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Title
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Woman's Christian Temperance Union, Memorial Statue
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Creator
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Seeling, Morris J.
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J W Fiske Iron Works
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Commemorates
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The Woman's Christian Temperance Union
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Biographical Text
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Cast iron statue depicting a woman dressed in draping clothes and carrying a jug. The statue stands atop a tall pedestal that features a rectangular plaque near its base. Created in 1896 by Morris J. Seeling and J W Fiske Iron Works.
The statue is located at the center of the Old Harbor traffic circle on Block Island, RI. It was erected by the Women's Christian Temperance Union on July 22nd, 1896 under the title of "Rebecca at the Well." The statue accompanied a drinking fountain, acting as a site for individuals to partake in a non-alcoholic drink during the Temperance Movement.
Over time, Rebecca along with the fountain became worn from the elements and in 2001, a replacement statue was commissioned. In April of that year the original was sent to a Newport conservation company where a plaster mold of it was created to make an aluminum copy which was erected the following December. Through this process, it was found that rather than being a representation of Rebecca, the statue more closely resembles Hebe, cupbearer to the gods of Olympus, therefore representing the opposite values of the Temperance Movement.
The original statue now resides in the West Gallery of the Block Island Historical Society.
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Text
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ERECTED BY THE W.C.T.U
OF
BLOCK ISLAND, RHODE ISLAND
JULY 22, 1896.
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Date Created
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1896
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Date Modified
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2001
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Type
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English
Display
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English
Statue
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Project Researcher
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O'Neill, Iris
