Burnside Memorial Fountain
Burnside Memorial Fountain is a historic site in Massachusetts, at a modelled elevation of 147 m. Asnebumskit Hill stands 421 m to the west-northwest, 5.7 miles off. The nearest named place is Turtle Boy, a artwork less than a tenth of a mile away. Lost Villages Scenic Byway passes 4.4 miles off.
The story
The Burnside Fountain is a non-functioning drinking fountain at the southeast corner of Worcester Common in Worcester, Massachusetts. It consists of two parts, a pink granite basin, and a bronze statue of a young boy riding a sea turtle. The Burnside Fountain was commissioned in 1905 by the city of Worcester—the prior year, Harriet F. Burnside had bequeathed US$5,000 (equivalent to about $179,000 in 2025) to create a fountain to provide fresh water for horses and dogs in the memory of her father, a prominent lawyer. The basin was designed by architect Henry Bacon, who later designed the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the figure was created by sculptor Charles Y. Harvey. Harvey died by suicide before finishing the sculpture, and Sherry Edmundson Fry completed the bronze. The fountain was installed in 1912 in Central Square, then moved in 1969 to its current location on Worcester Common. In 1970, the statue was stolen, and was re-installed two years later. An attempted theft occurred in 2004. The bronze is officially named Boy with a Turtle but is known to locals as Turtle Boy. Turtle Boy has become an unofficial mascot for Worcester, much in the same way Manneken Pis is for Brussels. The Burnside Fountain's popularity is derived mostly from viewers' risqué misinterpretation of the statue. Over its 114-year existence, it has been referenced in stories and songs, as well as having a music contest and a microbrew named after it.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q5000131, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
How to reach it
- 4.4 mi off the Lost Villages Scenic Byway
- 19.4 mi off the Connecticut State Route 169, National
- 26.7 mi off the Battle Road Scenic Byway, National
- 29.2 mi off the Revolutionary Heritage Byway, National
Overlooks nearby
- Sunset Ledge · 30 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- City Common: 0.1 mi
- City Square: 0.1 mi
- General Pickett Park: 0.2 mi
- John and Frannie Herron Park: 0.4 mi
- Fuller Family Park: 0.5 mi
- Southwest Asia War Memorial: 0.0 mi
- Vietnam Memorial: 0.0 mi
- Col. Timothy Bigelow Monument: 0.1 mi
- Soldier's Monument: 0.1 mi
- WWII Memorial: 0.1 mi
- Belmont Hill: 0.7 mi
- Union Hill: 0.9 mi
- Chandler Hill: 1.0 mi
- Newton Hill: 1.1 mi
- Crow Hill: 1.3 mi
- Clark University Property: 1.3 mi
- Crow Hill & Fitzgerald Brook Conservation Restriction: 1.4 mi
- Hadwen Arboretum: 1.7 mi
- Curtis Pond Parcel: 2.4 mi
- Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary: 2.4 mi
- Turtle Boy: 0.0 mi
- Egg-Ice to Steel: 0.1 mi
- Celtic Cross: 0.1 mi
- Stone Griffins (Lion Gate): 0.8 mi
- Human Chess Board: 1.0 mi
- Worcester Wall: 0.3 mi
- The Explorer Express Train: 1.7 mi
- Mine Shaft: 2.6 mi
- Thinking Rock: 3.2 mi
- Ford on Rocks: 3.9 mi
- Jakubowitz-Chaifetz Garden: 1.3 mi
- Hadwen Community Garden: 1.7 mi
- IUI Garden for the Ages: 2.3 mi
- Secret Garden: 7.8 mi
- Lawn Garden: 7.8 mi
- Worcester Historical Museum: 0.3 mi
- Major Taylor Museum: 0.7 mi
- Salisbury Mansion: 0.8 mi
- EcoTarium: 1.7 mi
- Blackstone River Valley Heritage Center: 1.7 mi
- Point Rok Beach: 3.8 mi
- Lake Chauncy Public Beach: 10.0 mi
- Sterling Town Beach: 11.1 mi
- Memorial Beach: 11.8 mi
- Lashaway Park Town Beach: 13.0 mi
- Rattlesnake Ledge: 3.2 mi
- Scar Hill Bluffs: 7.4 mi
- Sawyer Bluff: 8.9 mi
- Condo Rock: 16.4 mi
- The Wall: 16.7 mi
- Emerson Falls: 20.3 mi
- Cargill Falls: 24.6 mi
- Johnny Appleseed Visitor Information Center: 18.7 mi
- Picnic: 22.2 mi
- Dana: 24.5 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 7.1 miles of Burnside Memorial Fountain. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asnebumskit Hill | WNW 299° | 421 m | 5.7 mi |
| Little Asnebumskit Hill | WNW 303° | 399 m | 6.2 mi |
| Elliott Hill | WNW 283° | 359 m | 6.3 mi |
| Cooper Hill | WNW 291° | 358 m | 6.1 mi |
| Howe Hill | WNW 289° | 352 m | 5.7 mi |
| Stonehouse Hill | NW 318° | 330 m | 4.8 mi |
| Carey Hill | W 266° | 327 m | 5.4 mi |
| Maple Hill | W 281° | 324 m | 5.2 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:51 | 18:22 | 18:59 |
| June solstice | 05:12 | 19:45 | 20:28 |
| September equinox | 06:35 | 18:09 | 18:46 |
| December solstice | 07:14 | 15:33 | 16:19 |
Local time (America/New_York).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 25 | 27 | 35 | 46 | 57 | 65 | 71 | 69 | 62 | 51 | 40 | 31 |
| Precip in | 3.5 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 4.0 | 4.3 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Worcester, 4 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/255320827
Day trips start here
- Worcester · 1 mi
- Central Massachusetts · 5 mi
- Millbury · 5 mi
- Shrewsbury · 5 mi
- Blackstone Valley · 8 mi
- Spencer · 10 mi
Take the scenic way to Burnside Memorial Fountain.
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