Statue of John Harvard - Cambridge, MA
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NorStar
N 42° 22.468 W 071° 07.035
19T E 325682 N 4693525
The John Harvard Statue, also known as the 'Three Lies Statue', is an imaginary likeness of the first benefactor of Harvard University.
Waymark Code: WM7RQE
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 11/27/2009
Views: 18
In Old Harvard Yard within Harvard University, Cambridge, there is a bronze statue that represents John Harvard and stands on a stone pillar. The inscription in the stone is: John Harvard, Founder. On the side is a seal for Harvard that has the year established as 1638.
The text in the American Guide Series for Massachusetts states the following:
The Statue of John Harvard, which stands in front of University Hall, was done by Daniel Chester French in 1880, and is an imaginary likeness; no portrait of Harvard is known to exist.
--American Guide Series: Massachusetts - A Guide to its Places and People, p. 196.
Today, Harvard still sits in Harvard Yard by University Hall. The statue is in good condition, though its foot is more polished than the rest due to legend that rubbing that foot brings good luck.
The statue is also known as the "Three Lies Statue." The first is that since no record of what John Harvard looked like currently exists, a student's face was probably used instead. The second is that John Harvard did not found the university, but he did donate money and his books to it. Third, Harvard University was founded in 1636, not 1638.
On September 24, 2007, MIT students executed a prank around the statue. They 'dressed' Harvard in futuristic clothes and a helmet and transformed him into the Master Chief character from the video game, Halo 3. For more information, click on the link:
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. The changes were not permanent, and he is now fully back to his Puritan clothing.