stathopeletters





	In 1904, Susan Preston Draper, wife of General William F. Draper, presented the Statue of Hope to the Town of Hopedale. The items below give us some interesting information about the donation. THE DRAPER COMPANY April 29, 1904 Hopedale, Mass. Miss Anna M. Bancroft Chairman, Board of Library Trustees Town Dear Madam: As has been stated to you in private conversation, Mrs. Draper is proposing to present a marble fountain to the Town of Hopedale, the work of the celebrated sculptor Story, which will be a great ornament to our already beautiful village. Mr. Story has planned placing the fountain between the Public Library and Hope St. Extension, on land that was formerly under the charge of the Park Commission, but is now controlled by the Library Trustees. I have had the permission of the Park Commission to place the fountain in this position, but owing to the delays I think it wise to receive permission from your Board. The matter will be in the hands of Mr. O. H. Lane, and I would be glad to have your co-operation in detail. I propose to bear all the expense, except the expense of grading afterwards, and of course expect that the water will be supplied by the town, if they desire to have water in it, as I presume they will. The connections I expect to make. Please reply before Monday if possible, as I am informed that the fountain has arrived in Boston, and we wish to have it unloaded on the ground. Sincerely yours, William F. Draper ****************** Hopedale, Mass. May 5, 1904 Dear Miss Bancroft: In surveying the lot yesterday morning, the only practicable way of setting the fountain seemed to be the one that the sculptor suggested, - facing Hope St., with the back toward the library. We tried the diagonal position, which I think, (as you do) might give a better effect, but the fountain was entirely too large, and more than this, the sun would strike it in the back, and the marble man said that the figure would not look at all well without a background. We have cut Mr. Story's grades down considerably, and I think it will not affect the appearance of the library at all. As to the water, which you spoke about, Mr. Dunn says that by far the best method will be to connect with the service pipe in the library cellar, (putting on a separate meter, of course), and to also connect with the sewer there, for the waste. Have we your permission to do this? Sincerely yours, O. H. Lane **************** Presentation and Acceptance of the Fountain At the town meeting held November 8, 1904, the selectmen and trustees were appointed a committee to accept a gift of the fountain of Mrs. Wm. F. Draper, who wishes it presented to the town. The committee met in the trustees' room of The Bancroft Memorial Library, November 12, 1904. Mrs. Draper was accompanied by Gen. Draper and Miss Margaret Draper, and presented the gift to the town in the following words: Ladies and Gentlemen: I am informed that the town of Hopedale has made its selectmen and the trustees of the town library a committee to receive in its name the fountain which has been erected on the public library grounds. For the purpose of making the presentation, therefore, I have asked you to meet me, and I am very glad to turn the fountain over to the town, it being complete and in place. A winter covering has been ordered for it, and will be included in the gift. For several years I have had in mind the leaving of a suitable memorial in our beautiful town, and I have felt that something artistic would be desirable, as you are sure to provide yourselves with everything that is needed of a practical character. Being well acquainted with the eminent and representative American sculptor in Rome, Waldo Story, I took his advice, and that of others, and decided that a fountain, surmounted by a statue of Hope, would be a suitable embellishment of the town of Hopedale. Artistically I think it is a great success, and I believe the time will come when people will come from far and near to see and admire it. As a southerner by birth I have given less thought to the utilitarian side, but I hope that the cups of water here furnished will refresh many a tired mechanic or schoolboy in long years to come. I hereby transfer the ownership and care of the fountain to you, selectmen and trustees, as agents for the town, and if any papers are thought necessary by your counsel, in addition to this statement, I will gladly furnish them. Susan Preston Draper **************** The gift was accepted by Mr. E. A. Darling, chairman of the selectmen, for the committee, as follows: Mrs. Draper: In behalf of the town of Hopedale, I have the honor of accepting your generous gift. The town is gratified to have such a magnificent work of art; beautiful in design, wonderful in carving, the work of a master. This fountain will prove a source of education, with its perfect Carrara marble and its symbols of hope and prosperity and plenty, to us of today and to future generations. The town appreciates your gift, thanks you and accepts it in the generous spirit in which it is given, and for it, will ever keep you in grateful remembrance. Edwin A. Darling, Chairman of the committee appointed to accept the gift of Mrs. Susan Preston Draper **************** Hopedale Fountain Designer Is Dead T. Waldo Story, the eminent American sculptor, whose work includes the beautiful marble drinking fountain presented to the town of Hopedale by Mrs. William F. Draper and her husband, the late General Draper, is dead in New York from the effects of a brain clot. Mr. Story's work is well known both in this country and abroad. The first statue ever placed in the British House of Commons, the figure of Sir William Vernon Harcourt, placed there in 1906, was his work. In America his work includes the gold mosaic memorial to Mr. and Mrs. August Belmont in Trinity Church, Newport, R.I., the Hopedale fountain which was done in Rome and shipped here, and the bronze doors of the library of the late J.P. Morgan. In the latter years of life of his father, William Wetmore Story, the noted American sculptor, who died in 1896, T. Waldo Story was associated in his father's work and occupied the famous Story studio in the Barberini Palace. Rome, for several years after his father's death. Milford Daily News, October 26, 1915.** Letter of General Draper to Story Photos of the fountain running Bancroft Memorial Library HOME