Draft:John Barker Spring House
Public springhouse and free drinking-water source in Canton, Ohio
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The John Barker Spring House (also called the Barker Springhouse) is a public springhouse in Canton, Ohio, where drinking water is provided free of charge to the public.[2][3] The springhouse is located near Stadium Park along the Monument Road/Monument Drive NW corridor and is used by residents who fill jugs and other containers with drinking water.[2][3][1] The site has been the subject of repeated local coverage as a long-running public water-filling location in the Canton area.[3][4][2]
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Barker Spring House
| John Barker Spring House | |
|---|---|
 Interior of the springhouse in winter (2026) | |
 Interactive map of the John Barker Spring House area | |
| Alternative names | Barker Springhouse Barker Spring House |
| General information | |
| Type | Springhouse (public drinking water) |
| Location | Near Stadium Park (Monument Road/Monument Drive NW area), Canton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 40.815159°N 81.391684°W |
| Opened | 1968[1] |
| Renovated | 2017[2] |
| Owner | Canton Parks and Recreation[1] |
History
Local reporting has described the water source as originating from a test well drilled by the Canton Waterworks/Water Department between 1924 and 1930.[3][2] A City of Canton publication describes the source as a 6-inch, 200-foot test well drilled in the 1920s by the Canton Water Department.[1]
Accounts of the site's early development describe it as beginning with a simple tap emerging from the hillside, with a structure later built and dedicated in memory of the Rev. John Barker of Calvary Presbyterian Church.[2][3] Canton Parks and Recreation states that the current springhouse structure was built in 1968 by Canton Park employees using donations made in Barker's honor.[1]
Description and operation
The springhouse features a row of faucets used for filling containers, and the water has been described as flowing continuously, 24 hours a day, with no charge.[3][2] A plaque at the springhouse references Revelation 21:6, referring to giving water freely.[3]
Canton Parks and Recreation states that the spring water is regularly tested for safety by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.[1] A 2015 feature similarly reported that the well site was tested twice per year by the Ohio EPA.[3]
Renovation and reconstruction
In September 2016, the city's parks and recreation office announced that the springhouse would reopen temporarily until demolition began, ahead of a planned exterior renovation and plumbing and structural upgrades; the announcement noted that service interruptions were possible due to the age of the structure.[4]
The springhouse closed in April 2017 after a plumbing break ahead of planned construction.[2] Canton Parks and Recreation reported that plumbing and an aging pump had become unreliable and that leaks were deteriorating structural support beams; the building was stripped to its foundation and rebuilt.[2] The rebuilt springhouse used a stone facade and metal roof in place of the prior brick-and-shingle exterior.[2]
The reconstruction was reported as a $96,900 project completed by Motter & Meadows Architects and the RG Smith Company, funded by park levy revenue and $40,000 from AEP and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[2] A separate 2016 report stated that funding for the project partly came from a city settlement with AEP related to an easement through the park.[4] The springhouse reopened in August 2017.[2]