The Burnside Fountain of Worcester, MA (aka Turtle Boy)
The Burnside Fountain, known locally as Turtle Boy is located on the Worcester Common. It’s actually two pieces of art – the base and the statue. The base is made of pink granite and featured functioning watering troughs for horses and dogs when it was unveiled. The fountain and troughs don’t have water running to them anymore. There has been talk of restoring the water to the fountain and students at WPI did a study in 2012 but nothing has come of it so far.
The more well-known piece is the bronze statue of a boy holding a Hawksbill Sea Turtle called “Boy with a Turtle”. The statue is known locally as “Turtle Boy” though. Turtle Boy is either a beloved unofficial mascot of the City or a source of embarrassment depending on which Worcester resident you ask.
Obviously, I’ve embraced the statue as mascot. I built this site in 2008 and was part of the Turtle Boy Urban Gardening crew.
Turtle Boy is located in Worcester, MA at the corner of Franklin St. and Church St. I made a map so you can visit it when you’re in the City. Take a selfie and tag me @worcturtleboy on both Instagram and Twitter.
A brief history
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