Photo of the Month

April, 2003

DAVID STROUP FOUNTAIN

Market Square

Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania

This photograph of the Stroup Fountain in Bloomsburg’s Market Square was taken sometime between 1897 and 1908. At the top of the fountain is a stork with its head raised to the sky. Several electric lights can be seen underneath the fountain’s lower tray indicating that during this era it was illuminated. The view is from the rear of the fountain looking south on Market Street. The Rishton Drugstore is to the right in the Peacock Building.

The fountain takes its name from David Stroup, a long time resident of Bloomsburg and a merchant who sold dry goods and groceries. When he died at the age of seventy-five on August 8, 1884, only his wife, Esther, survived him since they did not have any children. Nearly seven years later, she died on May 16, 1891; both are buried in the Rosemont Cemetery. The Stroups possessed a philanthropic spirit as exemplified in their wills. One of the bequests left $2,000 to the Town of Bloomsburg "to be invested and kept at interest securely, the annual interest there from to be applied to the furnishing of necessaries to destitute persons, citizens of said town, who shall require charitable relief and particularly and first to the furnishing of fuel and light to such destitute widows and infirm persons of said town." The Town Council was responsible for "procuring and distributing of such supplies" to those who needed assistance. To this day the Town of Bloomsburg administers this fund. There were several bequests totaling more than $6,000 to Lutheran churches and theological schools.

Bloomsburg Water Company in 1892 made an offer to the Bloomsburg Town Council that it would supply free water for a fountain if it provided the fountain. The Council was very interested in the proposal, but the key question was how to finance the project. Councilman W. O. Holmes proposed a solution, which the entire Council accepted, to use the money left to the town from the Stroup estate: One of the provisions stated: "To the town of Bloomsburg to assist in supplying the same with water the sum of Two Thousand dollars the same to be either invested and kept at interest and, the interest thereof applied to that object, or to be expended (with any accrued interest) upon water works erected or maintained by the town, or to be invested in stock or bonds of any water company organized to supply the town with water, after the erection of such works by such Company, upon such terms as the town Council in their discretion may prescribe." Acting on a petition from Council to the court for permission to use these funds, Judge Elijah R. Ikeler authorized the expenditure for erecting the water fountain. With this approval, the Council purchased the fountain from J. L. Mott Company in New York City for $1,545.05 and spent an additional $691.81 building the fountain base, plumbing, and shipping costs for a total cost of $2,236.86. The fountain was fully installed and in use by the end of September 1892.