RICHMOND FOUNTAIN
DATE(S) VISITED: OCT 28, 2016
LOCATION: PROVIDENCE, RI
In front of the Athenaeum in Benefit Street, Providence, RI is the Richmond Fountain, a granite Gothic Revival water fountain dating to 1873, designed by Ware & Van Brunt and fed by the nearby Pawtuxet River. The inscription on the fountain reads "Come hither every one that thirsteth". Not only was it a way to provide clean drinking water to the area, but also to encourage people to drink water instead of alcohol.
After falling into disrepair and being dry for a decade, the fountain was restored to working order in 2018 after generous donations allowed the plumbing to be replaced. But now water flows again so freely is it safe to drink? It most certainly won't harm your health, but old legends surrounding the fountain may make some think otherwise.
Legends dating back to the early 1900s say that anyone who drinks from the fountain will always return to Providence. Other legends spin the tale differently saying that you will never be able to leave. The source of this tale is unknown and no one really knows who could have started it. Some say it was Edgar Allen Poe, who's failed romance with Sarah Helen Whitman ended at the Athenaeum. Although this rumor can easily be debunked as the fountain was built two decades after his death.
But is this legend really a curse? Providence is such a magical and wonderful city, who would not want to be returned here? Team H even got married within it's sunset confines on Prospect Park (Halloween 2018), so yes, we may need to go and drink from it's bubbling spout and see for ourselves if we become spellbound.