The tea on Emmeline: Geneseo’s beloved bear fountain

Many Geneseo Students will be familiar with the bear fountain, a large water feature in the middle of Main St., Geneseo. It’s known for its many car accidents, late night drunk swimming sessions, and most notably, the bear cub that sits atop its lamp post—Emmeline.

According to the Livingston County News (LCN), the prominent Wadsworth family, specifically Herbert and William Austen Wadsworth, commissioned the fountain in tribute to their mother, Emmeline Wadsworth. She was a passionate animal lover, so brothers thought that the greatest tribute to their mother would be a fountain where the village's horses could stop for a drink while their owners were in town. 

The bear was installed in May of 1888, and was designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt, who is well known for designing the base that the Statue of Liberty sits on. 

According to the Association for the Preservation of Geneseo, in the 1930s, traffic lights were installed in the fountain to assist traffic. Shortly following, in 1968, traffic signs to direct cars and prevent accidents into the fountain were added. These additions were such an eyesore that the town lobbied for their removal, with great success, in 1976. 

In addition to removing the signs and traffic lights, the village board began a restoration project on the fountain, returning it to its glory and creating the beautiful centerpiece in Geneseo that we have today. 

While Emmeline continues to be a proud symbol of Geneseo pride, myths, legends, and outright shenanigans have colored Emmeline’s history with all sorts of fun anecdotes. 

One myth states that when the Wadsworth’s, the affluent family that owned the majority of Geneseo, gave ownership of the town over to its citizens, they made one caveat: that the town must maintain the bear, or the town should forfeit ownership back to the Wadsworth family. Hence, as the many car accidents that have occurred over the years repeatedly damage the fountain, so ensues panic within the community that we will all have to pay tribute to the Wadsworths for the remainder of our lives. However, this is merely a myth, and in no way should any Geneseo student or citizen worry too much about relinquishing power to the Wadsworths.

Another myth surrounding Emmeline states that should a female-identifying undergraduate student graduate from Geneseo remain a virgin, the bear will fall from the light post in grief. This fun little legend has led to social media posts from Greek Organizations, pleading to “Save the Bear” when a car accident leveled the lamppost and the bronze bear. What seemed like an innocent plea to rescue a historic artifact was actually a mating call from all the frat boys of Geneseo. 

However, Emmeline’s adventurous history is not limited to myths and legends. According to the LCN, in the late 1960s, a group of students at SUNY Geneseo, in the dead of night, stole Emmeline and ran off with her, claiming her for themselves. As the sun rose on a bear fountain with no bear, panic ensued across the village. A full investigation was launched, including a thorough canvassing of the surrounding area by the State Police.

After several hours of searching, interviewing witnesses, and draining what must have been an obscene amount of coffee, the two unidentified students were found and detained, beginning the long legal process of seeking vengeance for Geneseo’s beloved Emmeline. The students and their families were forced to pay damages and Emmeline was restored to her rightful place in the heart of the village, overseeing the day-to-day bustle of our beloved township. 

To this day, the bear fountain is known for its many car accidents (seriously people, how do we keep running into this thing?), and a rite of passage for drunk college students to take a dip in (which is a misdemeanor, by the way). 

So, in celebration of our dear Emmeline and her 200 years of grace and sophistication, here’s to another 200 years of fond bear-themed memories.