In front of the courthouse, powerful jets of water keep a massive 1,800-pound granite sphere gently floating and spinning atop a fountain pedestal — a striking sight that seems almost impossible until you see it in motion.

A plaque at the base reads:

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.

The fountain’s location is both meaningful and a bit ironic. It sits within view of the modest home at 8th and Washington where Judge Fred and Mary Jane Sturges once lived. Their granddaughter, Marion Ellet (1898–1996), went on to become a well-known journalist. After her death, her estate commissioned the granite sphere in Europe and had it shipped to Concordia as a lasting tribute to her grandparents — a remarkable memorial honoring a family that helped shape the community.