The StarNews of Wilmington reports the fountain has been at the intersection of 5th and Market streets for almost a century. Police records show it has been hit seven times since 2001.

 

The most recent damage occurred several weeks ago when a vehicle going 35 miles per hour hit it and took several small chunks out of it.

 

A plan being proposed to protect the fountain includes new lighting and changing the existing intersection into a roundabout.

 

The city was given the fountain as a gift in 1921. The state highway commission asked the city to remove it in 1953, but the city instead reduced its size and widened the street.