REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - At the foot of Rehoboth Avenue stands a six foot tall stone structure that today seemingly has no function, and could be an object of mysterious curiosity for newcomers to the beach community.
But that wasn't always the case. It used to be a drinking fountain.
In 1929, the Delaware branch of the Women's Christian Temperance Union (W.C.T.U.) installed the drinking fountain to encourage thirsty boardwalk visitors to satisfy their thirst with water rather than alcoholic drinks. It was also the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Delaware branch of the W.C.T.U.
1929 was the height of the Prohibition Era, which lasted from 1920 until 1933. It was also an important time for Rehoboth Beach, according to David Mann, president of the Rehoboth Beach Historical Society.
"That's really close to when things really started to develop here, so it's kind of a memorial to that era, and it's something that everybody can use every day," Mann said.
Rehoboth Beach was just one of dozens of communities stretching across the United States, Canada, and even Australia, to receive one of the fountains.
The fountain supplied water to thirsty passersby for 86 years, until it broke down.
It wasn't just a source of water, but was also the site of some local hijinks.
Kelly Deblois recounted how her mother was able to determine her boyfriend wasn't "Mr. Right."
"She wanted him to go to church with her on a Sunday. And he came down here instead and put bubble bath in that fountain and got arrested for it. And that was my mom's clue that she should not be with this gentleman," Deblois recounted.
The fountain has been out of order for eight years.
There had been some plumbers who offered their assistance in fixing the fountain, but the COVID pandemic hit, and the fountain got put on the back burner.
In fact, a representative for Rehoboth Beach said the fountain had fallen off their radar until now.
No commitments have been made, but the city is now considering fixing it.
"We definitely will look into it, and we anticipate that it may be one of the items we consider as part of the capital improvement budget during next year's budget discussions," said Lynne Coan, communications director for the City of Rehoboth Beach.
Rehoboth Beach neighbors and visitors were thrilled to hear about the fountain's prospects.
"It represents to me almost like a cornerstone of an old building," said neighbor Peter Hallock. "It's history, it's part of our history. And as you get older, you know as a kid in school I was never interested in history and now it's the exact opposite. We want to hang on to the old things."
"Now that we know that this was an opportunity for people to quench their thirst and to not drink alcohol, I really stand for this and I really hope that they bring this and fix this water fountain," said Kimberly Sadaka, visiting from Annapolis, Md.
The Rehoboth Beach Historical Society told WBOC they would be interested in partnering with the city to restore the fountain. To learn more about the Society, click here.
To share ideas about the fountain, you can email the City here.