Diehl Memorial Fountain

The original memorial, unveiled on August 17, 1911, was located near the corner of Church and Court Streets in historic Frederick, and was dedicated to the humane efforts of Miss Marie Diehl, a founder of the Frederick Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The fountain was approximateyl 12-foot tall with a large basin for horses and a smaller one for dogs and cats.

The figure was based on the 1806 sculpture by Berthel Thorvaldsen (1770- 1844). The daughter of Zeus and Hera, Hebe is the goddess of Youth and Spring, and proffers the cup of immortality at the table of the gods. Hebe stands on her plinth, raising the drinking bowl with her left hand, her gaze focusing on it. She holds the jug with a lowered right hand beside her thigh.

Copied in cast zinc by the J. L. Mott Company of New York, N. Y. the figure was featured in their 1910 catalog and offered several fountain bases.*

The City of Baton Rouge in February 2006 rededicated their Hebe which was re-cast in bronze, replacing the original zinc casting. In 1914, the local branch of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union chose the statue from a foundry catalogue and donated it to the city. It is also one of the most popular outdoor sculptures in the city and offered drinking basins for animals.**

Sources
* www.robinsoniron.com, Newsletter, Spring, 2006
** www.2theadovate.com, February 12, 2006