Dr. Samuel Mitchel Smith and Sons Memorial Fountain Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Dr. Samuel Mitchel Smith and Sons Memorial Fountain

Artist	William Walcutt
Year	1880 (1880)
Medium	Bronze sculpture Granite base
Subject	Samuel Mitchel Smith
Dimensions	6.5 x 2 x 2.5 ft. (statue) 8 x 5 x 5 ft. (base)
Location	Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Coordinates	39°59′43″N 83°01′12″W / 39.9954°N 83.02006°W / 39.9954; -83.02006

The Dr. Samuel Mitchel Smith and Sons Memorial Fountain is a special sculpture and fountain made in 1880. It was created by an artist named William Walcutt. You can find it today at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio.

This memorial is made of bronze and granite. It honors Dr. Samuel Mitchel Smith. He was a very important doctor during the American Civil War, serving as the Surgeon General of Ohio. He was also the first professor in the United States to teach about treating people with mental illness. The fountain also remembers his two sons.

The statue has moved several times over the years. It was first in downtown Columbus from 1880 to 1915. Then it moved to St. Francis Hospital. After that hospital was torn down in 1957, the statue moved to the Columbus Health Department. In 1994, it was taken but later found. Finally, it was moved to its current home at the Harding Hospital on the Ohio State University campus.

About the Statue
History of the Fountain's Moves
Gallery
See also

About the Statue

On Broad Street looking south down High Street, 1880

The bronze sculpture shows Dr. Samuel Mitchel Smith, who lived from 1816 to 1874. It was sculpted in 1880 by William Walcutt, an artist from Columbus. Dr. Smith was a very important person. He was the Surgeon General of Ohio during the American Civil War (1862–1864). He also led the Ohio State Medical Society from 1869 to 1870.

Dr. Smith was also the first professor in the U.S. to teach about mental health. He taught at Willoughby Medical College, which later became Starling Medical College. This school is now part of the Ohio State University College of Medicine. He was also a dean at the school for many years.

The statue itself is about 6.5 feet tall, 2 feet wide, and 2.5 feet deep. It weighs about 900 pounds. It stands on a large granite base that is about 8 feet tall, 5 feet wide, and 5 feet deep. This base weighs about 14 tons.

Dr. Smith is shown wearing a long coat called a Prince Albert coat. His hands are folded behind his back. On two sides of the base, there are bronze oval pictures of his two sons, Charles and Samuel. Charles passed away in 1874 at age 21, and Samuel passed away in 1878 at age 30.

The front of the base used to have a working fountain. It has a decorative animal head that spouts water and a basin below. Dr. Smith's family liked the idea of a drinking fountain because they had seen similar ones in Europe. He reportedly preferred a useful drinking fountain over a simple gravestone. The statue's inscription says: "Memorial Fountain, to Dr. Samuel Mitchel Smith and His Sons, 1880."

In 1994, the city valued the statue at $25,000. However, replacing it would cost much more because it is tall and made of solid bronze.

History of the Fountain's Moves

Featured in the 1908 Columbus Plan for its original poor placement

The Dr. Samuel Mitchel Smith and Sons Memorial Fountain was created by his wife and daughters. They wanted to honor him five years after he passed away in 1874. The statue was made at the Kelby Foundry in New York.

Original Location

The memorial was first placed in downtown Columbus around 1880. It was at the corner of Broad and High streets. The city approved it in 1879, and it was officially shown to the public on Memorial Day in 1881. The family then gave it as a gift to the city.

The statue was even mentioned in the 1908 Columbus Plan, which was a city improvement plan. Its location caused problems because it stuck out onto Broad Street, making traffic difficult. Also, the fountain stopped working, and the statue was sometimes damaged. These issues led to its first move.

Moving to St. Francis Hospital

The statue in front of St. Francis Hospital as it is torn down, 1957

In 1915, after 35 years, the statue was moved. It went to Starling Medical College, also known as St. Francis Hospital, at State and Sixth Streets. People who admired the statue hoped this move would stop someone from putting a hat on it every autumn. But the hat prank continued! The statue stayed there for 42 years.

Around 1957, the hospital was torn down to build the larger Grant Medical Center. The statue was in danger of being damaged. The president of the Columbus City Council suggested moving it to the City Health and Safety Center. It was stored in the basement there for a while.

At the Health Department

A few months later, the statue was placed on the front lawn of the Columbus Health Department. This was in the Scioto Peninsula area, and the statue faced downtown Columbus. It stayed there for 37 years. In 1987, doctors who specialized in mental health visited the statue to honor Dr. Smith's important work. The statue was also studied by the Smithsonian Institution in 1993 as part of a program to save outdoor sculptures.

The statue (lower right), by the Columbus Health Department, 1992

The Statue's Recovery and Current Home

In the mid-1980s, the head of Ohio State University's psychiatry department wanted to move the statue to the campus. But before this could happen, the statue was taken from the Health Center in October 1994.

The statue was later found and returned to Columbus in December 1994 for repairs. After it was fixed, the statue was placed at Harding Hospital. This was Ohio State's new building for psychiatry on the Wexner Medical Center campus. The building opened in March 1994, and a special spot was made for the statue outside its entrance.