Daniel Miller Memorial Fountain
After the 1907 Centennial celebration, the committee decided to use the money that was left after the bills were paid to erect a memorial to Daniel Miller, founder of Millersburg. After the design of a granite fountain was agreed upon, the committee placed an order with the Barre Granite Company of Barre, Vermont. They were to cut the separate parts of the fountain and J.S. Heckert & Son were to assemble the parts and construct the memorial. Where to put the memorial was debated for almost a year. It was finally decided to build a grass plot between East and West parks and place the memorial in the center. In September 1908 the borough council decided to pave the street between the two parks and put curbing around the island. By October 1908 the erection of the fountain was completed. When finished it was eleven feet high with a base eight feet, six inches by ten feet. The pilasters were seven feet from cap to base and the bowl in the center was highly polished granite two feet in diameter and three feet high with a working fountain for drinking. The total weight of the memorial was fifteen tons and the cost was $1,000.
Originally a bust of Daniel Miller or a soldier was to be placed atop the fountain, but money could not be raised for the project.
The Daniel Miller Memorial fountain was dedicated on May 31, 1909, Memorial Day that year, with exercises at the music pavilion in East Park. Mr. Philip Moyer, Sr. gave the address to a crowd of 900 people. S.S. Bowman, chairman of the Centennial committee, made the presentation of the memorial to H.M. Fairchild, the burgess, who accepted on behalf of the borough concil.
Marker is at the intersection of Market Street (State Highway 147) and Market Square (U.S. 209), on the right when traveling north on Market Street.
Courtesy hmdb.org
