MT. MORRIS — On Thursday, Aug. 29, a dedication ceremony was held at the recently-restored Veterans Memorial Fountain in Mt. Morris.
The fountain, on the northeast corner of the campus square, was a project of Mt. Morris Post 143 of the American Legion, presented to the village and dedicated on Nov. 14, 1926, to honor Mt. Morris veterans of World War I, and the five local soldiers who were killed in action. Resident Heathcote Mann designed it, and all work not requiring skilled labor was done by local legion members. The fountain is made of stones sent by American Legion Posts, organizations, and individuals across the U.S., inscribed with many donor names.
The fountain fell into disrepair over the years and many of the stones became unreadable. Mt. Morris Economic Development Committee Executive Director Paula Diehl and Chairman Rob Urish began contacting organizations and people to appraise and refurbish the fountain, and got in touch with The Kohler Foundation, which specializes in projects like it and agreed to take it on at no cost to the village. The Kohler Foundation has preserved art environments across the country for over 30 years.
Heritage Restoration and Design, masonry conservators from Peoria, was selected by The Kohler Foundation for the work because of its expertise in the material. The work began May 28 and included thoroughly cleaning the surfaces, tuckpointing each joint, and reattaching any fallen elements.
Speakers at the dedication event included Mt. Morris Village President Phil Labash, Kohler Foundation Preservation Project Manager Beth Wiza and Michael Berlinger from Heritage Restoration and Design. The event was attended by village officials, community contributors and residents.
Labash said that when he and his wife moved to the village about 30 years ago, one of the first things they attended was a Memorial Day service hosted at the Veterans Memorial Fountain. He was surprised by how many people attended that event, and he knew then that the fountain was important to the community.
“As we lived here longer we heard more about the fountain and its history,” Labash said. “This is the first of a few phases to restore the fountain. It's not a working fountain yet, but everything we need is here. I'm really excited by its appearance after this work. Now, you don't have to hear about the history of it. You can see the history. I think it's just a beautiful part of our community. This was done at no charge to the village. It was really the kindness of the Kohler Foundation and their grants and ability to do this. Art is impactful. I believe this piece of art is very impactful to our community. We very much appreciate it.”
Wiza called her work exciting because she gets to help increase access to the arts and build community through preservation. She thanked Diehl and Urish for bringing the project to The Kohler Foundation’s attention and praised Michael and Stephen Berlinger for their work.
“We're honored to invest in a full masonry conservation of the Veterans Memorial Fountain, an important piece of Mt. Morris's history, as well as vernacular art,” Wiza said. “Families and other American Legions contributed to this memorial with stones to create the monument of fallen soldiers. We selected Heritage Restoration & Design Studio out of Peoria for their expertise. The beloved sculpture has returned to its original aesthetic to honor the soldiers lost in World War I.”
Michael Berlinger said his company’s motto is “Design, restore and preserve for the future.” The restoration work done on the fountain will have it in good shape long into the future, he said.
“There's a lot of history here and it represents sacrifices made by local people and the entire community and country in a great time of conflict,” Michael Berlinger said. “It's something that should be preserved for the future. I think preservation is critical to our nation's history. Without knowledge of the past, you don't know where you are or where you're going. History is critical to knowing who we are. A monument like this is a very visible sign of that history and it's very specific to Mt. Morris.”
