The History of Arlington's Artesian Mineral Well

An artesian mineral well in downtown Arlington provided a public water source and gathering place for nearly sixty years. In 1891 local businessman Rice W. Collins initiated a campaign to drill a community water well, financed through public subscriptions. The following year the well was dug at the intersection of Center and Main streets near the Texas and Pacific Railroad. The work was supervised by Sam Shafer and accomplished using a wood-powered steam engine that drilled down 1,800 feet. When complete, the water that flowed up was initially declared of poor quality due to its taste. Collins built a wooden trough around the well so citizens could water their horses and livestock. Around 1895 J. W. Hammack, a pig farmer, piped water to his home to water his pigs, then went into business with W. B. Fitzhugh to connect downtown homes and businesses the next year. In 1900 a crude drinking fountain was erected at the well. Eventually it was discovered that the water’s unusual taste was due to its high mineral content. At the time it was widely believed that mineral water had medicinal properties. The well soon became a gathering spot for both locals and railroad workers, who regularly drank the water and filled containers to take with them. In 1910 Dr. J. D. Collins opened a sanitarium to make use of the “curative” waters. That same year Arlington’s Commercial Club raised the funds to build two fountains, one for people, the other for animals, and a water basin at the well. The former fountain was an ornate, four-sided structure that featured lion-head spouts from which the water flowed into the basin. The fountain became a recognizable city landmark and was featured in postcards and on the masthead of the Arlington Journal (see ARLINGTON CITIZEN-JOURNAL).

In 1915 the Arlington Marketing and Mineral Water Company began doing business in the town. The company bottled and sold the water, advertised as a “tonic” and remedy for stomach problems and rheumatism. In 1923 a new fountain, designed by Homer L. Fry of Fort Worth and built by W. C. Weeks of Arlington, was erected above the well. The fountain featured a lighted column at the center with water spouts at its base. The water continued to be free to drink to locals and visitors, but fees were assessed for anyone who wished to carry away containers of several gallons or more. The Orange Crush Bottling & Electrified Water Company, chartered in Fort Worth in 1924, bottled and delivered the water to Fort Worth residents in up to five-gallon jugs. In 1927 the original well casing collapsed, and a new well had to be drilled a few feet away. The new well was completed on January 8, 1928. The 1923 fountain was installed atop the new well. In 1928 Mayor William Green Hiett claimed that the well brought a $600 profit to the city treasury every month. In the early 1930s Gilbert Y. Luke and his brothers began boiling down the water to form crystals that were packaged and sold as health supplements throughout the United States. The crystal business proved to be popular enough that part of the fountain structure was enclosed in brick and plate glass windows to act as a display room for Arlington Crystals. The crystal industry collapsed after a few years. The federal Food and Drug Administration prohibited advertising the purported curative properties of the mineral water as fact, and the crystals fell out of favor.

The fountain platform in the middle of downtown Arlington became a popular hangout for longtime residents to gather and socialize. In 1951 the city and Mayor Tom Vandergriff declared the structure a traffic hazard in the middle of an increasingly automobile-centric downtown area. The decision was met with opposition from a number of Arlington residents, but the modernization effort continued. The well was capped, and the fountain platform was removed and paved over. In 1976 the well was reopened outside the nearby Arlington Public Library to celebrate the city’s centennial. The memorial featured a drinking fountain and a series of columns commemorating the well’s history. Vandergriff, still serving as mayor, was one of the principal contributors of funds for the memorial. In 1984 pesticides were discovered in the mineral water and the fountain was connected to city water. The memorial was later relocated to Arlington’s Founders Plaza when the library was renovated. A replica of the lion-headed fountain was also built outside of the Vandergriff Building, and one of the original well bowls was put on display at Knapp Heritage Park. In 2023 the Mineral Well Public Plaza, funded by the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation, was completed near the original site of the well. The plaza featured a forty-foot fountain and clock tower with lion-head spouts.