long forgotten, you know, and it kind of brings it back a little bit, brings back the, you know, the treasure of that time, the simplicity of that time, which is, I think, a thing we need to recapture," said Esherick.
The fountain is still at the residence in Kingsley, but the city has already taken a trip there to start sizing out how they will return it to the pioneer city, and of course, start working on it to get water flowing once again.
