Historical “Dick and Jane” fountain restored

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GREENVILLE – The City of Greenville Fire Department’s “Dick and Jane” fountain has been restored.

The “Boy and Girl in the Rain” fountain was given to the Greenville Fire Department in 1892 by Daniel Henne, Jr. He found the fountain in 1890 in France while on a business trip, fell in love with these two little tykes, purchased, crated, and shipped it to Greenville, said Fire Chief Mark Wolf.

Henne decided he would like to share them with everyone and after consulting with city officials, it was decided that his gift to the city would be accepted and that the firefighters would have charge of their safekeeping.

“The City of Greenville Fire Department wishes to extend our utmost thanks and appreciation to Nancy Mueller of Renewed by Grace, Osgood, Ohio for the great job she did in restoring our ‘Dick and Jane’ statue this spring by cleaning, priming, and painting it with a fresh coat of striking paint colors to enable the citizens and public to enjoy it for years to come,” said Wolf.

The village hired Fred Walters, a local stone mason, to build a suitable pond outside the Fire Department for the kids to take up residence. The Department requested permission to place the fountain along the west side of the station.

The station was built in 1884 and was located on the Northeast corner of the public square, along North Broadway. In 1892, “the kids” watched the passing of Greenville’s history for the first time. Every year since then, the firefighters have taken the statue inside for the winter for cleaning and repair so that the kids can return to the fountain in good condition each spring.

“Dick and Jane” watched as the old city building was replaced by the fountain and traffic circle on the public square. At the end of the 1960’s, the old Fire Department, “the kids” first home, met its demise.

“Watching through a rain, ‘the kids’ have seen an endless parade of people over the years: the rich, the poor, the famous, and ‘just plain folks’,” said Wolf. “The world around them changes all the time, but ‘Dick and Jane’ never change and that’s as it should be. For that is part of what makes Greenville home.”

The historical “Dick and Jane” fountain was given to the Greenville Fire Department by Daniel Henne, Jr after he found the fountain in 1890 in France while on a business trip.
https://www.dailyadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/web1_Fountain.jpgThe historical “Dick and Jane” fountain was given to the Greenville Fire Department by Daniel Henne, Jr after he found the fountain in 1890 in France while on a business trip.

The historical “Dick and Jane” fountain was given to the Greenville Fire Department by Daniel Henne, Jr after he found the fountain in 1890 in France while on a business trip.
https://www.dailyadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/web1_Fountain2.jpgThe historical “Dick and Jane” fountain was given to the Greenville Fire Department by Daniel Henne, Jr after he found the fountain in 1890 in France while on a business trip.

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