by Wesley Harris
Last winter’s hard freeze killed shrubbery and burst water pipes. It also destroyed one of Lincoln Parish’s most beloved landmarks, the historic three-tiered fountain in Ruston’s Railroad Park.
Older generations remember admiring the goldfish in the fountain or dabbling in the water during one of the hundreds of special events the park has hosted.
The fountain has suffered in the past, even to the point it was replaced for a time. The winter damage to the 100+ year old fountain was too severe for repairs.
Without the fountain, the park is missing its centerpiece and Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker has decided it is time to replace it.
“I was at a Tech alumni event in Fort Worth … and the house where the function was taking place had the exact same fountain,” Walker told the Lincoln Parish Journal. The mayor learned the name of the manufacturer that could duplicate the city’s historic fountain.
Walker wants to make the fund-raising effort a community project, giving individuals, organizations, and businesses a chance to be a part of the campaign. “We just felt like a lot of people might be interested in being a part of that,” Walker said.
Walker is circulating a letter announcing the fundraising campaign to purchase and install a new fountain identical to the old one. “We will have a plaque [listing] the donations that go toward that,” Walker said.
What is now Railroad Park was first called the “depot grounds.” The four-acre undeveloped area was owned by the railroad. The string of buildings facing the lot was referred to as “Brick Row” because it was the only block in early Ruston constructed entirely of brick. When the first lots were sold to businesses moving to new Ruston in 1883, buyers were informed their structures had to be of brick to create a positive impression among those passing through on the train. The open expanse allowed an unobstructed view of Brick Row from the train windows. Traveling carnivals and the occasional town event made use of the barren, dusty plot.
The grounds became a park in the 1890s with more defined streets surrounding it, which reduced its size. Thomas L. Nelson and his son planted the park’s first three oak trees in 1896. Nelson had contracted with Ruston merchants to plant fifty trees along Trenton and Vienna Streets at 50 cents each. With three trees left over, he planted them in the park. One tree died in the 1970s and required removal. The others remained well into the 1980s. Those originals were replaced by new trees and during a more recent renovation, they too were removed for smaller varieties.
The fountain, focal point of the park, was installed before 1906 when it first appears in photographs. Originally an underground stream provided the water. In 1934, the T. L. James Company renovated the park and fountain.
During World War II when communities were gathering scrap metal to transform into tanks, bombers, and ships, someone suggested adding the fountain to the effort. A firestorm of protest nixed that idea quickly.
In 1952, T. L. James restored the fountain again and built a bandstand and new sidewalks. The Ruston Garden Club added new landscaping. At some point, goldfish were added to the fountain pool. The well-fed fish grew to huge proportions and many a kid tried to ensnare one with his hands while old men smoked their pipes in the shade of the big oaks.
Ruston almost lost the park in 1970 when the Illinois Central Railroad decided to sell it for future business locations. The land was originally provided to the Vicksburg, Shreveport & Pacific Railroad by Ruston founder Robert Russ. Through a series of bankruptcies and reorganizations, it passed to the Illinois Central in the 1920s. The railroad offered to sell the park to the City of Ruston for $60,000 and it became public property for the first time.
In 2002, the Ruston Kiwanis Club paid $5,000 for a new fountain after the original one was determined to be beyond repair. Once determined too deteriorated to fix, the beloved fountain was restored and placed at the Historic Fire Station. Mayor Walker had it returned to the park in 2015 during yet another renovation of the space.
The many events hosted by Railroad Park over the past 125 years include a hot air balloon ascension, concerts, craft shows, candlelight vigils, movies, 4-H pet shows, diaper derbies, art exhibits, pep rallies, picnics, campaign speeches, and street dances. Speakers ran the risk of interruption from the whistles and horns of trains passing just yards away. Despite the whims of the weather and whistling locomotives, Railroad Park remains the epicenter of community activity.
With your help, a fountain will grace the park again. Walker said those interested in donating can contact Beth Bennett at 318-251-8623 or bethbennett@rustonla.gov.
