Tuesday, July 15, 2025
The story surrounding the sphere, located near the northwestern side entrance of the Cloud County Courthouse in Concordia, Kan., is mysterious to some, but others find the history mesmerizing.
The sphere, which is part of a floating stone fountain, or also known as a kugel fountain, was installed in September 2003.
Hopkins Granite Design, now out of business, oversaw the installation and receiving of the fountain. The fountain was made in Europe and then shipped and delivered to Concordia.
The estate of Marion Ellet donated the funds used for the installation of the fountain in memory of her grandparents, Judge Frederick Wilmot and Mary Jane Sturges.
The plaque that accompanies the floating sphere fountain states:
In Memory Of
Frederick Wilmot Sturges, 1843-1927
And His Wife
Mary Jane Sturges, 1843-1918
They came to Concordia from New York City in 1872, helped to build this community, and died here.
Judge F. Sturges became the judge of the Twelfth Judicial District for Cloud County, Kansas, in the late 1800s. He earned his degree from Columbia Law School and was admitted to the bar in New York State before moving to Concordia, Kan., in 1872. He died at the age of 83 and was buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Concordia.
Ellet was born in Concordia, Kan., in 1898 and was the only child of parents of Benjamin Franklin Ellet and Dorothy “Babe” Sturges.
Ellet was a nationally renowned writer and editor and had worked for the Concordia Blade-Empire, where she had started as a proofreader. She was associated with the newspaper, with the exception of four years, for most of her journalistic career up until her passing.
In 1930, the Wichita Sunday Eagle named Ellet as one of the 10 outstanding journalists in Kansas, the only female to get recognition for that year.
After Ellet’s passing in 1996, her last will had a clause to give no more than $20,000 to Cloud County, Kansas, for the erection of a decorative fountain to be placed on the northwest corner of the courthouse square and dedicated to her grandparents. The exact amount spent on the floating stone fountain and accompanying bench came to $19,456.
Ellet designated that specific location for the fountain at the courthouse because it could be viewed from the east window of the living room in the home built by her grandfather.
Former Concordia Blade-Empire owner, Brad Lowell, said in a letter dated July 1997, “Marion Ellet was a woman who loved harshness and the serenity of nature. She loved wildflowers and roses. But she also loved formality and order.”
This letter was to a former county commissioner who was against the installation of the floating stone fountain.
Lee Lowell, one of the co-executive directors of Ellet’s estate, said, “Marion picked a fountain because it’s always alive and moving, never stopping. Marion didn’t want just a plaque; she wanted something attractive, of substance.”
Visitors can view the floating stone fountain and sphere at the northwestern entrance of the Cloud County Courthouse on Eighth and Washington streets in Concordia.
