Historic Watering Trough Returns to Downtown Exeter

EXETER, NH: December 9th, 2022  - Family members of the late Robert Webb have honored one of his final wishes by returning a granite watering trough dating back more than a century to the town of Exeter.

The trough, which was once used for horses, sat near the old Exeter Town Hall for decades, but has spent the last 44 years in the possession of the Webb family.

“It was my husband’s decision. It was his wish that it go back to the town. He loved local history and he made sure that he took care of it,” Webb’s wife, Leslie, said following a ceremony held on Dec. 9 to dedicate the antique trough, which has found its new home outside the Exeter Town Office building.

According to Barbara Rimkunas, curator and co-executive director of the Exeter Historical Society, the trough is believed to have arrived in Exeter in 1916 when the bandstand was built. At the time, a cast iron watering trough for horses had to be removed to make way for the bandstand, which was designed to have a new granite trough placed next to it facing String Bridge.

However, she said plans changed.

“When they came to install it, for whatever reason, they changed their mind and they installed it instead between the Town Hall and what was then the county courthouse and they kept it there,” Rimkunas said.

Her research suggests that the trough was designed by architect Henry Bacon when he was hired to design the bandstand; Bacon also designed the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. and was described by Rimkunas as a premier architect of the beaux arts movement.

Through her research, Rimkunas found that the Exeter Garden Club later used to decorate the trough at Christmas during the 1960s and that it likely remained in its spot in Exeter until 1971 when it was removed.

By 1978, the trough had made its way to a scrap yard, which is where it was found by Mr. Webb, who purchased it and brought it home to his family farm in Exeter, known as Beech Hill Farm. The trough remained at the farm until 2001, at which point it was moved to the Webb home in Brentwood.

“He could have left it at the farm, but we didn’t. We wanted it because it meant so much to him,” Leslie Webb said of her husband, who passed away in January.

The trough was recently relocated from Brentwood to the front of the Exeter Town Office building by members of the Public Works Department. Highway Superintendent Jay Perkins admitted that it was no easy feat as the trough weighs an estimated 10,000 pounds. A crew placed straps around the trough and used a loader to lift it onto a trailer for the trip to Exeter. The loader was also used to unload it at its new spot.

“It’s solid granite and it’s also very breakable if you drop it so we had to be careful. I’m just glad it’s back,” Perkins said.

Several members of the Webb family joined other town officials and community members at Friday’s ceremony.

Pam McElroy, Senior Executive Assistant to Town Manager Russ Dean, led the ceremony and offered a brief history of stone troughs, which date back thousands of years and were used as feeding and watering troughs for livestock as well as washing and bathing tubs. They were used on farms and placed along popular routes for horses making long journeys.

Stone troughs were eventually replaced by cast iron during the Industrial Revolution before disappearing as automobiles replaced horses for transportation.

McElroy said the town is grateful to the Webb family for donating the trough back to Exeter.

“Exeter has a long, proud history and welcomes educational opportunities like this one for current and future generations,” she said.

The future use of the trough is uncertain, but since it has drainage holes it could be used as a flower bed, McElroy said.

Webb’s daughter, Amanda, attended the ceremony and recalled how she used the trough to climb on and off horses when she was younger.

“It was at our farm for many years and we had many fond memories. It would make my dad very proud to know that it was donated back to the town and that something is in his name,” she said, adding that she hopes the trough will generate some interest among younger people who may wonder why it’s here and want to learn more about its history.

Like others, Rimkunas was also excited to see it returned. “It’s wonderful that Bob Webb rescued the watering trough and was able to keep it safe until such time that the town was again able to locate it in the town square – where it belongs,” she said.