From the eighteenth century, “It is safe to say, moreover, that just because it was the playground of so many Bostonians of the older generations, it has taken a hold upon the affections and imaginations which time has not relaxed. Many things never change, and the Common has always provided an outlet for the energies of the young. Hale was showing the Dean of Westminster around Boston in 1878, “We took a carriage at once, quite early in the afternoon, and went first that he might see where the Wishing Stone was, and so down to the iron fence which surrounds the relics of the Old Elm.” “Once, in her zeal to make the Wishing Stone grant her wish, Louy (Louisa May Alcott’s nickname) drove not only her hoop into that very Frog Pond, but her own self after it.”Įdward Everett Hale, beloved Bostonian with his own statue in the Public Garden, mentions the Wishing Stone in his memoir “Historic Boston and its Neighborhood”. Stern mentions the Wishing Stone several times. The Wishing Stone is mentioned by well-known authors from the era, as a unique feature on Boston Common.Ī biography of Louisa May Alcott by Madeline B. It apparently was blown up (as in detonated) around 1820, though the reason for the destruction is lost to time. Unfortunately, no illustrations exist, but it was a large granite boulder near the junction of the Beacon Street Mall and the path leading to Joy Street and according to the superstition at the time, the young people used to walk around it nine times (!) and then sit or stand on it to silently make their wishes. Are the stories true or is it just fiction? The Wishing Stone on the Common qualifies as both quirky and true.Ī popular feature of the Common in the early days was the Wishing Stone. There are many quirky stories about Boston Common and features of the park that have since disappeared. Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial Restoration.
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