Dorthea L. Dix Fountain

Jenney Building Park, downtown.

Almost single-handedly, Dorothea Lynde Dix (1802-1887) accomplished one of the most significant pieces of social reform that was achieved in pre-Civil War America. Her relentless documentation of the mistreatment of impoverished and mentally ill patients and her tireless lobbying in both Congress and state legislatures led to a revolution in patient care throughout the country. This fountain, however, stands as a testament to Dix’s love of animals. In her will, Dix left five-hundred dollars to the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to provide a drinking fountain for animals, a serious need at a time when Boston’s commerce depended on horse-drawn wagons. The Dix fountain was erected near the Custom House in 1888; it remained in place into the early twentieth century. When the Jenney Building was preserved and renovated and Jenney Park created, the park was given a replica of the original fountain. What Dix intended as a horse-trough has become a monument to her dedication to caring for those in need.

Photo 14a, July 2012