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The Burnside Fountain (Turtle Boy). by Travis Simpkins |
The Troubled Origin
and Clumsy Theft of “Turtle Boy”
by Travis Simpkins
A work of public art with a foredoomed
history resides in a back corner of the Common behind City Hall in
Worcester, Massachusetts. It's official name is The Burnside
Fountain, but that title wouldn't spark much recognition in the
ears of local citizens. The subject matter of a boy riding a sea
turtle (in what some misconstrue as a suggestive and bizarre manner)
has earned the bronze statue the unofficial title of “Turtle Boy.”
It is an unlikely and unique Icon. Sprung from the mind of a troubled
artist, the 102-year-old “Turtle Boy” has been stolen and
returned, vandalized, fallen into disrepair, honored, parodied and
currently ranks #11 on cracked.com's list of “The Most Disturbing
Tourist Attractions Around the World.”
The fountain was commissioned in 1905,
with funds provided by Harriet F. Burnside, who felt the city needed
a drinking trough for horses. The pink granite basin was designed by
Henry Bacon (who later designed The Lincoln Memorial). The job
of creating the sculpted figure, however, was given to New York
artist Charles Y. Harvey. Harvey was a promising young sculptor who
suffered from mental health issues, but he was determined that this
would be his masterpiece. Within a week of starting work on “Turtle
Boy,” Harvey started hearing voices coming directly from the
unfinished statue. The auditory hallucinations commanded that he kill
himself, and even specified the date on which he was to end his life:
January 27, 1912. On that Saturday, Charles Y. Harvey set down his
sculptor's tools, walked to Bronx Park and slit his own throat with a
straight razor along the west bank of the river. Sculptor Sherry Fry
was asked to complete Harvey's work, and the bronze statue was
delivered to Worcester in October of that year. There was no formal
dedication or unveiling of the monument, no fanfare (presumably
because of Harvey's suicide). The Burnside Fountain was
already obsolete upon being installed in Central Square. By 1912,
automobiles were fast becoming prevalent, and the horse trough saw
very little use over the next 57 years. In 1969, the City of
Worcester opted to move the fountain to the Common behind City Hall.
One year later, in May of 1970,
thieves set their eyes on “Turtle Boy.” The statue was dislodged,
brutally ripped from it's pedestal and spirited away in a nearby
vehicle. The well-known stolen statue, damaged on the bottom,
apparently proved useless to the thieves and “Turtle Boy” was
anonymously returned later that same year. The city, however, waited
two years in restoring him to his pedestal. “Turtle Boy” rested
atop The Burnside Fountain for another 32 years, corroding and
in disrepair, but relatively undisturbed (except for the occasional
spray-paint vandal). In 2004, a second clumsy attempt was made at
stealing “Turtle Boy.” The sculpture had been firmly reattached
to the pedestal after the first theft, and the would-be thieves were
unprepared, forced to abandon their efforts at prying the artwork
loose. “Turtle Boy” was found dangling on the edge of the trough
basin, suspended by a few gnarled bolts and twisted steel rods. To
their credit, this time officials uprighted and reattached the statue
within days.
As “Turtle Boy” neared 100 years
old in 2012, there was a renewed interest in caring for it. A
concerned group of volunteers have done an admirable job in cleaning
up the monument, planting flowers and making it more presentable.
Professional conservation treatment seems unlikely at present,
though, as there are no funds set aside for it (my guess is that it
would cost upwards of $50,000 to fully restore).
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The Burnside Fountain (Turtle Boy)- Worcester, MA |