Amherst's Old Spring in the News – July 20, 1955

For the second time this week, Amherst is in the spotlight on this blog – how about that?

This time, the focus is on the beloved Amherst landmark: Ye Old Spring. Seventy years ago this week, the  big news was that the public drinking fountain was closed after bacteria was discovered in the water. Above is the article that appeared in the Lorain Journal on July 20, 1955.

It was determined that the cause of the contamination was a broken tile, which caused surface water to seep in. The village council voted immediately to take action to rectify the problem.

Was the problem fixed?

Although I was unable to locate a follow-up report in the subsequent weeks, the issue apparently was resolved. That is, until a little more than a year later, when this article appeared in the Lorain Journal on October 10, 1956.

This article provides a nice little history of the spring and its role in Amherst's history, as well as summarizing the steps that the village had taken up to that point to try and make the spring water safe.

Nevertheless, as the article points out, "Some of the residents insisted they were still drinking it and were experiencing no ill effects. Others went to the trouble of boiling the water because they would not drink "city water."

A brief mention of the spring appeared in the December 19, 1956 edition of the paper, noting that the village council "ordered a sign painted on the rocks of the Old Spring saying,"Drink at Your Own Risk." The water has periodically been found to be impure by the county health department but residents are still using it."

Despite the warnings, Amherst residents are apparently a loyal lot, judging by the two photos below.

June 15, 1964

May 20, 1970