Car crash damages Sanford Memorial Fountain

WARWICK — A 2007 Volkswagen Jetta, driven by Christine Fitzgerald of Unionville, was traveling north on Main Street in the Village of Warwick last Sunday evening. She told police she planned to continue north on Maple Avenue but as she crossed the intersection with Colonial, she changed her mind and made a sharp right turn onto Colonial.

Police said she lost control of her vehicle and slammed into the historic Sanford Memorial Fountain, which broke into pieces.

Warwick police found the car upside down. Fitzgerald and her passenger, Eric Gonzalez of Middletown, were already outside and both were treated and released at nearby St. Anthony Community Hospital. They were charged with possession of a controlled substance.

Fitzgerald was issued a desk appearance ticket and Gonzalez was remanded to the Orange County jail without bail.

The Sanford Memorial Fountain, which sits on Fountain Square between the old Albert Wisner Library (A.W. Buckbee Center) and the Mobil gas station, was dedicated in 1904.

Sanford (1821-1900) was one of the organizers of the First National Bank and was director of the Warwick Valley Railroad. He had also served as Town Supervisor.

The monument has stood in Fountain Square at what was once the center of Warwick. In the early days it served as a watering trough for horses. There was also a water jet for people on the north side.

In 1920 a bronze tablet on a boulder to the rear of the memorial was unveiled in honor of sportsman, hunter and writer Henry William Herbert (1808-1858), whose pen name was Frank Forester.

“The Sanford Fountain Memorial is one of the Village’s great historical icons and a tribute to one of our most illustrious community leaders,” said Town Historian Dr. Richard Hull. “This is a great loss to our community’s history and to our Warwick Historical Society. What a pity.”

Mayor Michael Newhard said that once the insurance issues are resolved, the Sanford Memorial Fountain and the Forester Memorial Plaque would be repaired. Referring to the famous Michelangelo sculpture damaged in 1972 by a disturbed individual, Newhard said, “ If we can put the Pieta back together we can restore this memorial.”