Explore the Death of this artwork, Annie C. Stewart Memorial Fountain.
Stewart experienced major depressive disorder and, during the spring of 1905, she spent a few weeks at the Battle Creek Sanitarium for help with her depression. On the evening of 7 April 1905, Annie was playing cards with her mother and aunt. According to newspaper reports, later that night, after the rest of her family had retired, she stepped out of the house and wandered over a mile away from her home ending up in her neighbor's yard.
The morning of 8 April 1905, Annie's mother and aunt discovered her missing and alerted authorities. Annie was found that afternoon in their neighbor's cistern by 16-year-olds Stephan Gilman and Frederic Brandenburg. During the community search for her that morning, Gilman and Brandenburg discovered the heavy 3-inch-thick (76 mm) wooden cover of the cistern had been moved, presumably by Annie, and found her body inside. Gilman stated he learned from the maid at the Stewart home that she had heard faint sounds of singing around 03:00 the morning of her disappearance but decided that it was only the telephone wires. The cistern was situated directly behind their neighbor Haugen's house and which was only a few feet from the back door. The cistern was 8 feet (2.4 m) deep containing only 3 feet (0.91 m) of water. Annie's death was ruled a suicide by drowning.
Battle Creek Sanitarium major depressive disorder cistern