The refurbished statue of Dr. Henry D. Cogswell, a Tolland native, dentist and crusader in the temperance movement who made his fortune pulling teeth in gold rush California and making wise investments in San Francisco real estate, was unveiled Wednesday in Central Park in downtown Rockville. The fiberglass replica of the original white bronze statute underwent extensive restoration.
It was placed atop a pedestal that also underwent restoration work this spring.
The statue of Dr. William T. Cogswell in the back of a pickup truck before it was lifted to its pedestal.
Vernon Mayor Dan Champagne was joined by a small gathering of town residents, town council members and town employees to celebrate the placement of the statue. Vernon Public Works and Parks and Recreation employees installed the statue Wednesday morning.
“The Cogswell statue has been a part of our town’s history since 1883 and it is important to recognize that history,” Mayor Champagne said. “The restoration and repainting of the base has brought out a variety of intricate and interesting details and I encourage our residents to stop by and take a look.”
Cogswell erected 31 statues around the nation advocating against the use of alcohol. Some of the statues included water fountains. Cogswell believed that given the choice, people would choose cool fresh water over alcohol.
Cogswell erected his statue in Rockville in June 1883 to honor his cousin, Rockville resident William T. Cogswell. It was completed by the Monumental Bronze Co. of Bridgeport and depicts Dr. Cogswell holding a cup of water in his right hand and a temperance pledge in his left.
Vernon Public Works and Parks and Recreation employees place a harness around the statue of Dr. William T. Cogswell before lifting it to its pedestal.
The statue and its message were popular with Rockville’s mill owners and the old school Yankees. The immigrant groups – Germans, Irish, Polish and others – who worked in the mills and slogged out a living in Rockville were not as enamored of it. There were others who found its ornate design and the 6-foot-6-inch statue of Cogswell excessive and ugly.
A little over two years after it was erected, in July 1885, the statue went missing. Wagon tracks to Snipsic lake provided a clue, and the statue was found at the lake stuck in the mud. It was recovered, cleaned up and placed back on its pedestal. It soon vanished again, only to be returned to its pedestal in 1908 for the town centennial celebration. A sign placed on the statue read: “I’ve come back for Old Home Week!”
Soon after, the statue was placed in storage in a barn at the Town Farm. During World War II it was donated during a scrap drive. The pedestal remained and a flower pot was placed atop it.
The statue is lowered into place.
Few of the statues Cogswell placed around the nation exist in their original form. They were either vandalized by people who did not share Cogswell’s views about alcohol, or simply removed.
In 2005 a replica of the statue, made of fiberglass, was donated by a historically-minded Rockville resident named Rosetta Pitkat. It was placed atop the original pedestal during a “Welcome Home” ceremony. Mrs. Pitkat, who was a retired school teacher and Rockville native, died in October 2016 at the age of 103.
Exposure to the elements have taken a toll on the fiberglass statue and it has been refurbished twice since 2005.
The team that put the statue in place Wednesday morning.