Sanford Memorial Fountain restored

WARWICK — On Tuesday, Sept. 24, Warwick Mayor Michael Newhard and members of the Sanford family posed alongside the recently restored Sanford Memorial Fountain, named in honor of the family’s ancestor George W. Sanford.

This past January, a car slammed into the historic monument, which broke into pieces.

“The damage done to the monument was extensive,” said Mayor Newhard. “Pieces were broken off and chipped and the entire structure was essentially in ruin.”

At the time of the accident, however, he promised that once the insurance issues were resolved, the Sanford Memorial Fountain and the Forester Memorial Plaque would be repaired.

And referring to the famous Michelangelo sculpture damaged in 1972 by a disturbed individual, Newhard said: “If we can put the Pieta back together, we can restore this memorial.”

Newhard kept his promise.
“Our family is deeply grateful to the mayor for this restoration,” said Corinna “Nina” Sanford Lewis, great granddaughter of George W. Sanford. “His hard work on this project, close supervision and attention to detail have resulted in an even more beautiful fountain.”

Village engineers Dave Getz and Karen Emmerich facilitated the project. And Village Department of Public Works Supervisor Kurt Williams was also part of the team.

The company that restored the fountain was Art Stone & Memorial out of King Park on Long Island.

The village is also looking at improvements at this very busy intersection, which would create a safer pedestrian crossing and a restoration of its historic context.

The Sanford Memorial Fountain, which, sits on Fountain Square between the old Albert Wisner Library (A.W. Buckbee Center) and the Mobil gas station, was dedicated in 1904.

It was named in honor of George W. Sanford (1821-1900), a much-admired citizen and community leader who was one of the organizers of the First National Bank and was director of the Warwick Valley Railroad. He had also served as town supervisor.

The monument has stood in Fountain Square at what was once the center of Warwick. And in the early days it served as a watering trough for horses. There was also a water jet for people on the north side.

In 1920 a bronze tablet on a boulder to the rear of the memorial was unveiled in honor of sportsman, hunter and writer Henry William Herbert (1808-1858), whose pen name was Frank Forester. He wrote about his frequent hunting trips to Warwick.

“I’m very pleased at the return of the Sanford Memorial Fountain,” said Newhard. “The monument is an important historic landmark. Personally, to drive past Forester Square while it was absent was very unsettling. So now it’s home after spending some time at a monument ‘spa’ and it looks, in the words of Frank Forester, ‘ ... forever young.”

- Roger Gavan