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The Monsters in the Park: Edison’s “Light Dispelling Darkness”

Most visitors to Roosevelt Park in Edison, New Jersey, jog or walk right past it without realizing what they are looking at.

At first glance, it looks like a standard concrete fountain topped with a large globe. But if you stop and look at the ceramic sculptures surrounding the base, you will see a Roman soldier wearing a gas mask, a blue-skinned woman riddled with disease, and twisting octopuses representing greed.

This is “Light Dispelling Darkness,” a masterpiece of Art Deco sculpture and a lingering reminder of the Great Depression.

Art from the Ashes

Created in 1937, this fountain was a product of the Works Progress Administration (WPA)—President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s massive program designed to create jobs during the Depression.

The artist was Waylande Gregory, a 32-year-old genius of ceramic art.

• The Material: Gregory chose terra cotta (baked earth) for the sculpture. This was a nod to local industry; nearby Perth Amboy and Woodbridge were national hubs for terra cotta manufacturing in the early 20th century.
• The Workshop: Gregory and his team fired these massive clay pieces in the kilns of the Atlantic Terra Cotta Company in Perth Amboy, one of the few facilities large enough to handle the job.

The Allegory: Good vs. Evil

The fountain is a visual story about the triumph of science and knowledge over ignorance.

The Center (The Light): Rising from the pool is a 15-foot pillar.

• The Globe: At the top sits a 9,000-pound globe. This honors Thomas Edison, whose famous Menlo Park laboratory was located just a mile away. It represents the electric light (and knowledge) illuminating the world.
• The Reliefs: The pillar features images of “civilization”: Scientists, Industrial Laborers, and a World Peace Conference.

The Perimeter (The Darkness): Fleeing from the central light are six terrifying figures representing the evils of humanity. These are the details that make the fountain so striking:

1. War: Depicted as a Roman warrior wearing a World War I-style gas mask.
2. Death: A skeletal figure.
3. Famine: A starving, skeletal woman.
4. Pestilence: A blue-skinned woman covered in yellow spots, lying beneath a horse branded with a dollar sign.
5. Greed: Two entwined octopuses strangling figures.
6. Materialism: A multi-headed monster spewing a ribbon of Stock Market ticker tape.

A fragile Masterpiece

Terra cotta is beautiful, but it is fragile. By the turn of the 21st century, the fountain was in dire condition. The ceramic was cracking, paint was peeling, and a tree was actually growing out of the top of the globe.

In the mid-2000s, Middlesex County launched a massive restoration project. Using Gregory’s original notes and photographs, they repaired the ceramic skin, restored the original water flow patterns, and brought the vibrant colors back to life. Today, it stands as one of the few remaining outdoor ceramic sculptures of this scale in the United States.

If You Visit

Roosevelt Park is one of the oldest parks in the Middlesex County system and offers plenty to do beyond the fountain.

• Location: 151 Parsonage Road, Edison, NJ 08837.
• Finding the Fountain: It is located near the lake, prominently visible from the park loop road.
• Nearby History: The Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park (featuring the giant commemorative tower) is just a 5-minute drive away.

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For More Information

Middlesex County Parks & Recreation (www.middlesexcountynj.gov)