Many people drive right past it without even knowing it’s there.
Just off the path at Lake Eufaula State Park, a small fountain bubbles, almost unnoticed. But stop for a moment and you’ll see what’s really there, a fence lined with padlocks, each one holding a story someone wasn’t ready to leave behind.
This is the Love Lock Fountain, sitting quietly near the entrance to the Lake Eufaula State Park Welcome Center. Couples, and even friends, come to place their locks as a symbol of their love.
The tradition didn’t start here. It traveled from faraway places, across Europe and into Paris, where couples once covered bridges with padlocks and tossed the keys into the river below, promising devotion meant to last.
In the state park, the ritual feels slower, more personal. Visitors stop to place a token of their love on the fence, sometimes with careful planning, sometimes on a whim. They fasten it to the fence, drop the key into the fountain and walk away knowing something of that moment remains. For those who didn’t bring one of their own, locks can be purchased inside the welcome center and even engraved there.
“We just stopped by the park to get out and walk around,” Linda Thompson said.
The Thompsons were celebrating their 50 year anniversary in Eufaula with family and friends.
“When we came across the fountain, we couldn’t help but stop and read the names and dates on the locks. Each one felt like a little piece of someone’s life. It made us smile and remember how many stories fit into 50 years. We’ll be back to add ours someday. After all this time, he’s already locked in, and pretty well hitched to me. We will be back to tell our story,” Thompson said.
The locks tell more than love stories.
Some belong to friends who’ve shared years of memories. Some mark the hopeful beginning of new relationships. Others celebrate long marriages, anniversaries, or new vows. And some quietly remain for someone who is no longer here, love that continues even after goodbye.
Those are often the ones people return to.
There’s no grand gesture required, just the click of a lock closing and the splash of the key into the fountain.
Though the fence has been there through many seasons, the locks remain, weathered by sun and and still holding names and the stories of those who visited.
