This Harrisonburg statue has a storied history—and it’s not what you might expect. After the Civil War and throughout the early 1900s, the National Woman’s Christian Temperance Union advocated for freshwater fountains in public places. The goal was to provide an easily accessible beverage option in hopes that people would drink water instead of booze. In 1904, the statue pictured was erected in Harrisonburg as part of the movement. While the cast iron woman with a bird perched on her wrist stood for decades at Court House Square, the statue experienced multiple acts of vandalism. The bird was stolen, the woman’s head went missing, and her hand was also taken. According to the Memorial Drinking Fountains blog, the statue was removed for repairs in 2004. 📸 : John Vachon, photographer/Farm Security Administration —Office of War Information Photograph Collection (Library of Congress) #historytidbit #localvirginia #statue #virginiahistory