The historic Fireman’s Memorial Fountain that sits on Georgia Avenue will soon undergo a $175,000 restoration after the City of Chattanooga donated the land to Hamilton County.
In honor of preserving its history, we’re sharing some facts you might not know about the landmark.
The origin
On June 9, 1887, a devastating incident at Fourth and Market Streets known as the “Bee Hive” fire took the lives of two Chattanooga firefighters — Henry Iler and W.M. Peak.
Erecting the fountain
A year later, the Chattanooga Times jump started a campaign to raise funds for a memorial fountain + contacted New York-based J.L. Mott Iron Co. to build it.
As a way to continue to raise funds, copies of a memorial poem written by Florence Gerald of Casino Stock Co. theater company was sold for 10 cents.
“Dangerous, keep out”
Imagine alligators on Georgia Avenue — because in the early 1900s, the fountain was actually protected by two alligators in the water as a way to deter birds, dogs, and anyone wanting to mess with the memorial.
The replica
The main figure of the fountain we all know and love today is actually a replica of the original — in 1962, the firefighter in its original zinc statue was replaced with a polychromed aluminum copy.
When visiting the Fireman’s Memorial Fountain now, you’ll see markers indicating the pending refurbishments — Hamilton County will release updates as full plans are made, including the creation of a compact park.
