Mysterious Pole Confounds Staffers
Last week Michelle Saunders and I teased to our Highland Park Centennial series piece on the parks of Highland Park. We learned a lot about the people the parks were named for and in turn a little town history. But in Douglas Park there was a pole neither of us could quite understand. It might be a closed off drinking fountain by the looks of it, but why pour concrete in the top and not just shut off the water if it was? Care to venture a guess?
Not sure that the concrete wasn’t there to begin with. Looks like the concrete could have been poured around the water pipes inside the “pole” which could have been for stability?
Back home we learned a lot about the possible dangers of uncapped wells with Jessica McClure(not sure on spelling). So my guess is the same holds true here, whom ever, capped the well to prevent possible injuries to curious children.
They filled with concrete to prevent things getting dropped in the space in the column opened up when the bowl was removed.
There used to be some of these water fountains in most city parks. Back when they were installed University Park was just another middle class neighborhood with a lot of professionals who lawyered, taught the kids and doctored the bodies of the Highland Park elite. A park worker of the time told this nine year old with a bike that the fountains were sections of surplus cement sewer pipe that had been planted in the ground with all the necessary plumbing and filled with cement. They made a dandy drinking fountain with the bell shaped end pointing skyward. They were indestructible and cheap. The Park Cities would never construct such a plebeian fix anymore, but they sure worked well for kids messing around in the park on a Summer afternoon.