Cowdrey Watering Trough

Location: Acton Arboretum, 10 Taylor Road

This watering trough was given to the town of Acton by Helen (Cowdrey) Little in memory of her father Harris Cowdrey, a long-time Acton physician who often had watered his horse at the town pump.  According to Phalen's History of the Town of Acton, the trough was located on the north side of Main Street across from the Davis Monument approximately 1886-1916.  (The Acton Historical Society has a picture of a horse drinking water from the trough at that spot.)  At the time of Phalen's writing (1954), he could not find out its location.  Now it is located at the Acton Arboretum.

For more information, see:
Phalen, Harold. History of the Town of Acton. Page 279
Pontius, Jill.  "Wandering water trough finally finds permanent home" and "Old Trough Found," Beacon newspaper (Acton, MA) 9 November 1989.