According to the Ohio Historical Marker at this location, “This spring fed watering trough was erected by Giles Richards (1792 – 1876) in 1867 and has provided water to travelers and livestock ever since. Richards owned and operated a number of enterprises in Colerain Township starting in the early 1800’s. Upon the marble slab just above the iron trough is engraved: ‘Stranger and traveler drink freely and bestow a kindly thought on him who bade this fountain flow. It hath no other claim than as the minister of blessing in God’s name. Drink and in peace go.'” – Colerain Historical Society, The Ohio Historical Society. The inscription on the marble slabs is from a poem by John Greenleaf Whittier entitled, “On a Fountain: For Dorothea L. Dix.”
The trough is a half of the old iron rollers that were used to build the Colerain (Cincinnati-Oxford-Brookville) turnpike. Apparently, the old name, or possibly even an alternative name of this “hillside spring-fed stone watering trough” was “Amanda Springs,” because not only was Giles Richards one of the donators, but so were N. G. French and Amanda B. French. I will provide a poorly cropped picture of the postcard from which this “alternative name” can be referenced. It must also be mentioned that on this postcard, “Amanda Springs” is located in Butler County, which is wrong. It is in fact in Hamilton County, and more specifically, Colerain Township, 1.5 miles south of Ross. It is located on Old Colerain Ave., just east of E. Miami River Rd. It was a familiar site to travelers until US 27 was rerouted over newly built roadway in 1970.
