PELL HORSE FOUNTAIN

William Howland Pell loved animals, he loved them so much that he put his own money into erecting a fountain (or trough) on King Street so that horses traveling through town had a place to refresh themselves after a hard day in the Florida heat. Pell was originally from New York, but like many upper class elites during the Gilded Age, he spent his winters in Florida.​

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The plaque, added to the horse trough after Pell's death reads:

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​"WILLIAM HOWLAND PELL OF NEW YORK, WHO ERECTED THIS FOUNTAIN IN 1887. HE WAS A WINTER RESIDENT OF THIS CITY FOR MANY YEARS AND DIED HERE MAY 2, 1911.

HE LOVED NATURE AND WAS KIND TO ALL ANIMALS"

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Pell died in St. Augustine in 1911 and this small monument is all that remains of his contributions to the nation's oldest city. Pell proved that the Gilded Age was a time of social changes. While others throughout the city, like Dr. Anderson, were friendly and accepting of African Americans, Pell began to tackle animal rights in his own discretionary way.​

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Text by Clayton Junkins