Imagine a time. It is the 1800s in Paterson New Jersey. Irish immigrants are building a new life. The Dublin Spring Water Boy Sculpture stands as a tribute to their resilience.
The Dublin Spring Water Boy Sculpture commemorates the Dublin Spring. This spring was a vital part of the Irish community. It was located at Mill and Oliver Streets. The neighborhood was known as Dublin since 1811.
The Dublin Spring was fed by underground streams. These streams came from Garret Mountain. It became the center of community life. People gathered there to share stories. They quenched their thirst.
However typhoid epidemics struck. The Dublin Spring closed several times in the late 1890s. Dean McNulty fought to reopen it for his parish. Sadly the Dublin Spring closed permanently after his death in 1922.
The Dublin Spring Water Boy Sculpture stands as a memorial. The Dublin Spring Association erected it in 1931. Gaetano Federici sculpted the monument.
Look closely at the Dublin Spring Water Boy. He holds an oval-shaped canteen. The canteen’s design was carefully chosen. Its oval shape makes it integral to the sculpture.
Notice the bulldog. It peers out of a hole surrounded by shamrocks. The bulldog was likely Federici’s own dog Teddy.
The Dublin Spring Water Boy once stood at Mill and Oliver Streets. In 1991 it was moved to its current location during street reconstruction.
Oral tradition tells a tale of the Dublin Spring. Anyone drinking its water would return to Paterson. Soldiers sweethearts and neighbors all shared this belief.
The Dublin Spring Water Boy Sculpture design evolved. It began with a female figure holding an Irish harp. A Triton was considered. The water boy became the final choice. Paterson youngster Charles Conti likely posed for the figure.
The Dublin Spring Water Boy Sculpture reminds us of Paterson’s past. It honors the Irish immigrants. They shaped the city. They built a community around a simple spring.