Beth Swift reports that the "planter" is actually a fountain presented to the College by the Class of 1899. †In the late 1800s, several of the classes tried to present something of lasting structure to the College. †The fountain, pictured between the evergreens above, originally sat near Center Hall.

If you'd like to see where the fountain originally stood, here's the link, courtesy of Beth Swift.

And that's the rest of the story...