The Old Beacon Street Fountain sits at 638 South Beach Street in San Pedro, California. It resides next to the Port of Long Beach, west of Los Angeles.
Public fresh water has been hard to come by in San Pedro since the days of sailors hanging about the ports of Long Beach. Even though there were plenty of other drink choices available to sailors, these drinks also would make them even thirstier, resulting in the need for plain water. Saloons and cars at this time, did not offer drinking water, so those citizens concerned with the temperance movement, financed a serried of public drinking fountains in certain locations throughout the area. One of the more notable fountains was placed in downtown San Pedro on Beacon Street in front of the San Pedro Bank. This fountain was made of cast iron and served the public for eighty years. During the redevelopment period of Beacon Street, the fountain was carelessly found tossed into a gutter near where it once stood. The fountain was salvaged and donated to the park, where it was installed and still stands since 1980. This is just a short walk from its original home, and near to the site of the Old Pepper Tree Saloon, and it continues to provide guests with clean and cool water!