Main Hall and South Building at Salem College are shown in the above photo, dated 1895. These building are a familiar sight, but the fountain at the center of Salem Square is unusual.
Here’s a closer view of the fountain, with Home Moravian Church in the background and Main Hall at the right. Notice the fence around the fountain. According to an article written about the fountain, goldfish were placed in the basin and brought pleasure to people walking in Salem Square, particularly the children.
One severe winter the water in the fountain froze and became a solid mass of ice. The white monument, sparkling in the bright sunshine, was quite beautiful, according to a man who saw and captured the frozen fountain in this photograph.
The waste water from the fountain was conveyed to a drinking tank for horses on Main Street. Eventually, the basin began to leak and the fountain was removed. Today there is no remnant of the fountain in Salem Square, although there are other fountains on the Salem College campus.
Photographs courtesy of Forsyth County Public Library Photograph Collection.
