The Humane Society Alliance Fountain was one of 125 watering troughs and fountains presented to communities around the U.S. in the early 1900's by the National Humane Alliance with an endowment from its founder, Herman Lee Ensign. Minnie Maddern Fiske (1865-1932), an actress and activist whose husband was president of the Alliance, helped instigate the campaign to improve the lot of workhorses and donated proceeds from her performances to help fund these watering troughs. Abbeville's five-ton fountain, one of the few still in its original location, was installed as a watering trough in 1912. It features water flowing from a lion's mouth into a basin of polished Maine granite trimmed with bronze, with an upper bowl for horses and small cups at the bottom for cats and dogs.