Amherst traffic circle fountain freezes

It was so cold today that Amherst’s traffic circle fountain froze, capturing motorists’ attention enough that they frequently stopped to take pictures.

The traffic circle has long been a town landmark, but the fountain, with its 850-gallon basin, became a point of pride when the Village Garden Club raised money to design and install it, along with a splash pool and a garden, and officially presented it to the town in 2006.

Besides enhancing the trademark traffic circle, the fountain was picked as the best anniversary garden in its category statewide in its category during the 2007 Jamestown celebrations.

The traffic circle was designed in 1936 by W.M. Jeffries. The Virginia Department of Transportation says its the oldest traffic circle in the U.S.