Elkhart rededicated an historic landmark that has been undergoing repairs for years. It honors one of the City’s founders.
The Dr. Havilah Beardsley Memorial Fountain was damaged in April 2017 by a vehicle that crashed into it during a police chase.
It took several years to finish repairing the fountain because of sourcing the marble.
Beardsley came to the area in 1830 and is considered the “Father of Elkhart.”
Bill Firstenberger is the executive director of the Ruthmere Foundation. He said the memorial symbolizes the core values of Elkhart.
“It takes a lot of intentional effort to repair something and bring it back and so the fact that the community stepped forward in this way to make this happen and it’s important to everyone is an incredible statement,” he said.
The repaired fountain has new lighting, benches, and traffic barriers for protection.
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