The rescue of a domesticated rabbit in Franklin led to an outpouring of donations to the Ouleout Valley Cemetery to repair a historic fountain.
Franklin resident Pam Ferguson said she had been trying to catch the rabbit since September. She said the community came together to feed the rabbit during the summer, fall and winter, but knew the rabbit wouldn’t survive if it got much colder. On Jan. 2, Ferguson posted on the Village of Franklin group Facebook page she would give $100 to whoever was able to capture the rabbit.
She announced Wednesday, Jan. 5, that the rabbit had been captured. She said Matt Simonds was feeding the rabbit apples and it hopped right up to him and he picked it up.
Simonds declined the $100 reward, so Ferguson said she asked members of the community on Facebook where she should donate the money. An overwhelming majority suggested donating it to the Ouleout Valley Cemetery’s fountain restoration project.
The cemetery board has been raising money to restore the fountain since last June. Cemetery board member Jeff McCormack said the cost to refurbish the fountain is $75,000. The fountain was designed by the J. W. Fiske Co. in New York City. The company created decorative cast iron fountains, urns, statues and more and, when they closed, Robinson Iron Corp. in Alabama purchased many of the company’s molds, McCormack said.
The original fountain had four cast iron urns, two cherubs holding up a female on the top of the fountain and four gargoyles around the base of the fountain. He said the missing urns and the missing gargoyle will be replaced. The cherubs would not be replaced, he said, as they would weigh too much to be put back on the elevated base. The two statues of Hope and Constance will be refurbished and put back where they belong.
For several years, the female statue that sat on top of the fountain had been lost. After much research, McCormack found the statue in November and it will be refurbished and put back on top of the fountain. The statue was placed in the Franklin Railroad and Community Museum, which solicited several donations, McCormack said.
The cemetery posted on its Facebook page Jan. 1, that it was two-thirds toward its goal and asked the community to help raise enough money so the fountain can be sent to Alabama before winter ended.
Once Ferguson posted she was going to donate the money to the cemetery, other people said they would match her donation and donate to the cemetery as well.
“Because of the posting on Facebook about the missing rabbit, the cemetery received just shy of $1,000,” McCormack said. “The cemetery now has enough money to send the fountain to Alabama to be restored, but we will still be asking for donations for the repairs on the foundation and pool of the fountain.”
Ferguson, who works for The Daily Star, said the rabbit was taken to a veterinarian Monday to be checked out and to see if it was pregnant. She said the veterinarian told her the rabbit was female, was not pregnant, and the veterinarian treated rabbit for two wounds and against fleas.
“The result of this is so great,” Ferguson said. “I was baffled to see how the community banded together to save this rabbit and then banded together to donate to the Franklin cemetery.”
Vicky Klukkert, staff writer, can be reached at vklukkert@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7221. Follow her @DS_VickyK on Twitter.